Brazil Tightens Banking Controls to Disrupt Illegal Gambling Payments

Brazilian authorities are introducing new measures designed to identify and interrupt financial transactions connected to unlicensed gambling operators targeting the country’s online betting market.

The Secretariat for Prizes and Betting (SPA) will implement the measures under Ordinance SPA/MF No. 2,750/2026, published on 14 September. The ordinance establishes procedures aimed at addressing the financial flows that sustain illegal gambling operations in Brazil.

The new framework places obligations on licensed participants in Brazil’s financial and payments infrastructure, including banks, payment processors, intermediaries and online wallets that process transactions involving individuals connected to gambling activities.

Financial service providers will be required to monitor transactions that may indicate suspicious activity and report evidence of illegal betting to the SPA. They must also comply with account-blocking orders issued by the authority and establish mechanisms to prevent additional payments from directly or indirectly supporting unauthorised gambling operations.

Among the warning signs that financial institutions are expected to monitor are frequent small- or medium-sized transfers originating from multiple senders, abrupt increases in transaction volumes and transaction descriptions containing references to betting or games.

Other indicators include the repeated replacement of Pix keys, QR codes, payment links or recipient accounts.

Institutions must also pay attention to financial activity that does not correspond with a company’s declared business activities, as well as newly created companies receiving unusually large numbers of transfers. Transactions that are heavily concentrated in intermediary accounts will also be subject to scrutiny.

The ordinance further identifies the use of new accounts, third-party recipients or replacement intermediaries after an account has been blocked as potential indicators of attempts to circumvent restrictions.

Rather than examining transactions individually, the new requirements call on financial institutions to analyse broader changes in payment behaviour. The objective is to identify patterns that could indicate efforts by illegal operators to bypass restrictions and continue moving funds through Brazil’s financial system.

Responsibility for the process is divided between financial service providers and the SPA. Institutions are responsible for analysing suspicious activity and reporting cases where they identify evidence of illegal betting or attempts to evade restrictions.

The SPA, in turn, will issue a formal finding of irregularity. This document will identify the gambling operator concerned, including its websites, applications and domains, as well as the accounts and transactions associated with its activities.

The formal finding will provide the basis for notifications instructing financial and payment institutions to block accounts belonging to the identified operator and prevent further movement of funds through those accounts.

The procedures also create specific channels for cooperation between the authorities and financial-sector participants. Communications are expected to take place preferably through the Central Bank’s secure electronic system. Information relating to account blocks may also be passed to the National Secretariat of Public Security (Senasp).

Carlos Renato Xavier de Resende, SPA Undersecretary for Monitoring and Oversight, said the ordinance would strengthen coordination with participants in Brazil’s National Financial System and Brazilian Payment System.

In a LinkedIn post, Resende argued that enforcement against illegal operators needs to extend beyond their websites and target the financial infrastructure that allows them to collect and transfer money.

“Combating the illegal fixed-odds betting market also means reducing its ability to receive and move funds, and remain economically viable,” he wrote.

The ordinance establishes a timetable covering three separate stages of the response.

From the date of publication, financial institutions have up to 45 days to complete their analysis of suspicious activity. If they find evidence of illegal betting or attempts to circumvent restrictions, they must report the case to the SPA by the next business day.

Once the SPA issues a notification, the financial institutions holding the identified operator’s accounts must implement the required block within 24 hours. They are then required to confirm that the blocking action has been completed to the SPA within 48 hours of the block being imposed.

Finance Minister rejects immediate ban approach

The latest measures come alongside further discussion about the future governance and taxation of Brazil’s regulated online gambling market.

Finance Minister Dario Durigan has expressed support for tighter controls on online gambling while discussing the government's approach to taxing betting operators.

Durigan said the government's position on taxation was based on the principle of equal treatment rather than simply on its desire to increase public revenue.

“It’s not that I want to collect taxes because I need the money. I want to collect taxes for the sake of equality: if a company sells cars, it pays taxes; if it sells drinks, it pays taxes. If it’s authorised to operate, it has to pay.”

His comments came after Receita Federal reported approximately R$7.3 billion (£1 billion) in federal tax revenue from betting and online gambling during the first half of 2026.

The tax authority expects receipts from the sector to more than double during 2026, exceeding the R$10 billion (£1.4 billion) collected in 2025.

Durigan said he was monitoring developments in Brazil’s Congress and Senate as the PT government and President Lula have pledged to repeal the Bets Law before the conclusion of the October general election.

Despite supporting tighter controls, Durigan has not called for an immediate prohibition of online gambling. Instead, he repeated his preference for regulating the sector under a model that would impose stricter controls and taxation in an effort to reduce participation.

His stated preference is for “treating the activity similarly to tobacco, using tighter regulation and taxation to discourage participation”.

While the Finance Minister has an influential role in the administration of Brazil’s Bets Law framework, Durigan said the Ministry of Finance itself had not adopted a formal position on what should ultimately happen to online gambling.

The ministry, he indicated, will have to accept whatever course lawmakers ultimately choose as they consider changes to the Bets Law, including its regulatory protections and the mechanisms governing the sector. 

By fLEXI tEAM