Brazil Has Blocked More Than 60,000 Illegal Betting Websites
Brazil.- 14 August 2026 | www.zonadeazar.com Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), part of the Ministry of Finance, has reported that it has already ordered the blocking of more than 60,000 illegal betting websites since formal monitoring of the unlicensed market began.
The figure was presented by Carlos Renato Resende, the SPA’s Undersecretary for Monitoring and Inspection, during a public hearing at the Chamber of Deputies.
Monitoring Since 2025
The SPA began monitoring Brazil’s illegal betting market on 1 January 2025.
During the initial months, the process was conducted manually because suitable technological tools were not yet available.
In October 2025, the authority introduced technology capable of automating monitoring and significantly accelerating the identification and blocking of illegal platforms.
Since then, the number of blocked websites has increased sharply and has now exceeded 60,000 domains.
Identifying Legal Operators
Platforms federally licensed by the SPA use the “.bet.br” domain.
The regulator also publishes an official list of operators authorised to provide betting services nationwide.
Separate state-level licences also exist in jurisdictions including Paraná, Rio de Janeiro and Paraíba.
Operators licensed under state lottery frameworks must restrict their activities to the jurisdiction where they obtained their authorisation and do not necessarily use the “.bet.br” domain.
Statements
Carlos Renato Resende said combating illegal betting should be viewed as a permanent process.
He compared enforcement to “cutting the grass”, arguing that illegal operators can return even after their websites have been blocked.
Resende said no country has been able to eliminate illegal betting entirely and compared Brazil’s challenge with the persistent problems seen in other sectors affected by piracy.
Cooperation with Federal Police
The SPA is also preparing to sign a cooperation agreement with Brazil’s Federal Police to improve the handling of criminal complaints linked to the illegal market.
Under the proposed structure, the Federal Police will act as an analysis centre and determine whether individual cases fall under federal or state jurisdiction.
The SPA has already supported investigations including Operation Narco Bet, which targeted a multimillion-dollar money-laundering scheme linked to illegal raffles and betting.
Illegal Market Share Declines
During the same hearing, Eric Brasil, Director at LCA Consultores, presented research estimating that illegal operators currently account for between 38% and 44% of Brazil’s betting market.
This represents a decline from the first half of 2025, when the illegal sector was estimated to represent between 41% and 55% of the overall market.
The research was conducted by LCA Consultores and Instituto Locomotiva on behalf of the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR).
Further Measures Against Illegal Gambling
IBJR President Carlos Lima highlighted several measures adopted by the Brazilian government throughout 2025 and 2026 to reduce illegal activity.
These included payment blocking, greater accountability for financial intermediaries and action against prediction-market platforms considered illegal under Brazil’s regulatory framework.
In April, the National Monetary Council prohibited prediction markets from offering contracts on sporting, electoral, political and other events unrelated to economic or financial matters.
The Ministry of Finance subsequently ordered platforms including Polymarket and Kalshi to be blocked after determining that certain operations constituted unauthorised betting activity.
Next Steps or Impact
Brazil is expected to continue deepening coordination between regulators, financial institutions and law-enforcement agencies in its efforts to reduce the illegal market.
While the SPA acknowledges that completely eliminating unlicensed gambling is difficult, the figures presented indicate that its market share has declined since regulation took effect.
Automated monitoring, payment blocking and closer cooperation with law enforcement are expected to remain central elements of Brazil’s enforcement strategy.
Editó: @fonta
