The Brazilian official website of the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), linked to Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture, briefly displayed an advertisement for a betting-style slot game known as "jogo do tigrinho" in the country.
"Jogo do tigrinho" started as a way to refer to Fortune Tiger, but now, nationally, it's used to describe virtual slot-style games commonly hosted on unlicensed platforms.
The incident, observed on the homepage's "weather alerts" section, replaced the meteorological map with a promotional banner for the virtual game, a format commonly associated with unlicensed gambling platforms.
The ad remained visible across mobile and desktop access until the site went offline for corrective action.
According to the ministry, a technical investigation concluded that the portal had suffered a malicious redirect affecting one of its banner display systems.
What should have been a legitimate meteorological graphic was replaced with the betting-related image. The ministry emphasized that the content "was displayed without authorization" and removed as soon as the breach was identified.
For legal specialists, the episode highlights both a cybersecurity failure and a constitutional concern.
Brazil's Bar Association's Games Commission also noted that no legislation permits sponsorship or advertising from private entities on federal informational platforms.
While public companies may host promotional content about themselves, ministries and autonomous agencies are not allowed to display commercial material.
The incident comes at a time when Inmet faces operational strain and infrastructure challenges after years of budget cuts.
The Ministry of Agriculture recently announced a BR200m ($37m) restructuring plan, including modernization of the institute's digital and monitoring systems.
The security breach and the accidental exposure of an illegal betting platform adds urgency to these upgrades.
Brazil reported BR15bn in betting tax revenue for 2025 according to the Federal Revenue Service
