A joint task force led by Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Ministry of Finance has taken down 506 websites suspected of operating unauthorized online betting services. The administrative enforcement follows a provisional measure (MP) signed on Friday (25) by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, which enacted a nationwide ban on fixed-odds betting operations and advertising.
Cyber monitoring and masked ads
According to an assessment by the Cyber Operations Laboratory (Ciberlab), a unit under the National Secretariat of Public Security, active advertising campaigns continued across major digital platforms and social networks after the executive order was published. Investigators noted that several advertisements were created and distributed after the ban officially took effect.
In a joint statement, both ministries reported evidence of evasion techniques, including page names that differed from displayed betting brands and masked domain links. Authorities indicated that these methods point to suspected efforts to conceal the true identities of advertisers and the ultimate destination of online traffic.
"The objective is to cut off access to platforms operating without authorization and prevent new domains from being used to offer betting services to the Brazilian public," the ministries stated.
Regulatory timeline and big tech summons
The presidential measure established a phased timeline. New monetary deposits into betting accounts were barred immediately upon the rule's publication on September 25. Operators have until 11:59 p.m. on October 5 to keep systems accessible solely for users to withdraw their deposited funds and to take down pre-existing promotional campaigns.
Because most commercial ad networks do not disclose the exact initial launch date of online ads to external monitors, the federal government plans to hold a technical meeting with major tech companies. The agenda will demand automated blocking of new gambling promotions, strict compliance with the takedown deadline, monitoring of affiliate and influencer sponsorships, and the preservation of ad purchaser records for potential legal action.
The next procedural phase begins on October 6, when federal authorities, alongside the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) and the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), will launch a coordinated technical sweep to block all remaining unauthorized betting platforms nationwide.