As Brazil embraces regulated online gambling, a century-old illegal lottery remains in limbo

Sitting on a plastic chair beside a flower shop near Copacabana Beach, Rose takes bets on the “jogo do bicho” (the animal game) for her clients. “I have customers who work on ships, others in São Paulo. They send me a message and I place their bet,” she said.

Business varies: on some days, she might handle 100 bets. On others, just 20. But one thing is certain — she never runs out of clients. Rose has been at this job for over 30 years, working six days a week, rain or shine.

These days, everything takes place online, with bets recorded through an app.