Brazil Sees Sharp Rise in Illegal Betting Sites After New Ban
Bet Legal identified 415 new illegal betting sites following the publication of Provisional Measure 1,394, which prohibits gambling in Brazil.
By 6pm on September 25, 2026, 295 unauthorised domains had been detected. Another 294 illegal sites appeared on September 26, while the total reached 710 by 7:10pm on September 27. This represented a 141% increase in two days.
Bet Legal runs the monitoring system together with cybersecurity company Iron Security. It checks information from official government publications and notifications sent to telecommunications regulator Anatel.
According to data cited by Poder360, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets sent 57,691 addresses to Anatel for restriction between January 1 and September 22, 2026. One operator may control several versions of the same domain.
The National Association of Games and Lotteries, or ANJL, stated:
Without authorisation, without the same regulatory obligations and operating outside the scope of oversight, the clandestine market continues to find space.
The Brazilian government has also removed 506 illegal gambling websites following the introduction of the provisional measure. Authorities identified 43 Telegram channels and groups promoting illegal betting, with more than 212,000 members in total.
