ARRise Exits Brazil With Only Three of 37 Casino Studios Ready

The facility was supposed to produce live games for Pragmatic Play. According to a November 6 investigation by UOL, ARRise began setting up the operation in 2025 and hired more than 150 employees the following year.

Layoffs Began While Jobs Were Still Advertised

The São Paulo site covered more than 8,000 square meters. Equipment arrived from the US, while most new hires spent three months training abroad. Some completed programs lasting up to seven months in Romania, Malta, Serbia and Colombia.

ARRise needed presenters who could work in several languages, alongside production, technical and support staff. The studios were being prepared for round-the-clock broadcasts.

Then the hiring stopped. Recruiters were among the first employees dismissed in October, although vacancies were still being advertised. Other departments followed. UOL reported that one person from each team remained to inventory equipment and arrange its shipment.

The closure came after Brazil’s government banned fixed-odds betting and online casino games on September 25.

Bogotá Was Already Running

Colombia was part of ARRise’s expansion plans before the Brazilian shutdown. In October 2025, Pragmatic Play opened a live-casino studio in Bogotá, operated by ARRise.

The Colombian project involved an investment of more than $15 million, with over 100 gaming tables planned and more than 1,500 jobs expected.

ARRise has yet to disclose how much it spent on the Brazilian facility, the final number of employees affected or where the equipment from São Paulo will go.