IN 1946 THE glitzy Copacabana Palace hotel in Rio de Janeiro spun its last roulette wheel. That April Eurico Dutra, Brazil's president, banned games of chance, shutting casinos, betting shops and bingo halls.

In December 2024, the Brazilian Senate finally passed its gambling regulations for sports betting and online casinos. What took so long? Until this week, there had been no enforceable or documented Brazilian gambling regulations due to a blanket ban on gambling in the country since the 1940s.