What is (and isn't) iGaming
iGaming is the umbrella term for any gambling or betting product delivered through a digital channel — a website or an app — instead of a physical venue. That includes online casino (slots, table games, live casino), sportsbook (sports betting), online poker and digital bingo. What defines a product as iGaming isn't the type of game itself, but the fact that it's processed, settled and regulated entirely through digital infrastructure: player account, balance, payment and game outcome exist only as records inside a system.
What isn't iGaming: state lottery sold at a physical point of sale with no digital channel of its own, bar slot machines when not connected to a regulated online platform, and informal wagers between individuals with no licensed operator intermediating. Also not iGaming — though often confused with it — is general electronic game development (video games); iGaming is specifically about real-money gambling and betting, not electronic entertainment without a wagering component.
Is iGaming the same as physical gambling?
No. They share the underlying game mechanics — the rules of roulette or a sports bet are the same in both formats — but the operation is structurally different. In physical gambling, the house controls money, identity and player behavior in person; in iGaming, each of those functions depends on systems: digital KYC to verify identity, a PAM to manage account and balance, a payment gateway to process deposits and withdrawals (in Brazil, overwhelmingly via PIX), and a certified RNG to guarantee the game outcome is auditable.
This reliance on digital infrastructure also changes the nature of regulation: instead of inspecting a physical venue, the regulator — in Brazil, the SPA, under the Ministry of Finance — audits systems, certifies the RTP and RNG of the games on offer, and monitors the operation's financial transactions.
The value chain: from game provider to operator
| Link | Function | Example responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Game provider | Builds the game (slot, live table, sportsbook odds engine) | RTP and RNG certification for the individual game |
| Aggregator | Connects the platform to dozens or hundreds of game providers through a single integration | Standardizes the API, manages the catalog of available games |
| Platform / PAM | Manages player account, balance, KYC, bonuses and responsible gaming limits | Single source of truth on the player across the whole operation |
| Operator | Owns the brand, the license (where applicable) and the commercial relationship with the player | Marketing, support, offer design and commercial limits |
An operator running white label or turnkey doesn't need to contract each game provider individually — the platform already ships the aggregator integration ready to go, which shortens the time between deciding to launch and running live.
The scope of the Brazilian market after Law No. 14,790/2023
Law No. 14,790/2023 regulated fixed-odds sports betting (sportsbook) and online gaming in Brazil, creating a federal licensing regime supervised by the SPA (Secretariat of Prizes and Betting). That produced a narrower scope than "iGaming" covers globally: online casino and sportsbook operating for the Brazilian public now need an SPA license to operate legally, which didn't exist before 2023. Online poker and digital bingo, historically part of iGaming in other markets, remain in a less defined regulatory zone in Brazil compared to casino and sportsbook, which are the law's explicit focus.
In practice, when someone refers to the "Brazilian iGaming market" today, they mostly mean the combination of online casino and sportsbook operating under an SPA license, with PIX as the dominant deposit and withdrawal method.