Brazil’s crackdown on illegal betting takes down more than 56,000 websites

Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting says more than 56,000 illegal betting platforms have been blocked as the government expands its enforcement strategy from website takedowns to financial restrictions, advertising controls and action against service providers.

Brazil has now blocked more than 56,000 websites and platforms linked to unauthorised betting, according to the latest update from the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) at the Ministry of Finance. SPA Secretary Daniele Cardoso said combating the illegal market remains one of the regulator’s principal priorities.

The figure represents the cumulative result of enforcement efforts that began in October 2024, when the Ministry of Finance established technical cooperation with Brazil’s telecommunications regulator Anatel. The partnership allows authorities to identify illegal domains and order internet providers to block access to them. By June 2026, more than 50,000 domains had already been blocked, with the total subsequently rising above 56,000.

Cardoso stressed that domain blocking has to be continuous because illegal operators can quickly launch replacement websites. The government has therefore developed a virtual monitoring laboratory with Anatel designed to identify and restrict new platforms more rapidly. Officials have described the rapid creation of new domains, many hosted outside Brazil, as one of the main challenges facing enforcement.

The government is increasingly focusing on what it calls “financial asphyxiation” of the illegal market. Financial institutions and payment companies are prohibited from processing transactions connected to unauthorised betting businesses, while monitoring of suspicious payment flows can be used to identify the companies and individuals behind the platforms.

Brazil strengthened those powers in June with new measures allowing authorities to interrupt financial flows, block funds associated with illegal fixed-odds betting and target organisations that provide financial infrastructure to unlicensed operators. The government said the approach is intended to make it harder for illegal businesses to continue operating even when they are able to replace blocked domains.

Enforcement also extends to digital promotion. In June, the government reported that 780 social-media profiles, 306 posts and 190 unauthorised applications had been removed as part of cooperation involving the SPA, advertising self-regulatory body Conar and major technology platforms. By July, Finance Minister Dario Durigan said the number of removed influencer profiles was approaching 1,000.

The distinction between authorised and illegal operators has become particularly important since Brazil’s federally regulated fixed-odds betting market entered its full licensing phase in January 2025. Cardoso noted that illegal platforms operate outside requirements covering customer identification, responsible gambling, self-exclusion, sporting integrity and anti-money-laundering controls.

Despite the scale of the blocking programme, authorities acknowledge that illegal betting remains accessible through new domains, social networks and other digital channels. Brazil’s strategy is consequently evolving from simple website blocking toward a broader enforcement model combining telecommunications restrictions, payment disruption, advertising controls and cooperation with other government and private-sector bodies.