A few betting platforms are continuing to operate in Brazil despite the Government’s ban, with some reportedly using international domains to evade the new restrictions.
According to the Ministry of Justice, an investigation conducted after the 6 October deadline for betting websites to go offline found at least four of the previously licensed platforms still accessible, some of them promoted by digital influencers on social media.
The strategy reportedly involves domain extensions registered outside Brazil or not tied to any country. While regulated “.br” platforms went offline within the deadline, other websites have continued reaching Brazilian users.
The Government’s provisional measure prohibited online betting platforms from operating in the country, with sites no longer supposed to be accessible via browsers or apps after 6 October.
Authorities are now addressing the remaining services through a joint task force involving the Ministry of Justice’s CyberLab cyber-intelligence laboratory and the Finance Ministry’s betting secretariat. The team continuously maps websites and seeks to have them blocked internationally.
Between 6 and 16 October, authorities reportedly took down 10,000 websites of betting companies that were never licensed, though the figure does not necessarily represent 10,000 separate operators, as individual companies may use multiple domains to circumvent restrictions.
Enforcement has also extended to Telegram, where the Ministry of Justice has blocked 110 channels used to promote betting platforms. Around 1.3 million people reportedly received advertisements and made deposits through these channels.
The findings suggest that shutting down locally regulated websites has not eliminated access to online betting, leaving authorities to pursue operators using international infrastructure and social media promotion.
Authorities have not publicly named the platforms identified, not the previously licensed nor the illegal ones
