Hundreds of additional unauthorised betting domains have been identified in Brazil within two days of the government announcing its prohibition on online betting, as authorities intensify efforts to contain the country’s illegal market.
Monitoring by Bet Legal, in partnership with cybersecurity specialist Iron Security, identified 710 unauthorised betting domains by Sunday evening, up from 295 at 18:00 on Friday when the prohibition was announced. This increase represents 415 additional domains, or 141%, with 294 identified on Saturday alone. The figures do not necessarily represent individual operators, as companies can operate multiple variations of the same domain.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva introduced of Provisional Measure 1.394 on Friday, prohibiting fixed-odds betting and online gaming across Brazil. The federal government has simultaneously stepped-up enforcement against unauthorised operators.
A task force involving the Ministries of Justice and Public Security and Finance said it had taken down 506 sites suspected of irregular betting activity following introduction of the measure. Officials said the operation is intended both to interrupt access to unauthorised platforms and prevent replacement domains being used to continue offering betting services.
Government monitoring has also uncovered continued betting advertising across major digital platforms. Brazil’s Cyber Operations Laboratory identified around 1,960 Google advertisements associated with seven domains between September 25th and 27th, although authorities could not determine how many had first appeared after the prohibition. Seven advertisements were separately documented on Meta, including two that began running after the measure took effect.
Authorities have also identified 43 active Telegram groups and channels promoting betting and online casino gaming, collectively attracting 212,634 members. Nine channels accounted for more than 172,000 of those users.
Plínio Lemos Jorge, National Association of Games & Lotteries President, warned that illicit operators were already expanding their activities, saying: “The clandestine websites have expanded their offerings and continue to operate outside the law and oversight,” he said.
Brazil’s licensed betting platforms are scheduled to cease operations on October 6, leaving the scale of migration towards unauthorised alternatives a critical issue as the government begins enforcing its new prohibition.
Tags: Illegal betting Brazil,Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva,National Association of Games & Lotteries
