ANALOME, the National Association of Municipal and State Lotteries, is challenging the Brazilian government. The dispute concerns the mandatory use of bet.br domain names in the country’s newly regulated betting market.
ANALOME has issued a formal statement denouncing Ordinance SPA/MF No. 566. The SPA, Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting under the Ministry of Finance, published the ordinance.
The SPA publicly released the ordinance on March 21. It designates the .bet.br domain as a criterion for determining the legality of betting operations nationwide.
On March 22, ANALOME released its official complaint. It states that the regulation undermines foundational legal principles and directly interferes with the autonomy of states and municipalities that operate their own lottery systems.
ANALOME argues that the federal ordinance arbitrarily links legality to a single domain name without legal justification.
The association argues that this measure does not reflect the operational realities of state- and municipality-regulated betting services. Many of these services lawfully use alternative domains.
ANALOME argues that making .bet.br the sole marker of legality creates significant legal uncertainty. This especially affects local operators who already comply with state or municipal laws.
The statement of the association argues that the rule violates Article 5, item II, of the Federal Constitution of 1988. This states that no one shall be obliged to do or refrain from doing something except by virtue of law.
ANALOME asserts that the federal government is exceeding its regulatory authority. It argues that enforcing a domain-based restriction without a proper legislative basis infringes on the legal powers of subnational entities.
ANALOME has also emphasized the broader consequences of the ordinance. It argues that it has the potential to disrupt essential public services financed by state and municipal lottery operations. This includes programmes in health and education.
