Zona de Azar Brasil – Brazil: Anatel’s Difficulties in Blocking Illegal Betting Sites

Brazil – November 27, 2024 www.zonadeazar.com The president of Anatel, Carlos Baigorri, commented in an interview with Folha de S. Paulo about the difficulties the agency faces in trying to block illegal betting sites, known as “bets,” in Brazil. Baigorri called for changes in legislation so that Anatel could have more effective tools and regulatory power over platforms operating without authorization in the country.

Currently, the blocking of irregular sites is limited, and Anatel admits that, with the available resources and legal powers, the blocks are not fully effective. “As it stands today, we are just spinning our wheels,” Baigorri stated, highlighting that although the government has blocked 5,200 illegal betting sites, the platforms can easily bypass these blocks by using new IP addresses, as seen in cases such as X (formerly Twitter), which used similar maneuvers to circumvent court decisions.

According to Baigorri, the main obstacle is the lack of regulatory power over DNS operators, who are responsible for directing internet traffic to websites. Since these operators are often located outside Brazil, Anatel cannot prevent the swapping of IP addresses of blocked sites.

Baigorri suggested that Anatel needs more autonomy to act effectively and proposed changes to the government, including modifications to the General Telecommunications Law, changes to betting regulations, and adjustments to the Internet Civil Framework. The goal is to ensure that DNS operators are required to comply with blocking decisions and to allow Anatel more regulatory power.

The lack of tools to ensure the effectiveness of blocks is another critical point. Anatel relies on telecommunications companies to enforce suspensions, but the number of blocked sites and the difficulty in monitoring all networks makes the process ineffective. Baigorri emphasized that, to improve oversight, the agency needs additional resources, including R$ 7.5 million to develop technologies that will assist in monitoring suspensions.

Baigorri’s concern is that the presence of illegal betting sites could harm the legal betting market in Brazil, affecting companies that pay taxes and comply with regulations. He emphasized that to curb the growth of irregular betting, a joint effort is needed to improve laws and actions that make it harder for users to access these platforms.

He also criticized the lack of more robust and centralized regulation, pointing out that current oversight is fragmented, with the Secretary of Prizes and Betting, linked to the Ministry of Finance, focused more on taxation, while the Ministry of Sports has a perspective centered on the impact of betting on football. According to Baigorri, regulation needs to be more coordinated and follow the principles of good regulatory practice.

Editor: @_fonta
www.zonadeazar.com