More Online Betting Sites to be Blocked in Brazil

Brazilian authorities are cracking down on unauthorized online betting sites. An additional 1,443 sites that failed to meet the September 17th deadline to request operational status will be blocked, according to the Prizes and Betting Department of the Ministry of Finance.

The list of sites has been sent to Anatel, the Brazilian telecommunications agency. Anatel will then notify approximately 21,000 telecommunications companies, including operators and internet providers, across the country. The complete blocking process is expected to take several days.

This is the second “negative list” sent to Anatel. The first list, containing 2,027 sites, was sent on October 11th. Neither the Treasury nor Anatel has publicly released the detailed lists.

The Ministry of Finance published a list of authorized companies on October 1st. As of the most recent update on October 18th, the national list includes 219 betting platforms from 100 companies. Additionally, 26 companies are authorized to operate in specific states: five in Paraná, four in Maranhão, one in Minas Gerais, eight in Rio de Janeiro, and eight in Paraíba.

The Ministry of Finance states that the creation of the negative list of prohibited betting companies is a lengthy process. This delay is due to the department’s need to establish legal grounds for denying authorization to these sites.

Since its inception, the Prizes and Betting Department has issued regulations for the regulated market and for operations during the transition period, as mandated by law.

Only companies with official authorization will be permitted to operate in Brazil as of January 1st. The authorization requests are currently under review, and the final list of authorized companies is expected to be released at the end of December.