The Best Online Casinos in Brazil

Introduction to the Best Brazilian Online Casino

Though virtually all forms of gambling are in Brazil, around 150,000 Brazilians head off to the casino resorts of Las Vegas every year. In addition, roughly 200,000 people leave Brazil to gamble at other legal destinations. In Brazil itself, gamblers bet enthusiastically at bingo halls, on football, lotteries, on horse racing, Jogo de Bicho and on dogs.

Unfortunately, most of this betting activity takes place under the radar, and virtually all of these betting markets are unregulated. Only lotteries and horse racing betting are legal.

Technically, there are civil penalties for players caught gambling online, consisting of fees between $500 and $50,000 (2,000 – 200,000 BRL). Enforcement on these illegalities is particularly low, and we’ve yet to hear of anyone being fined. In truth, there’s no blacklisting of foreign online casinos with IP blocking, and the government doesn’t interfere with casino payment processing.

Gambling at Brazil online casinos is treated much the same way as public cigarette smokers and nude beachgoers are – even though these are both illegal activities, penalties are not enforced much at all.

Nevertheless, all Brazilian gamblers can make use of international online casinos. These operate in what’s known as the “grey zone” simply because there are no clear laws governing them. They are only legally forbidden from having any material presence on Brazilian soil, meaning no servers, call centres or infrastructure.

Many of the best online casinos in our recommended list will offer Portuguese language support, and some even accept payments in Brazilian Real (BRL). Furthermore, they all carry gambling licences from reputable gaming authorities like the or the . These ensure you’re playing at trusted online casinos and mandate the online casino's behaviour.

The History of Gambling in Brazil

Up until 1941, all gambling activities were legal in Brazil. Then the country’s new leader, Eurico Gaspar Dutra, banned all forms of gambling to curtail organised crime. The only forms of gambling that survived this ban were lotteries and horse racing. Various gambling laws were passed and then quickly repealed over the following years.

Due to this constant chopping and changing of the legal status of gambling, today’s legal overview tends to be rather vague. For example, in 1993, the “Zico Law” (Decree 981) allowed slots machines. Following that, the “Pele Law” (Decree 2.574) of 1998 allowed bingo halls. But just two years later (thanks to a gambling-related corruption case becoming public knowledge), a new decree (9.981) was passed, which saw the banning of both of these activities by the Supreme Court in 2007.

But the advent of the internet brought all gambling activities back into the spotlight. In 2008 and 2010, new laws designed to regulate online gambling in Brazil both failed.

The law would also allow online gambling across Brazil, though all unlicensed websites will be banned. It’s the same story across much of South America, including Columbia online casinos.

Funding Your Brazilian Online Casino Account

Choose a payment method for your new online casino Brazil account by heading over to the cashier section and looking at the casino deposit methods available. Every Brazilian online casino listed at the beginning of this article has years of experience in accepting and processing deposits from casino players. As a given, they all offer the latest in online security and encryption, meaning that both your banking and personal details are kept well away from prying eyes.

• E-Wallets

E-wallets are one of the fastest payment methods for moving funds, either to make online casino deposits or to withdraw any winnings. All the best online casinos will accept PayPal, with Payz a popular platform among Brazilian players. However, we should point out that both NETELLER and Skrill will no longer be accepted at a Brazilian online casino.

• Bank Transfers

Virtually every Brazilian online casino can accept and transfer funds via bank transfer. Be aware, though, that this is one of the slowest methods of moving money, with some banks taking up to 5 working days. If you’re keen to play on a recently discovered online casino, then the waiting period can prove a real drag. Many Brazilian online casino players use a wire-type transfer service called , which allows both physical and internet money transfers.

• Credit and Debit Cards

Our listed Brazilian online casinos are happy to accept credit and debit cards, including Mastercard and Visa. You’ll also find that Maestro has widespread acceptance throughout online European casinos. For Brazilian players situated in the country,  is commonly accepted by many online casinos.

Keep in mind that credit cards can no longer be used at UK-licensed casinos.

• Prepaid Cards

Without a doubt, AstroPay is the number one prepaid card for funding your Brazilian gambling site account with BRL. The card can be funded using e-wallets, Zimpler, cryptocurrencies or many other methods. Brazilian players can also use Caixa, Itau, Bradesco, Santander and Banco Brasil. Remember that these cards only last 12 months and cannot be reloaded with funds.

Unfortunately, you can’t use AstroPay for online casino withdrawals.

• Mobile Pay

Brazilian online casino players can use the mobile payment platform, Boku, to fund their accounts. Having said that, they’ll need a different option for requesting withdrawals, as most casinos don’t allow mobile pay for these transactions. Another popular mobile casino Brazil platform is Lobanet, which has served Central and South American players for over ten years.

• Cryptocurrencies

You’ll find that many of today’s Brazilian online casinos offer the facility to accept payments in cryptocurrencies, such as Tether, Monero, Dogecoin, Litecoin or the big daddy of them all, Bitcoin. The Brazilian Federal Tax Authority considers coins and tokens from crypto casinos to be financial assets, meaning that they are taxable income, so you’ll need to declare any winnings. While many fans of crypto will praise its anonymous nature, you’ll still need to complete the casinos' verification process in order to withdraw any funds.

Brazilian Online Casino Bonuses

One of the best methods to improve your chances of success is to use all the best casino bonuses and incentives offered to players by Brazilian online casinos. These can extend your playing time considerably, thereby increasing your probability of taking home some winnings.

Before you claim any bonuses, it’s imperative to take the time to read through the site’s terms and conditions to avoid any unwanted surprises later on.

Welcome Bonus

Probably the first thing you'll look for when you visit a new Brazilian online casino will be the casino sign up bonus.

As a new player, the moment you make your first deposit, this generous bonus will be added on top, often doubling your bankroll in an instant. It can take the form of a cash payment and often comes with a number of free spins. Take the time to read the small print, as many will come with requirements. Things such as wagering requirements and time limits will need to be completed before you’re able to cash out.

Free Spins Bonus

Due to their popularity, many – if not all – Brazilian online casinos will offer some form of free spins slot bonus. You’ll often find these offers used in combination with the welcome bonus.

Reload Bonus

In some ways, you can look at the reload bonus as a reward from the Brazilian online casino for your continued custom. Once you’ve played through your initial welcome bonus, the online casino will “top up” any subsequent deposits you make by adding a percentage to your deposit, thus increasing your overall bankroll. This usually is around 50% to 75%. Many casinos may list these offers as loyalty points or cashback offers.

No Deposit Bonus

We like to refer to these offers as the Holy Grail of bonuses, as they do not require you to make an actual deposit in order to be claimed. Though once popular, the no deposit bonus is increasingly hard to find, so if you do come across one, grab it with both hands!

Wagering Requirements

Unfortunately, like all other businesses, no Brazilian online casino is in the habit of simply giving bonuses away without expecting something in return. And that’s where wagering requirements come into play. Before you can cash out your bonus, you’ll need to play it through a stipulated number of times. Generally, this will be between 30x to 45x.

Languages and Customer Support

You’ll find that many Brazilian online casinos offer both their website and support in Portuguese.

That said, keep in mind that this is European Portuguese, and so there may well be some considerable differences from its South American variation. Nevertheless, all Brazilian online casinos will have English as the default language.  

When going through our list of top Brazilian online casinos, it's always best to go for those that offer a 24/7 live chat. Speaking a real person in real time through the latter channel pften makes life that much easier when trying to resolve an issue. As a given, all Brazilian online casinos should also offer email and telephone support.

Brazil Online Casino Games

You’ll find a vast array of casino games available at all the best Brazilian online casinos. Even better, many of them can be played for free (as demos), allowing you to practise without using up any of your bankroll. Though you’ll not be entitled to any winnings, the idea is to allow you to understand the gameplay and playing strategies better while gaining confidence.

To play some of the best online games Brazil has to offer, simply pick a casino from our above list and try them out for yourself!

Online Slots

Just like gamblers from around the world, all Brazilian players love playing slot games. You’ll find all Brazilian online casinos stuffed with the very best real-money slots in terms of quality, playability and software, covering all genres from the classic fruit machines of yesteryear to the massive prize-paying progressive jackpot slots.

We suggest that you search out the slots with the highest RTP, as this will allow you to play for longer by stretching out your bankroll.

Table Games

Table games include craps, roulette, poker and jogo slots, which croupiers usually oversee in land-based casinos. We highly recommend you seek out live dealer games when playing online, more of which we delve into further down.

Live Dealer Games

When it comes to the best Brazilian online casino experience, nothing comes close to live casino online. These usually are table games that are livestreamed from special studios. You’ll be playing online as usual, but with a real person dealing and organising the games over your portable device. Just as with a land-based casino, you’ll be able to chat and interact with both the other players and the dealer when playing live dealer games. Free live casino games can also be played without you spending any money at all.

Lotteries

All lotteries are regulated by the largest government-owned bank in Brazil, Caixa, and are run at both national and state levels. The national lotteries are Mega-Sena, Quina, Lotofacil, Dupla-Sena, and Dia de Sorte. So far, the largest payout has come from Mega-Sena, with one lucky winner claiming R$289.4 million.

At this point, we should mention Jogo do Bicho again. This is a lottery-type game which is, without doubt, Brazil's favourite, even though it’s only legal in one state, Paraiba. The game, based around animals, is all about superstitions, and it forms a considerable part of Brazilian everyday culture. Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that it brings in around $3.75 billion annually, which is four times more than the total for all online gambling activities.   

Mobile Gambling at a Brazilian Online Casino

All of our recommended Brazilian online casinos will offer a fantastic mobile casino gambling experience. You can either download a gambling app or simply play within your phone’s own browser. Today, all mobile games are fully optimised for all portable devices, whether iOS or Android.

Land-Based Casinos in Brazil

Even though most forms of gambling are technically illegal in Brazil, you can find legal land-based casinos in the country. That’s because the law differentiates between games of luck and those of skill. Most establishments are better known for horse racing, and are called Hipódromos. Yet all feature slots, along with jogo slots, roulette and poker.

There are just 6 legal casinos in the country:

1. Winfil Entretenimento (Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul)
2. Gavea Hippodrome (Rio de Janeiro))
3. Palácio Quitandinha (Quitandinha, Petrópolis)
4. Hipódromo do Cristal (Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul)
5. Hipódromo do Tarumã (Curitiba, Paraná)
6. Hipódromo de Cidade (Cidade Jardim, São Paulo)

Brazilian Online Casino – Summary

With illegal gambling being worth an estimated $6 billion annually, it’s no surprise that the Brazilian government is starting to reconsider its stance on gambling. With the economy struggling, legalising and regulating the market could prove extremely beneficial.

On 22 February 2022, deputies voted by 293 – 138 in favour of Bill 442/1991 to introduce various forms of gambling into Brazil. This would allow casino resorts to be set up in any of Brazil’s 26 states. Gambling licences would be issued, and the law banning games of chance would be overturned. While this law still needs to be ratified by President Jair Bolsonaro, the senate could still override his decision should he decide to veto it. Exciting times ahead!