Brazil, US and Argentina regulators urge enhanced cooperation to tackle illegal online betting challenges

Regulators from Brazil, Argentina, and the United States said illegal online betting has outpaced national enforcement systems, calling for closer coordination between governments, regulators, technology platforms, and payment providers.

The comments were made at Legitimuz Day 2026 in São Paulo on Monday, during the panel “International Best Practices in Betting Regulation: what can we learn and teach?” 

The discussion featured Fábio Macorin, Deputy Secretary of the Prizes and Betting Secretariat of Brazil’s Ministry of Finance; Brian Krolicki, Vice President of the International Association of Gaming Regulators and former Nevada regulator; Ezequiel Dominguez, Director of the Buenos Aires City Lottery; and Giovanni Rocco, National Secretary of Sports Betting and Economic Development of Sport at Brazil’s Ministry of Sport. Fred Justo, formerly of the Prizes and Betting Secretariat and now at Legitimuz, moderated the session.

The speakers said different jurisdictions face similar problems as illegal operators exploit gaps between national laws, digital platforms, and financial systems. Krolicki said Nevada’s 70-year regulatory framework offers lessons, but cannot be directly replicated elsewhere.

“What works in Nevada isn’t necessarily appropriate for other jurisdictions. But the principles – integrity, oversight, regulator independence, and transparent collaboration – are universal,” said Krolicki, as reported by BNL Data.

He added that online betting poses a different challenge from land-based gaming because digital platforms have no fixed borders. “The criminals act quickly. Regulators need to act legally and transparently, which is slower. That's why international cooperation is essential.”

Dominguez said Argentina’s provincial regulatory model has also been tested by online gambling. Each province sets its own rules, a structure he compared to "24 countries in one." While that can work for physical gaming, he said online betting cuts across territorial boundaries. Argentina estimates that about 80% of bets occur outside regulated environments.

Buenos Aires has responded by creating a Specialized Gambling Prosecutor's Office, with penalties of three to six years in prison for illegal operators. Its enforcement strategy also includes blocking illegal platforms, awareness campaigns in schools, clubs, and among parents, and action against affiliates, ATMs, and influencers promoting illegal gambling.

In Brazil, federal betting regulation took effect in January 2025 after a long unregulated period. Macorin said that the delay allowed fraud, misleading advertising, and harmful operators to spread. "The lack of regulation allowed malicious actors to take advantage, causing immense damage to the country, to consumers, and to the industry as a whole," he stated.

With about 80 employees at the Prizes and Betting Secretariat, compared with Nevada’s 400 gaming regulation professionals, Brazil is relying on institutional partnerships.

These include Anatel for blocking illegal websites, the Ministry of Health for self-assessment and self-exclusion, ANJL for a virtual laboratory to detect illegal websites, CONAR for advertising self-regulation, and the Digital Council for notifications to Meta, Google, TikTok, and other platforms. Brazil has also created SINAPO with 16 states to standardize rules.

Rocco said Brazil is using Pix as an enforcement tool because most bets are placed through the instant payment system. “More than 95% of bets in Brazil are placed via Pix. This allows for capital tracking that countries using credit cards don't have,” he said.

The panelists agreed that illegal online betting cannot be addressed within national borders alone. “The server may be in one country, the company in another, without an extradition agreement. Cooperation between regulators is the only way out,” stated Dominguez.