Cardoso named new permanent leader of Brazil’s SPA

(AsiaGameHub) –   Daniele Cardoso has been named the new permanent head of Brazil’s betting regulator, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), this week, following two months in an interim role.

Cardoso’s permanent appointment was revealed in a Monday post on X by Dario Durigan, who took over as Brazil’s finance minister from Fernando Haddad last week.

Cardoso joined the SPA in November 2024, initially serving as general coordinator for responsible gambling monitoring, before being appointed deputy secretary. Later, in late January, following Regis Dudena’s departure, Cardoso was named interim head of the SPA.

Dudena, who had led the SPA since February 2024, vacated the role to assume leadership of the Secretariat of Economic Reforms.

Similar to Dudena, Cardoso has a legal background, holding a law degree from Feira de Santana University.

Cardoso’s immediate priorities as SPA chief

Following Dudena’s departure, sources informed iGB that the permanent successor was anticipated to be either Cardoso or Fabio Macorin, the SPA’s Undersecretary of Monitoring and Inspection.

Nonetheless, Cardoso was the one who signed the SPA’s 2026/27 regulatory agenda, which the agency unveiled in February.

Executing the agenda’s work is expected to be Cardoso’s primary focus in her new permanent role, with the SPA aiming to enhance Brazil’s licensing procedures and assist in combating the still-widespread black market.

A new challenge to address is the recent entry of prediction market operator Kalshi into the Brazilian market, as the SPA has recently raised concerns about the presence of prediction markets.

Following Kalshi’s announcement of its launch in Brazil—its first market outside the US—the SPA stated that no Brazilian companies are authorized to provide prediction markets in the country.

“The prediction market is included in the Secretariat’s internal analysis agenda, with initial studies currently ongoing,” the SPA noted.

It remains unclear whether prediction markets will fall under the SPA’s jurisdiction or that of the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission.

Another challenge comes in the form of increasing political pressure, with ongoing efforts to restrict the licensed fixed-odds betting sector.

Earlier this month, Senator Eduardo Girão introduced a bill aiming to limit customer retention by prohibiting certain methods, including loyalty programs and cashback.