Brazil Strengthens Fight Against Illegal Betting Sites Through New Regulatory Cooperation

Brazil has taken a further step to reinforce oversight of its betting market with the signing of Cooperation Agreement No. 4/2025 between the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting under the Ministry of Finance, telecommunications regulator Anatel, and the National Association of Games and Lotteries. The initiative is aimed at strengthening the identification and blocking of illegal betting websites operating in the country.

A central feature of the agreement is the creation of a dedicated physical and virtual detection laboratory to be structured by the National Association of Games and Lotteries, which represents licensed betting operators. The laboratory will support authorities by identifying illegal platforms and assisting with blocking efforts, focusing not only on website addresses but also on technical patterns used by unlicensed operators.

The laboratory’s work will include analysing website architecture, internet routing and cyber vulnerabilities commonly exploited by illegal operators. This approach is designed to improve enforcement effectiveness, particularly against platforms that attempt to evade detection by frequently changing domain names.

The agreement builds on existing cooperation between the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting and Anatel, which already enables faster blocking of illegal fixed-odds betting sites through streamlined information sharing. Since October last year, around 18,000 illegal betting websites have reportedly been submitted for blocking, highlighting both the scale of the issue and the intensity of enforcement.

Authorities say the enhanced cooperation is intended to shift enforcement from reactive measures to a more proactive, technically grounded model. By identifying recurring operational characteristics, regulators aim to reduce blocking times and limit the ability of illegal operators to re-enter the market under new domains.

The initiative underscores Brazil’s broader effort to protect consumers and licensed operators by strengthening market integrity and supervision. By aligning regulatory bodies, telecom enforcement and industry expertise, the agreement signals a move toward a more mature and robust regulatory environment for betting in Brazil.