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Playtech expects to enter Brazil in early 2027 after election-related delays affected a major betting project linked to a state-owned bank.

Speaking during Playtech’s second-quarter earnings call, Chief Executive Officer Mor Weizer said the company still expects to launch its Brazilian operation next year, even though the timeline has shifted following discussions involving government stakeholders and a prospective customer.

The supplier’s plans in Brazil stem from a partnership agreed in 2025 to provide the technology platform for the betting operations of Caixa, Brazil’s state-owned bank. At the time, Playtech described the opportunity as a potentially significant driver of future growth.

However, the project has faced repeated postponements. Although Caixa paid the BRL30 million ($5.9 million) licensing fee required to operate in the market, the bank has encountered political pressure because of its public ownership status and the ongoing debate surrounding gambling regulation in Brazil.

Earlier this year, Caixa pushed back its anticipated market launch until at least 2027. The postponement came amid pressure from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and broader political concerns regarding betting activities.

Election-Year Concerns Affect Timeline

During the earnings call, Weizer explained that the approach of Brazil’s general election had contributed to the delay.

“I’ll be very, very open and straightforward about it,” Weizer told analysts. “There were certain concerns that because it is an election year, and obviously, gaming is a political issue or there were references by politicians throughout the elections about gambling.

Given the sensitivity around that, we were kindly asked to collaborate with the government [and] with the prospective customer that we are in discussions with to wait until the elections.”

While Weizer did not directly identify Caixa as the customer involved in those discussions, the comments aligned with Playtech’s previously disclosed plans in the country and the timeline surrounding the state-owned bank’s betting project.

Despite the setback, Playtech has not changed its broader expectations for entering the market.

“I will say that the expectations remain the same to enter into an agreement and launch sometime at the beginning of next year,” Weizer said.

The comments indicate that Playtech still views Brazil as a strategic growth opportunity despite the political uncertainty that has affected implementation plans.

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Brazil Could Strengthen Future Growth Outlook

Playtech executives also highlighted the potential financial impact that a successful Brazilian launch could have on the company’s medium-term performance.

Chief Financial Officer and Director Chris McGinnis told analysts that Brazil was not specifically included when Playtech established its medium-term guidance following the publication of full-year results in March of the previous year.

According to McGinnis, management was aware of the opportunity at the time but chose not to build specific assumptions related to Brazil into its forecasts.

“At that point, we sort of knew of the opportunity, but it wasn’t specifically factored into the guidance necessarily,” he stated. “But I think when we set the guidance, we saw there are ambitious targets, and there were not necessarily specific contributors in terms of how you’re going to get there other than looking at the overall opportunities across the group.”

As Playtech approaches its next set of full-year results, McGinnis suggested that Brazil could become a more visible component of future projections.

“Where we’ll revisit the targets at the full-year results, I think that will probably be the logical time to more explicitly factor Brazil into any revised targets we might potentially issue at that point in time. But I think that should only enhance how the business is currently doing and frankly, enhance probably what the current market expectations are for the group in the years ahead.”

The remarks reinforce Playtech’s view that Brazil remains one of the more significant opportunities available to the company. While political developments have delayed the planned launch, management continues to anticipate an agreement and market entry in early 2027, positioning the supplier to participate in one of the largest regulated betting markets in Latin America.

Source:

“Playtech expecting 2027 Brazil launch amid political uncertainty“, igamingbusiness.com, September 11, 2026.