Brazil: 11,000 Betting Sites Taken Down
Brazil – April 29, 2025 www.zonadeazar.com One hundred days after the regulation of the betting market in Brazil, the Secretary of SPA at the Ministry of Finance, Regis Dudena, assessed the situation in an interview with Exame. According to Dudena, Brazil has managed to establish a solid set of rules for the sector.
He explained that, after four years without regulation, the country now demands strict compliance with the rules, alongside constant and rigorous oversight. Thus, since the beginning of the year, only operators registered with the Ministry can legally operate, and they must use domains ending in “.bet.br”.
“Our regulation is well-crafted and requires companies to comply with the rules, with active oversight. We are conducting oversight and monitoring cycles, such as in the case of welcome bonuses, and monitoring the behavior of influencers,” he said in an exclusive interview with Exame.
Currently, 73 companies operate under regulation, representing 162 websites, in addition to eight companies operating under judicial authorization. In the interview, Dudena emphasized that oversight is ongoing and covers practices such as welcome bonuses and the conduct of digital influencers. Market oversight is considered a priority and is conducted on three fronts: removal of unauthorized sites, restriction of advertisements on social networks, and blocking financial transactions of irregular operators. According to the SPA Secretary, more than 11,000 sites have been taken down since January.
Additionally, Regis Dudena mentioned projects aimed at raising public awareness about the risks of illegal betting and noted that the government is preparing educational campaigns. These campaigns will explain what regulated betting is and highlight the importance of protecting bettors’ mental health.
“We want to clarify what a bet is, the difference between legal and illegal companies, and promote the protection of bettors’ mental health. We are working on this and will have updates soon,” he added.
Finally, Dudena stated that there is still no official estimate of the market size nor decisions on issues such as the use of Bolsa Família funds for betting or the potential regulation of land-based casinos, matters that are still under debate in the National Congress.
“We achieved a major victory by establishing a regulated market, something that should have been done since 2019. We spent four years with nothing done, in practice. In 2023, the government addressed the issues with measures such as the provisional measure, the submission of a bill, and the creation of the Secretariat. We managed to complete the regulation by July and combat unauthorized companies that had not applied for authorization, especially after the turn of the year. Now, it’s time to fine-tune execution. Our regulation is well-crafted and requires companies to comply with the rules, with active oversight. We are conducting oversight and monitoring cycles, such as with welcome bonuses, and monitoring influencers’ behavior. The problem is divided between influencers who promote illegal sites and those who, even promoting legal sites, make prohibited claims, such as guaranteeing easy winnings. We are on the right path, implementing effective controls. The work of oversight, monitoring, and punishing irregularities will continue from now on,” concluded the SPA Secretary at the Ministry of Finance.
Editó: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com