Six months into Brazil’s new licensing regime, Google has now officially allowed gambling apps on its local Google Play Store – but in line with the country’s regulatory framework.

The updated policies now require all operators using the Google Play Store and Google Ads platforms to be licensed by SPA, Brazil’s regulatory authority.

Gambling-related apps on the Play Store will be divided into four categories: Lotteries, Horse Racing, Betting Tips, and Daily Fantasy Games. 

This forms part of SPA’s wider strategy to push back illegal operators that are targeting the nascent Brazilian market.

First released at the start of 2021, Google’s Real Money Gaming (RMG) framework allowed users in 15 new jurisdictions to download gambling apps from operators licensed by the relevant regulators.The supported countries prior to that update were only three – the UK, France, and Ireland.

Brazil was also part of that list in a way, but since it then lacked a regulated market, geo-specific users were only allowed to download the state-licensed lottery and horseracing wagering apps.

Fast forward to January last year, an update by Google informed developers that it is expanding its RMG framework to allow game and operator apps that are not covered by a licensing framework in Mexico, India, and Brazil – a move that would naturally raise criticism but made sense in a wider context, especially for Brazil.

The country was gearing up to open its regulated market, which officially launched this year. Allowing operators to offer their gambling apps to customers prior to that launch seemed logical when it’s viewed as a move to acclimate a secluded population to an upcoming licensed gambling wave.

However, in June 2024 Google decided to pause the RMG policy extension, saying: “Expanding our support of real-money gaming apps in markets without a central licensing framework has proven more difficult than expected and we need additional time to get it right for our developer partners and the safety of our users.” As previously mentioned, this decision has now been reversed.

And while the latest news affects all Android users in Brazil, those who use iOS devices as their daily driver will need to sit this one out, as Apple has still got gambling apps locked out from its proprietary App Store.

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