Brazil authorizes 205 online gambling platforms amid crackdown on irregular sites

The Brazilian Ministry of Finance released an updated list on Tuesday night, approving 205 sports betting and online gaming platforms, representing 93 companies, to continue operating in the country. Among the newly authorized names are Estadium, F12, Luva, and Donald, bringing the total number of state-level approvals to 18.

This latest update corrects previous omissions and clarifies issues surrounding the legitimacy of certain companies. The Ministry noted that some operators had been excluded from the initial list due to technical errors, while others were initially flagged over questions about the origin of their funds.

The statement read: "Due to errors in the notification reception system, three nominations made in accordance with the requirements and deadlines were not included in the first published national list. In addition, a company and its brands were included in the list after confirmation that the request had been duly signed by a legal representative authorized by the company."

Several prominent betting brands were conspicuously absent from the initial list. One significant exclusion was Caixa Loterias, a federal lottery monopoly managed by Caixa Econômica Federal, Brazil's state-owned financial services entity. Caixa Loterias expressed intentions to introduce a sports betting brand and submitted a license application ahead of the August 20 deadline, positioning it for the first round of license approvals.

The list also omitted three operators linked to illegal gambling and money laundering allegations: Esportes da Sorte, VaideBet, and Zeroumbet. Darwin Henrique da Silva Filho, owner of Esportes da Sorte, surrendered to federal authorities on September 5 amid ongoing investigations, yet he maintained his innocence through an open letter issued prior to his arrest.

VaideBet’s owner, José André da Rocha Neto, was also apprehended during the investigation, which involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including Interpol and local police from various states.

In addition, other well-known brands such as Stake, a cryptocurrency gambling platform, and Grupo Silvio Santos (GSS), which is planning to launch its Todos Querem Jogar (TQJ) betting brand, were also missing from the approved operators list.

The companies cleared to continue operations include major players like Betano, Sportingbet, Bet365, and Pixbet, as well as smaller entities such as EstrelaBet, Aposta365, and BetCopa.

Finance Minister Fernando Haddad warned earlier this week that up to 600 betting sites would soon face bans for failing to comply with the regulations passed by the National Congress. Haddad advised users to withdraw funds from these sites within a 10-day window starting from October 1, to avoid financial losses.

The government is also planning to implement stricter controls on the sector, including monitoring bets by CPF (Brazil’s individual taxpayer registry), tightening payment methods, and regulating company advertising.