Brazil: Prizes and Betting Secretariat seeks prerogative to requisition civil servants
Brazil.– 9 January 2026 – www.zonadeazar.com Brazil’s Prizes and Betting Secretariat has formally requested legal authorisation to requisition personnel from other branches of the government, as it prepares to expand its regulatory and supervisory force in response to the rapid growth of the fixed-odds betting market.
Overview
The Prizes and Betting Secretariat (SPA), part of Brazil’s Ministry of Finance and responsible for overseeing the country’s regulated betting segment, has submitted a request to obtain legal power to temporarily or permanently requisition public servants from other federal structures.
This proposed prerogative is framed as a necessary institutional response to the accelerated development of the regulated industry and the expanding responsibilities placed upon the Secretariat since the regulatory framework took effect.
Details / Context
The request was issued by SPA Secretary Régis Dudena in a formal submission to the Executive Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance.
Under the current administrative model, the SPA relies on slow and often insufficient mechanisms to reinforce its workforce — including voluntary assignments, internal reallocations and short-term support from shared departments.
These channels have proved ineffective for meeting the Secretariat’s operational workload, which now includes:
- evaluating licensing applications
- supervising operators and platforms
- monitoring compliance in real time
- coordinating responsible gaming requirements
- cross-checking information with financial and tax databases
- and overseeing integrity frameworks linked to sport and betting
Moreover, the SPA is subject to institutional deadlines and oversight obligations linked to market consolidation, requiring rapid execution capability and access to qualified professionals.
The proposal emphasises that the Secretariat’s current staffing cannot sustain the volume and technical complexity of regulatory and supervisory duties expected under the new market conditions.
Therefore, Dudena argues that the requested prerogative would enable immediate reinforcement of the regulatory structure, without depending on long bureaucratic processes.
The request also signals that the SPA views the issue as structural rather than temporary.
It explicitly raises the possibility of pursuing longer-term solutions, including:
- establishing a dedicated regulatory career track
- developing technical specialisations within the Secretariat
- and potentially creating specialised units for key functions such as integrity monitoring, data analytics and operator compliance.
Specific Subtopics
Institutional capacity
Expanding staffing is viewed as essential to ensure effective supervision and reduce the risk of regulatory lag.
A larger and more specialised team would allow the SPA to support operators responsibly, enforce rules efficiently and uphold standards expected by policymakers.
Regulatory execution and oversight
The Brazilian market is moving quickly as operators invest in technology, marketing and new commercial models.
A regulator without sufficient human-resource capability risks being structurally behind industry developments.
The prerogative sought by the SPA could balance that equation and enable enforcement bodies to maintain pace.
Structural reform
The submission acknowledges a broader strategic horizon.
The SPA appears to see this moment as a transition stage, in which provisional measures must be paired with long-term institutional planning.
Discussions about a permanent regulatory career or a specialised technical corps may mark the next step in establishing a mature state presence in the betting ecosystem.
Future outlook
Should the prerogative be granted, the SPA would gain the ability to rapidly reinforce its workforce, significantly expanding Brazil’s operational capacity in managing a now-regulated betting market.
In the short term, the move would accelerate onboarding of specialised talent, allowing the Secretariat to respond promptly to market developments.
In the medium term, it could become a blueprint for other regulatory bodies operating in emerging sectors where speed and expertise are decisive.
In the long term, the debate around a dedicated regulatory career may define a new era for state institutions supervising complex and technology-driven markets — establishing stable expertise, institutional continuity and operational autonomy.
🔗 Edited by: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com