Brazilian Sports Committee Approves Expansion Of Online Betting To Rodeo And Horse Racing

Brazil’s Sports Commission of the Chamber of Deputies has approved a proposal that would allow rodeo disciplines, equestrian events and horse racing to be included within the country’s regulated online sports betting market. The move would significantly broaden the range of events eligible for fixed-odds betting under Brazil’s current framework.

The commission approved a substitute text presented by rapporteur Caio Vianna in relation to Bill No. 3388/25. Rather than amending Brazil’s Sports Betting Law directly, the revised proposal modifies the Rodeo Law, redefining any rodeo or equestrian event recognised by its relevant federation as a sport. This would enable the Executive Branch to authorise betting on such activities through regulation, without the need for separate legislation for each discipline.

Vianna said the approach was designed to balance regulatory oversight with market development. “We preserved sporting autonomy in the recognition of activities, while also making it possible, albeit indirectly, for the desired expansion of the list of modalities authorised to receive bets,” he explained.

The proposal also addresses horse racing, which has historically been regulated under a separate law dating back to 1984. The revised text removes fixed-odds betting on turf racing from that older framework and brings it under Brazil’s modern sports betting regulations, aligning taxation, compliance and supervision with other betting-approved sports.

Animal welfare provisions form a central part of the proposal. The text explicitly prohibits betting on sports involving animals where welfare protections are not guaranteed. “It cannot be accepted that animals are subjected to cruel treatment, nor that such practices become the object of betting,” Vianna stated in his report.

The bill will now proceed under a conclusive procedure to the committees on finance and taxation and on constitution and justice. If approved by both the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate, the measure could mark a further step in the evolution of Brazil’s regulated online betting market by formally incorporating traditional and rural sports.