Brazil’s Ministry of Finance regulates ‘bet.br’ domain registration for fixed-odds betting operators

On November 4, 2024, the Brazilian Ministry of Finance’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) issued Instruction No. 11/2024 to define the rules for companies registering under the ‘bet. br’ domain. The new regulations outline the procedure to apply for the domain name, the requirements the SPA considers in its analysis, measures to appeal measures in the event registration is denied, and provisions for resolving disputes between fixed-odds betting operators.

In accordance with Article 5 of Ordinance No. 722/2024, operators using electronic channels to offer fixed-odds bets must use the ‘bet. br’ domain registration. In this regard, Instruction No. 11/2024 states that the domain must be registered at Registro.br (Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br) once the SPA sends a notification in the context of the authorization process, requesting payment of the license fee and the submission of other pending documents.

The operator may only apply for a number ‘bet. br’ domains not exceeding the total number of brands it has been authorized to exploit. The SPA will be responsible for examining domain applications and will take two criteria into account: firstly, the registration date of the application after the operator’s authorization notification, and secondly, if the indicated domain registrations correctly correspond to the operator’s authorized brands.

In the event an operator receives an unfavorable decision from the SPA, NIC.br will notify it. An appeal may be filed via email ([email protected]) within fifteen days of the operator being notified of the unfavorable decision. In the case of a favorable decision, operators must comply with the conditions set out by NIC.br for domain registration (e.g., paying fees and signing service contracts).

Once the registration has been completed, operators must inform the SPA of the domain names through the Betting Management System (SIGAP) within five days of the registration date.

Any disputes related to the registration of domain names between operators must be resolved via the Administrative System for Internet Domain Name Conflicts under ‘.br‘ (SACI-Adm). After NIC.br formally communicates the initiation of the dispute, the SPA must respond within fifteen days.

For more information on fixed-odds betting in Brazil, please contact Mattos Filho’s Entertainment practice area.