Brazil Tightens Payment Blocking Rules for Illegal Betting Operators

Brazil has introduced stronger financial controls against illegal betting operators, requiring banks and payment companies to identify suspicious transactions, block designated accounts and prevent new payments linked to unauthorised gambling activity.

Brazil's Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) has introduced new rules designed to cut illegal fixed-odds betting operators off from the country's financial system.

Portaria SPA/MF No. 2,750/2026, published on September 14, expands procedures for preventing, identifying and stopping payments connected to operators that offer betting without federal authorisation. The measure replaces the previous framework established in March 2025 and incorporates additional enforcement powers introduced during 2026.

The rules apply to financial institutions, payment institutions and payment arrangement providers. They must maintain controls capable of detecting transactions sent directly or indirectly to illegal operators, including payments involving intermediaries used to move gambling-related funds. When suspicious activity indicates illegal betting or an attempt to bypass existing restrictions, the institution must report the case to the SPA.

The most significant change concerns account blocking. Once the SPA formally identifies an unauthorised operator and issues a blocking notice, relevant financial or payment institutions have a maximum of 24 hours to freeze accounts held by that operator and prevent the movement of funds. They must also introduce controls within the same period to stop new transactions that could directly or indirectly support the illegal betting business.

Institutions must confirm compliance to the SPA within the required reporting period, generally within 48 hours. The rules are designed to remain effective even when an operator attempts to change its payment routes or use third parties rather than accounts directly registered in its own name.

The measure builds on rules approved by Brazil's National Monetary Council in June, which already require financial and payment institutions participating in the Brazilian Payments System to block accounts identified by the SPA. The new Portaria provides a more detailed administrative process for identifying payment methods, sharing information and preventing future transactions.

Information gathered during the process can also be forwarded to the National Secretariat of Public Security, linking financial enforcement more closely with broader investigations into illegal gambling activity.

The move represents the next stage of Brazil's campaign against the unlicensed betting market. Authorities have already blocked tens of thousands of illegal domains, but websites can be replaced quickly through new addresses. Targeting bank accounts, payment intermediaries and transaction flows could prove more difficult for offshore operators to circumvent.

Brazil's enforcement strategy is therefore increasingly shifting from simply making illegal betting sites harder to access to making them harder to finance. If banks and payment companies can identify and interrupt new routes quickly, the latest rules could become one of the government's most important tools for pushing betting activity toward the regulated market.