Data.bet expands into Brazil with Gaming Laboratories International certification

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The Backstory

Brazil’s fast start sets the stage

Brazil’s regulated online betting market opened Jan. 1, triggering a rush of suppliers and operators to secure approvals and local partnerships. Early movers framed compliance as a competitive advantage and an onboarding accelerant, with regulators leaning on global standards to vet technology and protect consumers. In this context, several companies staked out positions across infrastructure, payments and content, shaping how quickly operators can scale and how regulators can police a fast-growing channel.

Certification became a first filter. Digitain secured authorization via Gaming Laboratories International to operate in Brazil, underscoring how stricter 2024 rules raised the bar on player protection and oversight. The company said the testing ensures its products meet Brazilian standards for quality and fairness, a baseline for suppliers that want to plug into licensees without friction. Regulators also created room for first movers at the operator level. Superbet won the country’s first regulated license in November 2024, and other providers followed in quick succession as the market went live in early January.

That cadence has set expectations for a market that must balance velocity with enforcement. The next chapters are being written by technology audits, payment integrity tactics and content differentiation.

Compliance becomes a speed lane for entry

Technology vendors are using third-party audits to collapse launch timelines. Data.bet secured official certification from Gaming Laboratories International, validating its sportsbook platform against Brazil’s standards and allowing partner operators to avoid duplicative technical testing. The GLI review covered architecture, risk controls and real-time alerting to flag irregular activity, tightening the link between surveillance and licensing. The message to prospective clients: compliance is baked in, which can cut onboarding costs and reduce time to market.

That mirrors a broader LatAm strategy. Data.bet framed Brazil as a beachhead for regional growth, with GLI recognized across Latin America. GLI itself has been staffing up, adding more than 150 personnel in June to meet demand. The harmonization of standards across jurisdictions gives certified suppliers a transferable credential, a useful lever for operators picking platforms under tight launch windows.

For Brazil, the approach channels private auditing power into public outcomes. If certification screens out weak controls before go-live, regulators can focus firepower on higher-risk areas like payments, AML and match-fixing. The goal is a compliant ecosystem where technology does more frontline work.

Payments and integrity move to the front line

With money flows defining the pulse of the market, financial partners are aligning with integrity monitors to curb fraud tied to competition manipulation. The International Betting Integrity Association launched a Payment Provider Forum in Brazil with Bazk, Z.ro Bank, Onekey Payments, OKTO, VPag and Pay4Fun. Members signed a commitment to pursue stronger regulations, responsible gambling practices and high ethical standards while tapping IBIA’s global monitoring and data intelligence network.

The forum aims to close gaps where bad actors exploit the friction between betting operators and financial rails. By syncing risk signals across wallets, processors and sportsbooks, the group can map suspicious patterns faster than any single entity. That is essential in a market onboarding millions of new accounts and transactions. It also positions payment firms as co-regulators of behavior, not just conduits of deposits and withdrawals.

If the model proves effective, IBIA plans to test replication in other regions. For Brazil, early cross-sector collaboration could help the regulated market build credibility and demonstrate that enforcement can scale with growth.

Content providers chase early share with localized bets

While platforms and payments establish the backbone, content makers are racing to lock in audience share with localized live casino and fast-paced crash titles. SkillOnNet extended its partnership with live-dealer specialist Ezugi into Brazil, bringing roulette, blackjack and baccarat with Latin America studio support, Spanish-speaking dealers and regional betting limits to its PlayUzu.bet.br and BacanaPlay.bet.br brands. The operator touts a “fairer” model with bonuses that carry no wagering requirements, a positioning play as new users test brands and formats.

Crash games are another wedge. Blitzcrown, Massive Gaming’s studio, secured GLI-19 certification to launch Crash, Fast Crash and Twin Crash in Brazil. These real-time multiplier games cater to mobile-first players and shorter sessions, a popular format in emerging markets. The studio’s push mirrors a broader trend, with rivals like Spribe investing in global visibility through UFC marketing tie-ups that can spill into Brazilian demand.

For suppliers, early library breadth matters. Operators need compliant, sticky content to sustain acquisition spend and keep conversion costs in check. For regulators, certified games simplify oversight by ensuring fairness testing is complete before distribution.

Lessons from the U.S. shadow market

Brazil’s guardrails are taking shape against a cautionary backdrop: the cost of illegal gambling to public coffers when enforcement lags or fragmentation persists. In the United States, American Gaming Association analysis indicates states lose about $15.3 billion in taxes annually as illegal operators capture nearly a third of the market. Offshore sites, unregulated skill machines and illegal sportsbooks generated an estimated $53.9 billion in revenue, a 22% jump since 2022, siphoning funds from infrastructure and education.

Those figures highlight two takeaways for Brazil. First, channelization is fragile. Even as legal sportsbooks gained share in the U.S., illegal online casino growth accelerated, showing how different verticals require tailored enforcement. Second, consumer safety depends on clear pathways to legal options and visible crackdowns on illicit ones. Brazil’s reliance on GLI certifications, integrity monitoring partnerships and payment provider coordination signals an attempt to preempt leakage before habits set in.

The stakes are fiscal and reputational. If Brazil can keep bettors in the regulated lane, tax receipts rise and consumer protections stick. If not, offshore and gray-market options will fill the void with little incentive to comply.

What to watch next

The next phase hinges on execution. Expect more suppliers to pursue GLI approvals to streamline operator onboarding, following the tracks laid by Data.bet’s certification and Digitain’s Brazil authorization. Watch whether IBIA’s payment forum publishes shared typologies that cut fraud rates at scale and whether regulators formalize data-sharing protocols across banks, wallets and licensed operators.

On content, look for localized live-dealer offerings and crash games to serve as acquisition engines. The performance of SkillOnNet’s Ezugi expansion and Blitzcrown’s crash lineup will signal how tastes evolve and how certification pipelines handle rapid releases. If enforcement keeps pace with growth, Brazil can avoid U.S.-style leakage and cement a compliant, scalable market. If gaps widen, the illegal sector’s global playbook is ready to exploit them.