Brazil Online Casino Laws
Not surprisingly, authorities haven’t always taken a positive stance towards online gambling in Brazil. However, this is one area in which the age of the country’s gaming laws have truly started to show. While the Criminal Contravention Act clearly makes it illegal to run an internet casino – and this is not under any dispute – it does nothing to stop players from seeking out opportunities at online gaming sites established in foreign countries. Many other South American countries also adopt this approach, as you’ll find with online casinos in Chile, for example. So, while Brazilian casino sites are practically non-existent, players in the country can access sites operated by foreign companies with relative ease.
This means that Brazilians often play at online casinos and poker rooms, but that none of the Brazil online casino sites in question are regulated or taxed in the country. At times, there have been efforts to stop this activity; most recently, in 2014, when a law was passed to ensure that online transactions would be subject to Brazilian law, a move that officials hoped would cut the flow of money to these foreign sites. But while it may have made it somewhat harder to fund accounts, it had very little practical impact on stopping citizens from gambling over the Internet.
While this situation may seem like one that would discourage operators, it turns out that several the world’s biggest and most trusted gaming firms allow Brazilians to play on their sites. When it comes to online casino games, Brazil players have a wide variety of titles accessible from the world’s best developers. These prime Internet casinos feature software from:
- NetEnt
- Microgaming
- Playtech
- IGT
- Betsoft
Some of the most popular online casinos in Brazil support Brazilian currency, language and local deposit options.
Brazil Online Casino Sites: What to Look For
When looking for the best online casino, Brazil gamblers should keep an eye out for a few key factors that set the top sites apart from the rest. Our team of experts research and vet each site on our top list so you can rest assured you’re playing at only the best Brazil online casino.
Choose Your Device
If you lean towards a mobile casino, Brazil has plenty to offer. Desktop players can easily access casino games, too. The bottom line is you shouldn’t be prohibited from an online casino in Brazil just based on the device you prefer. Device compatibility is one of our criteria for choosing the best online casinos, especially for Brazilian players.
Local Support and Payments
An online casino experience should be tailored to its players. When they play at casinos online, Brazil gamblers should be able to deposit in Brazilian Real and receive support in Portuguese. We recommend casinos that offer these benefits for a truly Brazilian feel.
Safety and Security
As residents of a country with laws that make it difficult to play online at a casino, Brazil players should feel that online casinos protect their information and allow them to play safely.
Our recommended online casino sites that accept Brazil players use high-level security practices and are licensed in their respective countries of operation.
A Wide Variety of Games
Most people play at online casinos to have fun, and that’s no different in Brazil. That’s why we only consider sites for our top list if we see that they have a huge library of real money casino games.
Slots dominate the online casino world, and you’ll often find hundreds of titles to choose from. At Brazil online casino sites, slots draw upon a large selection of popular themes so there’s something for everyone. Games on offer include titles inspired by Greek mythology, classic Vegas-style slots, fantasy worlds, and much more. If you’re looking to spin the reels, you’ll never be short of options at our top online Brazil casinos.
If you’re more of a table game fan, you will have no trouble finding options that fit your taste. Brazil online casino games range from simple, globally popular titles like blackjack and roulette, to equally popular but more complex games like baccarat, craps, and sic bo. Some casinos even feature game variants like switch blackjack or French Roulette.
The bottom line is that you’ll never have to look far for a huge selection of games when you play at Brazil’s best online casino sites.
Best Brazil Online Casino Deposit Methods
Online casinos in Brazil offer deposit methods to fit any player’s preferences. Payment options are a key factor we consider when our teams select the best online casinos, and those that make our top list feature most (if not all) of the methods below.
Credit/Debit and Prepaid Cards
VISA, Mastercard, and other popular debit and credit cards are accepted at most of the best online casinos; Brazil players can easily deposit using their personal card. For players who prefer to use a different method, Brazil online casinos will often accept prepaid cards as well. Just purchase the card and use the currency loaded onto it to fund your online casino account.
E-Wallets
PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller are three of the most commonly accepted payment providers at online casinos in Brazil and around the world. E-wallet services make it easy to fund your Brazil online casino account with just a few clicks or taps. If you need to convert currencies, a fee may apply, so be sure to double-check before you make a deposit.
Online Banking and Transfers
These days, online casinos can connect straight to your bank account, allowing you to make deposits via wire transfer, online banking, or ACH. These options are quick and easy, and you can play with peace of mind that your data and transactions are handled securely.
A Long-Term Ban Begins to Crack
Brazil’s stringent laws against gambling began to come into place in 1941. That’s when the Criminal Contravention Act outlawed all games of chance in the country, offering up the potential of jail time for those caught operating such games in public. Brazil online casinos didn’t exist at this point, of course, but the country’s laws would later make it difficult for them to operate. A few years later, all previous licenses that had been issued were nullified, meaning that by 1946, there were no more casinos available in the country.
Further restrictions would come in the 1960s, when licenses for lotteries were also withdrawn, leaving only the state-owned bank to run a national lottery and other games. That situation exists to this day, at least on the federal level; state governments are also permitted to operate their own lottery drawings.
It is often unclear what is actually allowed and what the federal government prohibits. Take, for instance, the issue of bingo. In 1993, a new piece of legislation allowed for bingo halls to be legalized, though they were designed to benefit sports clubs and federations – a sort of charity gaming.
In 2004, however, the government reversed course, abolishing the laws that had allowed these bingo houses to exist. While officials likely hoped that would put a stop to the activity, this was not the case and it remained a matter of some dispute as to whether the thousands of bingo operations running in the country were legal or not. Owners argued that the Criminal Contravention Act no longer applied to them, since the game was a regulated, legal activity for some time. Some venues event succeeded at times in receiving injunctions to have their locations reopened.
Eventually, however, the government succeeded in making it clear that bingo was once again illegal. That didn’t stop the game from being played, though, as hall owners continue to run their games to this day. According to some estimates, Sao Paulo alone is home to more than 600 venues that manage to operate without being caught by the police – or perhaps with their tacit approval.
Slot machines exist in a similarly illegal position in Brazilian law. A 1998 law allowed for some slots in various locations, but when it became clear that these laws were being exploited to push gambling beyond what was intended, the laws were rescinded – though it’s far from impossible to find machines out there to this day.
One area where Brazil gambling laws have remained relatively constant is horse racing. The racing industry has always been popular among the Brazilian public, and even the major bans of the 1940s exempted pari-mutuel betting if it took place at the track. Off-track betting is also allowed at authorized locations, and bettors can also wager on races simulcasted from around the world. Interestingly, many poker tournaments are also held in Brazil, with the government treating it as a game of skill rather than chance – at least in the tournament format.
Gaming Once Again Under Consideration
If there’s one great motivator for governments to authorize gaming expansions, it’s the promise of more revenue. That’s an attractive proposal for Brazilian politicians, particularly as the nation’s economy is mired in recession and running large deficits. Brazil online casino gaming, if it were to be legalized, could provide a much-needed boost to the country’s economy.
That has led to reports that some lawmakers might be open to the idea of allowing some forms of gambling as an alternative to raising taxes. The argument is that Brazilians are already gambling online and in other countries, and that legalizing at least some activity might be enough to bring much of that money back inside the nation’s borders. Any such proposal would likely include creating a federal agency to oversee bingo halls, casinos, or whatever else might be authorized.
In late 2015, a bill to authorize up to 35 casinos (divided up among the states) passed through the Senate’s Special Committee on National Development. That bill would also allow for video lottery terminals and Internet gambling, including sports betting. The legislation is still some way from being heard by the whole Senate, and would still need to be passed by the other legislative house and signed by President Dilma Rousseff, who has not been a proponent of expanded gaming. In fact, Rousseff recently vetoed a bill that would have opened up the country’s sports betting market.
That means that it’s still a bit of a longshot for gambling to come back to Brazil after decades of (mostly) lingering in the shadows. But the fact that the topic is being discussed seriously is enough to suggest that gamblers should keep a close eye on further developments, as the Brazil online casino, gaming, and betting landscape could quickly change based on what the government chooses to permit. Consider here online gambling in Peru, another LatAm country which generates an estimated $485m in revenue per year.
Play At Our Top Brazil Online Casinos
Like online gambling in Argentina and in Mexico, the country has a complex and confusing legal landscape. However, the fact remains that the Brazil online casino scene is alive and well. Players can enjoy games on a number of reputable sites, fully researched and vetted by the experts at Vegas Slots Online. View out list of the best Brazil sites and sign up to get started.
