Loterj gives Rio Jogo an operator permit.

Loterj gives Rio Jogo an operator permit.

Loterj gives Rio Jogo an operator permit.

 House of Apostasy  It is the fifth company to be approved by the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (Loterj) to offer sports betting and online gambling. Its name is Rio Jogo (Lema).
 Certification for betting in Brazil
 Before Brazil's controlled sports betting and iGaming market opens, operators are taking steps to get licenses. Rio Jogo has now done so thanks to an approval in the Loterj accreditation notice.

 Rio Jogo is the fifth operator that Loterj has approved. Other operators that have been cleared include PixBet and BestBet.  At the same time, seven companies are in the process of getting approved. Caesars Sportsbook and PNR Tecnologia are two of them.

 Loterj was thanked by João Victor de Araújo Souza, CEO of Rio Jogo, for its work on establishing betting licenses in Brazil.

 A regulated gaming business and the law are important to us, the CEO said.  "We are aware of the duties and responsibilities that were put on us in the contract, and we promise that we are fully prepared to make the project a success."

 Loterj gives Rio Jogo a contract even though IBJR says it shouldn't have
 After Rio Jogo got its licence, Loterj said it would start the approval process for betting houses all over again.  The time of accreditation will begin on Tuesday, May 14, and last for 30 days.

 In April, both PNR Tecnologia and Lema turned in paperwork to Loterj to get permission to run sports betting and online gambling.  It was a proof of concept, and both businesses made sure it was in line with Loterj rules.

 That came after BIG Brazil, which is approved by Caesars Sportsbook, said it wanted to apply for Loterj accreditation.

 But Loterj has been criticised by people who think it is going too far by wanting to license actions that happen all over the country.

 In a note, the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) said that Loterj's acts were wrong.  The IBJR thinks that Loterj's approval of operations across the country is a "clear violation" of government rules.

 In its note, the IBJR said, "Lotterj's actions cause chaos, cast doubt on important matters, and hurt the process of overseeing the fixed-odds betting industry in Brazil."

 André Santa Ritta, an associate lawyer at Pinheiro Neto Advogados, agrees with the IBJR that their complaints are fair.

 He told iGB in an email, "IBJR does have a point, and their arguments make sense."  "I have been a part of these conversations."  Loterj doesn't seem to have the legal right to let businesses run all over the land.