Brazil refers 16,627 betting sites for blocking

Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security has referred 16,627 betting websites for blocking under Provisional Measure No. 1.394/2026, while a separate balance-return process targets 14 October.

The referrals followed identification by the ministry's Cyber Operations Laboratory, Ciberlab, within the National Public Security Secretariat, working with the Ministry of Finance's Secretariat of Prizes and Betting. The notice records referrals and blocking requests; it does not confirm that every listed site has been blocked.

Referrals and identified digital content

The measure prohibits the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of betting in Brazil, according to the ministry notice. The notice identifies the websites as illegal but does not record an adjudicated finding of criminal liability against individual operators.

Ciberlab's work includes identifying illegal content, forwarding blocking requests and coordinating with institutions responsible for enforcement, including the Ministry of Finance and Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações, or Anatel. The notice says blocking and content-removal measures continue.

The ministry also recorded 20,318 pages, profiles, groups and servers on digital platforms, representing 18,942,182 users, members and followers. Those figures concern identified digital content and associated audiences; the notice does not describe them as confirmed users of the betting websites.

The reported content included 1,974 Facebook pages, 560 Instagram profiles, 1,027 Telegram groups, 14 WhatsApp groups, one Discord server and 115 TikTok profiles. The source gives associated audience figures for Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord and TikTok but does not establish that those audiences used the sites referred for blocking.

A 14 October reimbursement target

The ministry says betting companies were required to send financial institutions, by 7 October, each bettor's remaining balance, identified by CPF, together with the bank-account details used for deposits. It says the return process began on 9 October and that reimbursement by financial institutions is expected by 14 October.

The Ministry of Finance's SPA bulletin reports R$1.24 billion in balances to be returned to 26.3 million bettors who still held funds on the platforms. The notice does not set out a separate claim form, dispute route or remedy for failed transfers or mismatches in CPF and account data.

The ministry separately refers to the closure timetable for betting platforms that had authorisation to operate in Brazil. Those platforms were required to send the specified balance and account information to financial institutions by 7 October, while the Ciberlab referrals concern sites identified for blocking and content removal.

National Public Security Secretary Chico Lucas said the action would help reduce the financial and social effects associated with betting. "The inspection and removal of this content from the digital environment are important to contain the irregular offering and reduce the population's exposure to this type of activity," he said.

The ministry's identified next event is the 14 October reimbursement target. The notice supplies no separate date for completing the blocking referrals or remedying failed transfers.