Brazil: Ministry of Finance orders the blocking of over 9,000 illegal gambling websites

Between October 2024 and January 2025, the Ministry of Finance, through the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), ordered the blocking of 9,600 illegal gambling sites in Brazil. Currently, only 76 companies are authorized to operate throughout the country, 70 of them are regulated by the SPA, and six are released by court decision. Each of these companies can operate with up to three different domains.

According to a report by Valor Econômico, the action against irregular sites began in October last year, when the first list, with more than 2,000 domains, was sent to the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel). A few days later, on October 31, a second list, with 1,443 sites, was also submitted to the agency.

In December, the Ministry of Finance and Anatel formalized a Technical Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the objective of which was to accelerate and optimize the blocking process. The agreement establishes a faster flow of information between the institutions, which, according to the Treasury, will help reduce operating costs and strengthen the supervision of the sector.

“The objective is to create an agile and direct flow of information between the institutions, reducing operating costs and strengthening the supervision of the industry,” the economic portfolio told the portal Valor.

The regulation of sports betting in Brazil is seen as a necessary measure to combat the illegal market. According to government and lottery representatives, without a legal framework, bettors can be lured by unauthorized platforms, so the introduction of clear rules aims to "separate the wheat from the chaff" and fight irregular practices in the sector.

Regulated sector in Brazil

The fixed-odds betting market in Brazil became regulated on January 1, 2025. To operate legally, companies must follow a series of requirements, such as using the '.bet.br' domain, as well as requiring bettors to register with a CPF and facial recognition.

Transparency is also a requirement: sites must disclose the amount the bettor will win if they win a prize. Betting companies must follow rules to fight crimes such as money laundering, under current legislation.