Brazil Shuts Down Over 25,000 Illegal Betting Websites as Regulators Ramp Up Enforcement in 2025

Brazilian authorities dramatically increased their campaign against unlawful gambling activity throughout 2025, blocking more than 25,000 illegal betting platforms as the country completed its first full year operating under a regulated sports betting regime.

Figures released by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), which operates under the Ministry of Finance, show that enforcement actions were carried out in close collaboration with the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel). Together, the agencies coordinated a large-scale effort aimed at removing unauthorised operators from Brazil’s digital landscape.

The crackdown extended well beyond website blocking. Regulators also intensified scrutiny of illegal advertising, suspicious financial flows and compliance violations, indicating a broader and more integrated supervisory strategy across the betting ecosystem.

Licensed market grows as monitoring intensifies

Throughout 2025, Brazil granted legal authorisation to 79 betting companies. Operators reported that approximately 25.2 million people in Brazil placed bets during the year, reflecting the rapid expansion of the regulated market.

Alongside this growth, oversight activity increased significantly. The Undersecretary for Monitoring and Inspection launched 132 administrative proceedings involving 133 betting operations. Of those cases, 80 remained under analysis at year-end, with potential penalties still being considered.

Financial surveillance became a cornerstone of enforcement. By the close of the year, 54 financial institutions had submitted a total of 1,255 reports to the Secretariat, identifying 1,687 individuals suspected of sending funds to illegal betting platforms.

As a result of these investigations, authorities closed 550 bank accounts, with 265 confirmed to have direct links to unlawful gambling activity.

Social media promotions face heightened scrutiny

Regulators also turned their attention to digital marketing practices, particularly the promotion of illegal betting through social media.

Working with self-regulatory bodies and organisations from the digital advertising sector, authorities concluded 412 inspection proceedings involving influencers. These efforts led to the removal of 324 influencer profiles and the deletion of 229 posts connected to the promotion of unauthorised betting services.

Data gathered through the federal Bet Management System revealed that men represented the majority of bettors, accounting for 68.3% of users. The most active age group was individuals between 31 and 40 years old, making up 28.6% of participants. Bettors aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 30 each represented 22.7% of total users.

Regulated market delivers strong revenue

Financial performance figures highlight the scale of Brazil’s newly regulated betting industry.

Licensed operators generated an estimated R$37bn in gross gaming revenue during 2025.

According to federal tax authorities, total government collections reached approximately R$9.95bn, encompassing corporate taxes and mandatory contributions established under betting legislation. Additional revenues included around R$2.5bn in authorisation fees and R$95.5m in inspection charges.

A major regulatory development during the year was the introduction of a nationwide self-exclusion system overseen by the SPA. Built by the Federal Data Processing Service, the platform received more than 217,000 self-exclusion requests within its first 40 days of operation.

Long-term stability and consumer protection in focus

As Brazil’s betting sector continues to evolve, regulators have indicated that strict enforcement and harm-reduction initiatives will remain central priorities. The Ministry of Finance and the SPA are expected to further enhance measures related to consumer protection, mental health support and responsible gambling.

The breadth of enforcement activity in 2025 underscores Brazil’s ambition to establish itself not only as one of the world’s largest emerging betting markets, but also as one of the most tightly regulated and actively supervised.

By fLEXI tEAM