RIO DE JANEIRO LOTTERY LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR SPORTS BETTING OPERATOR

Loteria do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Loterj) has begun the process of selecting operators to offer new gambling products in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

As the organisation responsible for managing gambling in the state, Loterj has now invited expressions of interest from sports betting and lottery operators interested in handling the new gambling products. The license, which is worth around $50M USD, will be valid for 60 months. 

It seems Loterj is looking for companies that provide a mix of online and retail betting and lottery products, with proven distribution and marketing capabilities. Loterj will be defining the development of the technology platform, including lottery control, and payment functions, both physical and digital.

Any international companies interested in the contract must be partnered with a Brazilian entity to be considered, with each member of any consortium required to submit their own supporting evidence to show they meet the requirements. The public tender process is slated to begin, based on a lowest overall price modality, on 5 July. 

Pressure to introduce a legal online gambling market has been building in Brazil over recent years, with states increasingly exasperated that offshore gambling sites are attracting Brazilian customers, which means state coffers are losing vast amounts in potential tax revenues. Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais are among the first Brazilian states to make real progress in terms of rolling out legal sports betting and expanded gambling products.