DraftKings Brazil: Interested in 2024, Still No License

DraftKings Brazil is a company that said it was watching closely, not one that has ever taken a licensed bet here. In April 2024, DraftKings was one of over 130 companies that filed a non-binding expression of interest with Brazil's Finance Ministry as the country stood up its new regulated betting market. This page covers what has actually happened since — and, as of August 2026, DraftKings is still not on Brazil's list of licensed operators.

Legal status in Brazil

Brazil regulates fixed-odds sports betting and online gaming under Law 14.790, signed in December 2023, with the Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas (SPA) — a body inside the Ministério da Fazenda (Finance Ministry) — issuing and enforcing licenses through its SIGAP portal. A federal SPA authorization costs roughly R$30 million, requires a local Brazilian entity with at least 20% Brazilian ownership, and mandates full KYC and responsible-gambling controls; once granted, it covers the whole country in one license rather than the state-by-state model DraftKings uses in the US. More than 130 companies, DraftKings among them, filed non-binding expressions of interest in April 2024 while the framework was still taking shape. Brazilian betting-industry trackers counted roughly 78 SPA-licensed operators running 138 brands by June 2026, and close to 188 authorized platforms by August 2026 — DraftKings has not appeared on any of those published lists. MGM, which raised its hand alongside DraftKings in 2024, followed through: BetMGM is a licensed, operating Brazilian sportsbook today. DraftKings is not.

State gambling authority: Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas (SPA), within Brazil's Ministério da Fazenda, under Law 14.790/2023. DraftKings holds no SPA authorization.

DraftKings Brazil is, so far, a paper trail — one expression of interest filed in April 2024, and nothing since that turned it into a license. Brazil opened a real, federally regulated betting market that year, and DraftKings raised its hand as one of more than 130 companies watching it happen. As of August 2026, that is still all it has done. DraftKings is not one of the operators Brazil's regulator has actually authorized.

What DraftKings Actually Said in 2024

When Brazil's Finance Ministry opened pre-registration ahead of its new licensing regime, DraftKings was on the list — one signature among 130-plus non-binding expressions of interest filed that April. Griffin Finan, DraftKings' senior vice president and deputy general counsel, gave the company's only real public comment on it: the company was "continuing to explore the potential of expanding into Brazil in the future." That is a company keeping a door open, not a company announcing a launch date.

Interest filed: April 2024, alongside MGM and 130+ other operators. License granted: none, as of August 2026.

Is DraftKings Legal in Brazil? What SPA Actually Licenses

Brazil regulates fixed-odds sports betting and online gaming under Law 14.790, passed in December 2023, with the Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas — a unit of the Ministério da Fazenda, the Finance Ministry — issuing and policing licenses through its SIGAP system. A federal authorization runs roughly R$30 million, requires a Brazilian subsidiary at least 20% locally owned, and mandates full KYC and responsible-gambling controls. Get it, and it covers the entire country in one license, unlike the state-by-state map DraftKings maintains in the US. Brazilian betting-industry trackers put the licensed count near 78 operators and 138 brands by June 2026, growing to roughly 188 authorized platforms by August 2026. DraftKings has not shown up on any published version of that list.

BetMGM Walked Through the Same Door

The clearest way to see the gap is the company that filed the same kind of interest at the same time. MGM pre-registered alongside DraftKings in April 2024 and kept going: BetMGM secured an SPA license and now operates as a live, regulated Brazilian sportsbook. DraftKings stalled at the expression-of-interest stage. Its CEO, Jason Robins, has since talked about international expansion in terms of not wanting to be "irresponsible" by ignoring it entirely, while also making clear the company's near-term focus is defending US market share and building out newer products like DraftKings Predictions rather than chasing new country launches.

Is DraftKings Legit, Even Without a Brazilian License?

As a business, unquestionably — Nasdaq-listed (DKNG), publicly audited, holding real state licenses across roughly two dozen US jurisdictions plus Ontario, Canada. DraftKings' own 2026 SEC filings list exactly where its sportsbook and iGaming products are actually live: US states, Puerto Rico, Ontario. Brazil is not on that list. Legitimacy as a company and licensure in a specific country are two separate facts, and Brazil only has an answer to the second one once SPA issues an actual authorization — which it has not.

Could a Second Licensing Window Change This?

Maybe. SPA has flagged a second application window for new operators expected to open in Q4 2026, which would give DraftKings a fresh, formal chance to turn its 2024 interest into a real filing. Nothing public commits DraftKings to applying when that window opens, and a company that has spent two years not converting an expression of interest into a license is not a company with a confirmed Brazil timeline. Readers should treat this as a real possibility, not a pending launch.

Is It Safe to Reach DraftKings From Brazil Anyway?

No regulator backs that connection. DraftKings' live sportsbook is built around US state licenses and uses geolocation specifically to keep non-US traffic off the platform — a Brazilian user getting in anyway means working around a system designed to catch that, with no SPA oversight and no DraftKings terms-of-service protection on the other end if a dispute comes up. Brazil's own regulated market already has real, licensed options, BetMGM included, for a resident who wants a sportsbook a Brazilian regulator actually stands behind. Betting should stay entertainment, not a plan for income.

DraftKings Brazil — Frequently Asked Questions

Is DraftKings legal in Brazil?

No. Brazil has run a fully regulated federal betting market since 2024 under Law 14.790, licensed by the Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas, and DraftKings has never appeared on SPA's list of authorized operators — which numbered close to 188 platforms by August 2026. There is no legal DraftKings sportsbook for a Brazilian resident to open.

Did DraftKings apply for a Brazilian license?

It took the first, smallest step. In April 2024, DraftKings was among more than 130 companies that submitted a non-binding expression of interest to Brazil's Finance Ministry as the licensing framework was being built. DraftKings SVP and deputy general counsel Griffin Finan said at the time the company was "continuing to explore the potential of expanding into Brazil in the future." An expression of interest is not a license application, and DraftKings has not converted it into one.

Is DraftKings legit, even without a license in Brazil?

As a company, yes — Nasdaq-listed (DKNG), audited financials, real state licenses across roughly two dozen US jurisdictions. But legitimacy in Brazil specifically runs through an SPA authorization, and DraftKings' own 2026 SEC filings list its live sportsbook and iGaming markets as US states, Puerto Rico, and Ontario, Canada — Brazil is not on that list. A legit US operator is not automatically a licensed Brazilian one.

Why did MGM launch BetMGM in Brazil while DraftKings did not?

Both companies filed the same kind of non-binding interest in April 2024. MGM kept moving: BetMGM went on to secure an SPA license and is a live, operating sportsbook in Brazil today. DraftKings did not follow the same path — its public statements since have leaned toward calling international expansion a lower priority than defending US market share and building out newer products like DraftKings Predictions, rather than confirming a Brazil launch timeline.

Could DraftKings still get licensed in Brazil?

It's possible but unconfirmed. SPA has said a second licensing window for new applicants is expected to open in Q4 2026, which would give DraftKings another formal opportunity to convert its 2024 interest into an actual application. Nothing on the record commits DraftKings to applying in that window.

Is it safe to use DraftKings from Brazil anyway?

No regulator is standing behind that connection. DraftKings' live sportsbook is built for US state licenses and geofences non-US traffic; reaching it from Brazil means routing around a system built to catch exactly that, with no SPA oversight and no DraftKings terms-of-service protection if something goes wrong. Brazil's licensed market already has real options — BetMGM among them — for a resident who wants a regulated book.

Before You Play

How SWRNN Reviews Sportsbooks & Casinos Responsible Gambling Resources About SWRNN