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Where does the Sport of Kings fit into the Brazilian market?
With a regulated Brazil now in sight, Richard Duncan, Head of Business Development at racing odds and data provider PA Betting Services, assesses the potential for the sport to become a key product in this emerging market
With the last few months having seen Brazil’s sports betting bill clear all the hurdles needed to finally be signed into law, many in the sports betting world have understandably taken a keen interest in the possibilities offered by South America’s largest country.
The home of footballing greats Pelé and Ronaldo and boasting more World Cup titles than any other country, Brazil’s passion for and the resulting potential of football betting is clear. There are a number of parallels to be drawn between a market such as the UK and Brazil when it comes to football. For one thing, the similar level of devotion among the fan base looks set to ensure that football will easily remain the biggest betting turnover generator in Brazil, as it is in the UK.
What’s less clear is how likely racing is to come anywhere near the second place it holds in the UK market, where it accounted for 36% of remote betting turnover in the last set of official Gambling Commission statistics. However, there are a number of comparisons that can be made between the UK and Brazil when it comes to racing. For example, there’s a hardcore fraternity of racing fans and many more casual racegoers, those who are likely to view a day at the races as much in terms of the experience as the opportunity to have a flutter. Not to mention that Brazil boasts the third-largest horse population globally. The thoroughbred industry has been growing steadily since the 1990s, with notable group one winners such as Siphon, Sandpit and, more recently, Bal a Bali elevating the breed’s prominence.
But there’s a huge difference in the local availability of racing. While Brazil’s enormous size makes it the fifth largest country in the world and its population of more than 215 million makes it the seventh most populated, it has just four racetracks, albeit these are well-attended on race days. The UK, ranked 80th by land area and 21st by population, meanwhile, is home to 59 racecourses.
This disparity goes some way to explaining why football is taking the lion’s share of sports betting turnover in Brazil despite currently being unregulated, while racing takes a fraction of this even though it’s been legal for many years.
Online operators could be doing more to cash in on local racing than they currently are. The key to making the most of the Brazilian opportunity is educating the local population on the benefits of betting opportunities that the sheer volume of international races affords and cross-selling this to keen sports bettors.
Filling the gaps
Because while football is unlikely to lose its crown as the most popular sport among Brazilian bettors, the problem with football, NFL, basketball, MMA, golf, tennis and everything else, is that there are so many gaps in the schedule. And once the significant licence fees outlined in the new law have been paid, both local and foreign operators are likely going to need to optimise their product with as little downtime as possible in order to justify their investment.
Racing has the edge over all other sports because on a global basis there exists a full calendar where there is always something to bet on.
In the UK and Ireland we’ve already seen this approach used to great effect with the relatively recent introductions of North American, French, South African, Australian and Asian racing for domestic audiences. This secondary content does well as it lands in either prime leisure hours or is filler at weekends or for poor weather conditions. The increasing globalisation of racing was, in fact, one of the key reasons for our acquisition of Asian racing data provider iRace Media in the second half of last year.
In this respect, foreign operators, some of which have established a foothold in Brazil prior to a regulatory regime and are savvy with this approach used in established markets, may have an edge over others, simply because they’re experienced with the product.
Brazil is likely to be the same as any other fledgling market in the sense that if a company has just started offering a legal gambling product, they are likely going to have greater comfort in offering products to bet on that they are familiar with.
Mitigating the risk
In conversations our team has had with operators in emerging markets such as Brazil, Latam and Africa, the racing knowledge gap is an issue that’s come up repeatedly. They could easily integrate with a data provider such as ourselves from a technical perspective, but they may not fully understand the data they are looking at and some worry this leaves them overexposed.
There are a number of things that make racing more challenging than other sports to trade. For a start, the vernacular used in racing is not something that everyone understands if they’ve not been exposed to it before. In addition, a lot of operators fear racing because while they believe it can make them good money, they know there are people out there, professional punters and big racing syndicates, that know more about racing than their own traders.
This view is not unique to Brazil or even new markets, it’s something we also hear in our core markets and it possibly goes some way to explaining why new operators sometimes take every sport on offer before they get to racing. But inevitably, most take racing at some point because the volume on offer is too great to ignore. However, one recent shift worth mentioning is that more operators new to racing are opting for a platform partner or pricing partner to avoid being exposed to risks they aren’t comfortable with.
This is something that may be even more attractive to operators in emerging markets like Brazil given their lack of experience with global fixed odds racing to date. One thing that may work in their favour is that the country’s bettors would also appear to lack the maturity shown in established markets when it comes to the type of bets they are placing.
For instance, virtually all of the bets taken on football in Brazil are multis, which are bad for punters but which operators love as they are high margin and low risk. A diverse racing portfolio similarly has the potential to deliver high margins for operators and keep players engaged year-round, meaning the product could be just as successful in Brazil as it is in many more established markets.
Richard Duncan is Head of Business Development at PA Betting Services. He has been with parent company PA Media Group since 2002, with the bulk of his career having been spent working in its racing team.
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NeoPollard Interactive and N.C. Education Lottery Expand Online Play Partnership to Drive Greater Returns for Education
NeoPollard Interactive LLC, jointly owned by Pollard Banknote Limited and Aristocrat Interactive, announced that the North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) has extended its contract with NPi for the continued provision of its Online Play System, Player Loyalty Program and Related Services. Under the terms of the amended agreement, NCEL will extend its partnership with NPi through two one-year renewal periods until June 30, 2028, with the option to exercise an additional one-year extension at the Lottery’s discretion.
Since 2019, NPi has been a trusted partner in powering NCEL’s Online Play program, delivering a comprehensive suite of digital solutions that includes a robust Online Play platform, a fully integrated player loyalty program, a user-friendly mobile application, and industry-leading player engagement strategies. This strategic collaboration has driven remarkable growth, with gross gaming revenue from the program doubling over the past two years with the introduction of digital instant games—underscoring the strength of the partnership and the effectiveness of NPi’s digital offerings.
With the renewal, NPi will implement Aristocrat Interactive’s Fusion content aggregation platform to significantly expand NCEL’s game offerings. This platform will continue to deliver exciting games from Aristocrat Interactive’s NeoGames Studio, in addition to providing engaging new titles from the Pollard Digital Games Studio. Additional third-party games will be introduced annually, ensuring a continually refreshed and dynamic game portfolio. In addition to expanding the Lottery’s game offerings, NPi will enhance its player support services, providing 24/7 assistance via phone, chat, and email to deliver a seamless and convenient experience for players across North Carolina.
“We are pleased with the success we’ve achieved with our Online Play program and the collaboration with NeoPollard Interactive. This renewal reflects our confidence in NPi’s ability to help us grow and innovate with a strong commitment to responsible play. We look forward to continuing our partnership to deliver even more value to our players,” said Mark Michalko, Chief Executive Officer of North Carolina Education Lottery.
“The North Carolina Education Lottery is a valued partner, and we are proud to continue supporting its mission to generate revenue for education in North Carolina. This renewal attests to our shared commitment to innovation and delivering exceptional digital lottery experiences. By continuously advancing our technology and expanding our selection of games, we are confident that we can help NCEL deepen player engagement and enhance overall player satisfaction—ultimately generating strong returns for the state,” said Colin Hadden, Vice President & General Manager of NeoPollard Interactive.
Since its inception in 2006, the NCEL has raised more than $12.4 billion for education programs across all 100 counties in North Carolina. In fiscal year 2025, the Lottery raised more than $1 billion for education for the third year in a row and generated the second highest gross sales per capita in the US.
Sports betting in the state grew significantly this August compared to last August, according to a new report from the North Carolina Lottery Commission.
ECU freshman Colin Burke started dabbling in sports betting as a senior in high school, but after losing more money than he gained, he says he knew it wasn’t worth it.
“It’s my money now, not my dad’s, so I’m not really trying to lose it on something that…could hit big, but reality is, most of the time it doesn’t,” Burke said.
A new sports betting revenue report shows others believe it still is worth it.
The new report from the state lottery commission shows sports bettors wagered more than $463 million in paid bets in August, nearly 30% more than the state bet on sports last August.
Though it’s a high number, some say it’s not a shock.
“It is actually not surprising because it follows suit with every other state that has legalized sports wagering,” Gambling Research and Policy Initiative Director Dr. Michelle L. Malkin said.
The report shows North Carolina has collected nearly $180 million in taxes from sports betting since its launch in March of last year. Dr. Malkin says it’s important to remember that, in gambling, the house always wins.
“Some people might be winning, a lot of times, but they’re not winning anything close to what the state is gonna be getting back in tax returns,” Malkin said.
For those who do gamble, Malkin suggests doing it in low-risk ways, like keeping a ledger of wins and losses, setting time limits, and taking in the game.
“You should still enjoy the game, watch the game, don’t have your head in your phone the whole time hoping that your next bet is gonna win,” Malkin said.
Entain, the global sports betting and gaming company, has accelerated its product innovation strategy, rolling out a series of new features and enhancements across the UK, US, and Brazil.
These include faster withdrawals, next-generation BetBuilder tools, live same-game parlays, app performance upgrades, and localised features tailored to specific markets. These developments underscore Entain’s commitment to delivering the most engaging, seamless, and localised experiences for customers worldwide.
Key Highlights of Recent Innovations
• Enhanced Speed and Reliability: Site and app performance have been significantly improved, with 90% of withdrawals now processed within one minute, delivering a faster, more frictionless experience for customers.
• Next-Generation BetBuilder: Entain’s proprietary Football BetBuilder has driven an 80% increase in pre-match turnover and doubled its share of turnover to 12% in markets where it’s available. The launch of In-Play BetBuilder now allows customers to build bets during live games, with real-time tracking powered by Opta data.
• Live Same-Game Parlays in the US: Through BetMGM and in partnership with Angstrom, Entain has launched live same-game parlays for MLB and NFL, with NBA to follow. BetMGM’s latest app is its most responsive yet, with Live Player Props being released, real-time bet tracking on Apple devices, in-app research tools, and cash-out functionality during games.
• Quacca Bar for Ladbrokes and Coral: A game-changing feature enabling customers to build, edit, and place multiples and BetBuilder bets without leaving the app. Adoption has surged, with over 60% of bets now placed via the Quacca Bar.
• Localized Features in Brazil: Entain has introduced Fantasy Markets, AccaBoost, in-play football BetBuilder and Stats Pro, an integrated Stats hub giving customers deeper insights (including stats like xG) as well as live tracking to show how their bet is progressing.
• Gaming Expansion: Entain continues to release 150 new games monthly, with 20% as early-access or exclusive titles, while its rewards system has seen 40 million coins redeemed to date.
Satty Bhens, Chief Technology Officer at Entain, commented: “Our Sportsbook product has never been stronger. We’ve closed the gap and are now pivoting from catching up to going beyond. From live single-game parlays in the US to in-play BetBuilders in Europe and Brazil, we’re upgrading player experiences while modernising our trading back office. This is just the beginning of what we can achieve as we continue to lead the industry in product innovation.”
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