Hundreds of Illegal Betting Sites Surface After Brazil's Ban

Hundreds of Illegal Betting Sites Surface After Brazil's Ban
A monitoring tool detected 543 new unlicensed betting sites in Brazil in the three days following President Lula's Provisional Measure (MP) banning the regulated sector. Just one hour after the announcement on Friday, 25 September, 41 illegal sites were already online.
BettingBrazil Regulation
Detected Does Not Mean Created
The 543 figure reflects detection, not creation. Of 322 sites with confirmed purchase dates, 320 were bought before the MP — averaging ~10 months old. Only two domains were purchased after the ban. Some sites have domains dating to the late 1990s, potentially repurposed after the MP.
543
Sites Detected
In 3 days post-ban
320
Pre-Ban Domains
Of 322 with known purchase dates
2
New Domains
Purchased after the ban
A Separate Survey Suggests Far Higher Numbers
BNLData Survey
A survey by Brazilian outlet BNLData found 6,401 new sites between 22–28 September. The daily average in early September was 54 — surging to 1,692 on Saturday and 3,024 on Sunday after news of the government's decision leaked.
Methodology Dispute
Bet Legal published just 76 newly detected sites on Sunday versus BNLData's 3,024. Iron Security CEO Diego Terrani argues Bet Legal only publishes addresses verified one by one. A single operator can run several sites to replace blocked ones — figures count web addresses, not companies.
The regulated industry uses this data to argue the ban pushes 31 million licensed-platform users toward unregulated sites with no age verification, CPF checks, or self-exclusion protections.
The Government's Response
01
506 Sites Taken Down
A task force from the Ministries of Justice and Finance has removed 506 suspected illegal betting sites since the MP was published.
02
Telegram Monitoring
Authorities are monitoring Telegram channels promoting betting, with a combined 212,000 users.
03
ISP Blocking from 6 October
Telecoms operators and internet providers will be required to block betting sites via Anatel orders — including sites based outside Brazil.
As of 25 September, the government and Anatel had not begun discussing how blocking would work. The responsible committee was only created on 28 September.
The Cure May Prove Worse Than the Disease
From 6 October, licensed operators go offline. The critical question: does the MP end betting in Brazil, or simply replace licensed operators with illegal ones? The regulated industry warns that bettors will migrate to sites with no consumer protections.
31M Users at Risk
Licensed platform users may shift to unregulated sites lacking age checks and self-exclusion tools.
Blocking Not Ready
Infrastructure for ISP-level blocking was not in place at the time of the ban's announcement.
Ongoing Monitoring
Bet Legal continues tracking unlicensed sites, verifying each address against the SPA's official licensed list.

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