How New Regulations are Shaping Industry's Compliance, Innovation, and Growth

Brazil aims to establish a transparent and secure betting environment by implementing new regulations for businesses. It outlines who can operate in Brazil and the various conditions the businesses must follow. As of today, 43 companies have received their license to operate in Brazil. Each parent company with a license can run up to three betting brands.

These regulatory changes have laid the foundation for a well-structured and closely monitored betting industry. While impactful on the entire gambling landscape, including traditional sports, esports has emerged as a core pillar of the Brazilian market.

Esports is quickly becoming Brazil’s second biggest sport in terms of popularity, driven largely by the growing excitement from younger generations. There is even speculation suggesting that it will surpass football in the next ten years. As of 2023, Brazil was ranked as the fifth-largest esports market in the world. Over 36% of the country’s population falls within the age bracket of 18-40 which aligns with the country's demographic for esports betting.

With teams and tournaments capturing global attention, and a government-backed infrastructure, Brazil is solidifying itself as a powerhouse in esports, and more specifically Counter-Strike (CS). Teams like FURIA Esports and MIBR, the Brazilian CS teams, are drawing in huge viewership numbers globally while ESL FACEIT Group has further cemented Brazil’s Counter-Strike reputation by hosting the Major, IEM Rio in 2024.

Moving forward, the consumer will be more protected, the integrity of esports will be reinforced, and economic growth will be stimulated as a result of these changes. Official live data will play an essential role in unlocking new levels of innovation in product offerings, audience engagement, and profitability, as Brazil enters this new era.

A More Regulated Market Requires IP Compliance

The new betting framework sends a clear signal to the market that compliance is a top priority. All players must adhere to strict regulations from getting the correct license, to appointing a legal representative in the country and following the new tax guidelines. This framework boosts consumer confidence and attracts both domestic and international operators.

Because of this, the industry must move away from unstable and unreliable conditions, particularly in its data practices. Intellectual property (IP) laws can only be upheld through the use of official data. Leading tournament organizers, such as ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) own the IP rights to their match data. As EFG’s exclusive data provider, Bayes Esports distributes this official live data to its global network and powers its ecosystem of products and services, including stats, widgets, and predictions.

Official esports data is collected directly from the source and is a perfect recreation of everything that happens during a match, as soon as it happens. Leveraging official data has loads of benefits, from granularity to accuracy, and speed. In terms of compliance, operating with legally licensed data protects the IP of the tournament organizers, boosting the reliability and credibility of the business and the entire industry.

Level up Your Counter-Strike Product

While IEM Rio, one of EFG’s biggest Counter-Strike Majors, is not continuing in 2025, there is still a ton of CS2 coverage that will entice the Brazilian audience. Early February, ESL FACEIT Group hosted its first major event of the year at IEM Katowice which FURIA Esports participated in. This year drew 1.3 million viewers at its peak, marking the highest online peak for any non-Major Counter-Strike tournament. The ESL Pro League Season 21 is also just around the corner which FURIA and MIBR will take part in.

Bayes Esports provides access to a significant portion of high-level Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 official content thanks to its partnership network. Specifically, for select third parties, Bayes Esports can offer up to 80% of tier 1 and tier 2 content for these games, which are among the most valuable in the betting industry. These tier tournaments have the highest prize pools, draw the biggest viewership, have the top-ranked teams, and often come to a head in a LAN arena environment.

To take your CS2 products to the next level, consider incorporating engagement tools tailored to the esports audience. Features may include an official video stream, live data-powered widgets, 2D map positioning, or head-to-head match-up records. Bayes Esports offers seamless integration of these visualizations, which can be easily customized to fit specific product requirements. Next time FURIA steps up for battle, craft an engaging narrative with analytics showcasing who’s most likely to win or what their best map is.

Brazil Is Taking Esports Seriously – And So Must Operators

Esports has become a central pillar of the Brazilian betting market. The collaboration between betting operators, regulators, and data providers is what’s making esports a leading force in the newly regulated betting scene. It is amplifying esports’ status as a legitimate and credible industry, pushing esports more into the mainstream. To continue on this path of growth, betting operators must take esports seriously and understand the ins and outs of the game – or find a partner that can do the heavy lifting for them.

The Bayes Esports team consists of passionate esports enthusiasts, including former professional players, streamers, team managers, and others deeply rooted in the esports community. With regular patches, last-minute fixture updates, or a new game entirely (think CS:GO to CS2), the Bayes Esports team expertly manages every challenge that comes their way.