Report: Licensed operators in Brazil may be required to use ‘.bet’ in URLs
Government looking to further differentiate between legal and black-market firms with proposed measure ahead of launch of regulated market
Licensed operators in Brazil could be required to include ‘.bet’ within URLs when the regulated sports betting and igaming market launches.
According to Folha de São Paulo, discussion have been held at the Ministry of Finance which would set a differentiating factor between legal and black-market operators in Brazil.
The report noted that the use of ‘.bet’ within URLs would allow for bettors to understand which operators are licensed, as well as facilitate expedited investigations from relevant authorities.
If the plan is officially introduced, URLs for operators in Brazil will manifest as ‘[company name].bet.br’.
Folha de São Paulo did also note that discussions within the government have been held on whether to set the URL addition as ‘.bet’ or ‘.bets’.
The Internet Steering Committee, a 21-person body made of up individuals from government, the private sector and academia, is responsible for creating domain names in Brazil.
Under the framework for the regulated market, operators will be allowed to launch three brands in Brazil via a five-year licence that will cost BRL30m (£4.8m).
In February, the Ministry of Finance unveiled a new betting secretariat division which will serve as a regulator for the market.
The body will be composed of three sub-divisions, with a total of 38 staff to be added to the Ministry’s new function.
The body does not yet have a leader in place, with the Ministry of Finance having been dealt a blow with the resignation of its specialist advisor José Francisco Manssur earlier this year, who was responsible for the regulation of the sports betting sector.
Manssur had been a key proponent of bringing the regulated market into reality but, according to local reports, departed government after a dispute with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.