Brazilian Supreme Court opens probe into Flávio Bolsonaro and betting-linked companies after Rio Grande do Sul case

The investigation started in the federal first instance court in Rio Grande do Sul, where authorities were looking at money laundering, foreign exchange evasion, and the use of betting houses in the alleged scheme. It was moved to Brazil’s Supreme Court on 8 October because Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has special jurisdiction, and the PGR (Brazil’s Prosecutor General’s Office) supported opening the inquiry.

1. The case was first reported by O Estado de S. Paulo and later confirmed by g1. According to the police report, the Supreme Court inquiry now covers allegations that connect Flávio Bolsonaro, lawyer Willer Tomaz, and betting-related businesses.
2. In the documentation for opening the bank account of Alcazar Holding, the PF (Federal Police) said Flávio Bolsonaro appeared as a master user, which in practice meant a high level of access and control over the account. The same report says that on 22/05/2025, Tomaz explicitly requested that his access be removed, which the PF treats as evidence that Bolsonaro remained linked to the account operationally until that date.
3. The PF also says it found multiple signs of a close relationship between Tomaz and Bolsonaro, including references to parties, meetings, and gatherings, as well as personal documents belonging to Bolsonaro found in Tomaz’s iCloud. Investigators also identified trips by the senator paid for by one of Tomaz’s companies, Cathedral.
4. On the betting side, the PF says there are “indicative elements” that Willer Tomaz had de facto control or ownership of Rede Loto, the first company to obtain state authorization from Loterj in Rio de Janeiro to offer fixed-odds sports betting in the state. The police also say there are indications that RioPag, which operates gaming in Rio de Janeiro, is in fact linked to Tomaz even though his name does not appear directly in the corporate structure.
5. Investigators are also reviewing Tomaz’s transactions involving Blaze. The report says the address tied to Foggo Entertainment Ltda, the company identified with Blaze, had previously been used by other companies connected to a former partner of Tomaz and by RioPag as well.

For high-risk payment providers, the useful part here is not the politics, but the structure: the inquiry explicitly ties banking access, corporate control, and betting operations together. That is exactly the kind of fact pattern that matters when PSPs, acquirers, and partner banks are deciding how much exposure they want to take on in gambling and adjacent verticals.