Brazil blocks 19,180 illegal betting URLs as regulators widen enforcement under 2025 rules

Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), an agency linked to the Ministry of Finance, has blocked 19,180 URLs used to provide illegal betting services in the country, according to information obtained by Pay4Fun through a request filed under Brazil’s Freedom of Information Law with the ministry.

The enforcement figures come as Brazil’s regulated betting market, which took effect in 2025, faces ongoing pressure from operators acting outside the rules. The SPA has noted that illegal betting sites often evade basic requirements that apply in the regulated system, including security standards, tax obligations, and consumer protections.

Beyond blocking websites, the government also moved against online promotion of unauthorized betting. The material obtained by Pay4Fun states that at least 242 pages and profiles were removed in 2025 for promoting illegal betting advertising between January and September. Over the same period, 182 posts that promoted irregular betting were also removed.

Leonardo Baptista, CEO and co-founder of Pay4Fun, said the figures show the scale of the remaining challenge even after Brazil’s move to regulate online betting. “The data show that the illegal market remains very large, and it is impossible to consolidate a billion-dollar sector while most operations remain outside oversight," he stated. "Combating irregular financial flows and expanding regulation to land-based gambling are clear priorities for the second year of the law."

He added that leaving existing activity outside regulation does not eliminate it. "Failing to regulate what already exists does not reduce the activity; it only prevents the State from monitoring, collecting revenue, and protecting bettors,” the executive said.

Authorities have paired these takedowns with steps aimed at restricting how illegal betting is funded. The document indicates that, between March and September, 483 bank accounts belonging to individuals and legal entities were closed after indications of links to unauthorized operations. 

Payment institutions were also included in the enforcement push. The SPA notified 22 companies in the sector over the possible maintenance of irregular accounts. According to the Ministry of Finance, those notifications resulted in the closure of additional accounts and the provision of further information to support investigations that remain underway.

The report also highlights the role of financial institutions and platforms in flagging suspicious activity. It says 36 institutions reported irregularities to the government during the period analyzed, including banks, payment companies, and digital platforms. Complaints submitted after September 15 remain under review.

The Ministry of Finance said the overall measures are intended to reduce unfair competition between authorized operators and illegal services, while strengthening the consolidation of Brazil’s betting regulation.