Brazil’s Justice Ministry blocks 43 Telegram betting channels with 212,634 members

Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security ordered the blocking of a Telegram network used to promote online betting, after the Cyber Operations Laboratory (Ciberlab) identified 43 active channels and groups with 212,634 members in total. For PSPs and operators, the point is simple: Brazil is not only tightening the rules on betting sites, it is also going after the distribution layer that drives traffic to them.

1. The action was taken on Sunday, 27/9, and was reported by Estadão. The blocked network consisted of Telegram groups and channels dedicated to promoting online betting.
2. Ciberlab identified the largest channel in the network with 42,791 members. It distributed signals for casino games. Another group, with 28,601 members, focused on Fortune Tiger, the game widely known in Brazil as “Jogo do Tigrinho.”
3. Investigators also found a channel linked to a platform without the “.bet.br” domain, meaning it was not regulated, that promoted games and commission for referrals. That detail matters because the issue is not just advertising; it is also traffic generation for unlicensed funnels.
4. Inside the blocked groups, users were sharing tips, “signals,” “paying hours,” and supposed casino strategies, along with links to register on betting platforms. The channels also pushed promises of returns such as “260% monthly profit,” betting robots, and claims of high hit rates.
5. The Telegram takedown came in the same weekend as a joint action by two federal ministries that removed 506 websites with signs of irregular betting offers. The broader policy direction is clear: enforcement is extending beyond the operators themselves to the channels that feed them.

The timing matters. On Friday, 25/9, the federal government formalized the end of betting operations in Brazil, with sites and apps required to go offline by 6 October 2026. The crackdown on Telegram groups was not presented as a byproduct of that measure, though the new legal environment is expected to make this kind of action more frequent.