Brazil blocks another 1,443 illegal gambling websites

The Brazilian Secretary of Prizes and Bets (SPA) of the Ministry of Finance has sent a new list to the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to block an additional 1,443 online gambling and sports betting websites. This latest move is part of the government’s ongoing effort to regulate the online gambling market and curb illegal operations. 

This is the second list sent to Anatel. The first was sent on October 11th so that the telecommunications regulatory agency could determine the blocking. It contained just over 2,000 internet domains. The purpose of the blocks is to prevent illegal betting companies from continuing to operate in Brazil, as they did not file a request for operating authorisation by September 17th.

While Anatel will notify approximately 21,000 telecommunications providers nationwide to implement the block, the full process may take several days to complete. Neither the SPA nor Anatel has publicly released a detailed list of the blocked sites. However, on October 1st, the published a list of authorised operators. As of October 18th, there are 219 betting sites from 100 companies on the national list, with additional state-specific licenses granted. The process of identifying and blocking illegal operators is more complex than authorising legal ones. The Ministry of Finance must provide legal justification for each denial of authorisation, which can lead to delays in updating the negative list. As of January 1st, 2024, only authorised operators are permitted to offer online gambling services in Brazil. The SPA is currently reviewing pending applications and is expected to release a final list of authorised companies by the end of December.

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