Netflix announced the hiring of Ian Hunter to lead commercial partnerships with sports betting and gaming companies. The move creates the first role dedicated to the “real money gaming” (RMG) market on the platform, aiming to expand advertising opportunities related to the segment.
Expansion of casinos in entertainment
Netflix's move comes as betting companies expand their presence in different areas of Brazilian entertainment. The sector has signed partnerships with influencers such as Carlinhos Maia, Jon Vlogs and Casimiro Miguel, as well as sports personalities, including Galvão Bueno, Neymar Jr. and Vini Jr. The brands have also started sponsoring carnival street parties and World Cup broadcasts.
In soccer, the casinos' contracts with Brasileirão Série A clubs total about R$ 1 billion. In 2025, the sector recorded R$ 37 billion in gross revenue, of which R$ 9.95 billion was allocated to the government through taxation.
Change in the allocation of revenue
Law No. 15,480, sanctioned on July 30, changed the destination of part of the federal revenue from fixed-odds betting. As of 2028, the transfer to Funapol, the Federal Police fund, will reach 3%. Before the change, the amounts were allocated to social security.
For Nickolas Tadeu Ribeiro de Campos, founder and chairman of the board of Ana Gaming Brasil, a holding company that manages the 7K Bet brand, licensed companies in the sector generate jobs, collect taxes and allocate resources to sports and communication. He advocates strengthening the regulated environment to reduce the space for unregulated operators.
Bernardo Cavalcanti Freire, partner at Betlaw and legal consultant at ANJL, says that the amounts collected in taxes demonstrate the social and economic relevance of the casino industry. João Fraga, CEO of Paag, points out that the market generates more than 10,000 direct jobs and another 5,500 indirect jobs.
Clandestine market and responsible gambling
Estimates from LCA Consultoria indicate that the illegal market represents between 41% and 51% of the segment. The study “Fora do Radar”, conducted by LCA in partnership with the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gambling, found that more than 61% of Brazilian bettors used illegal casinos during 2025.
Content creator Daniel Fortune highlights that the sector needs to advance in education about loss probabilities, responsible gambling, prevention of problem gambling and combating the clandestine market. Psychologist Cristiano Costa, from EBAC, reinforces the importance of mechanisms for early identification of risk patterns and permanent policies to protect bettors.
