Brazil orders takedown of 5,209 illegal betting sites as MJSP and Ministry of Finance step up enforcement

Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) and Ministry of Finance have escalated efforts to shut down illegal betting operations online, with takedown requests now covering 5,209 domains. For high-risk operators and PSPs, the important part is not just the site blocks themselves, but the broader squeeze on distribution: domain removals, social media cleanup, and app store enforcement all moving at once.

1. By Tuesday, September 29, authorities had requested the removal of 5,209 betting-related domains. Of these, 1,386 were identified by the National Secretariat of Digital Rights (Sedigi/MJSP) and 3,823 by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), part of the Ministry of Finance.
2. The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) ordered the blocking of 2,387 domains linked to betting operations. The deadline for removing ads and platforms is October 5, and on October 6 app stores are due to take down 186 notified apps.
3. The measures are part of implementing Provisional Measure No. 1.394/2026, which banned the operation, offering, intermediation, and advertising of fixed-odds lotteries in Brazil. The government said the balance sheet presented on September 29 covers actions taken since the MP was published on September 25.
4. Enforcement is not limited to websites. The operation also led to the removal of 300 Facebook pages and 90 Instagram profiles used to promote or facilitate access to illegal betting. The Ciberlab, within the National Secretariat of Public Security (Senasp/MJSP), also began work to remove content promoting illegal betting on TikTok.
5. On Telegram, authorities said 1,014,722 members and users of channels, groups, and profiles connected to illegal betting were reached. National Public Security Secretary Chico Lucas said teams are investigating the flow of illegal money, while the Federal Police and state civil police have been investigating betting operations for at least three years.

The pattern matters for PSPs because Brazil is not just asking for site blocks; it is hitting the whole acquisition funnel. Domains, social distribution, app stores, and messaging channels are all being pulled into the same enforcement net.