Brazil’s federal government said it would reinforce the fight against illegal gambling, including measures aimed at financially squeezing illegal platforms and ensuring accountability for people that structure operations outside the legislation.
According to iGaming Brazil, the announcement also pointed to holding agents responsible, not only the operators.
Hebara CEO Amilton Noble, an advisory partner at Betshield, said the moves had been awaited by the licensed betting market for more than a year and a half.
He added that “The fight against illegal operations must be relentless,” and said the difference was between those who “chose to follow the rules and comply with the laws.”
Noble said those who had supported the illegal market “need to be held accountable,” and he called on “bad professionals” and “unresponsible companies” to face consequences.
iGaming Brazil said the measures referenced an “MF Ordinance No. 1,766” that provides for tax liability of financial and payment institutions that process transactions for irregular operators.
In response to the question about MF Ordinance No. 1,766, Noble called it “a fundamental step.”
The same iGaming Brazil report also highlighted liability for individuals and legal entities that promote unauthorized brands.
Noble said, “Now whoever benefits from the illegal act will pay the tax bill and may have the resources confiscated.”
Noble described the government action as welcome, but warned that authorities would need to demonstrate concrete results.
“We will quickly know if they will be enough to reduce the impacts of illegal gambling,” he said.
Separate reporting covered how, earlier in the year, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized the licensed betting sector and said participants in a debt-renegotiation program would be prevented for a year from accessing online betting platforms.
For legal fixed-odds betting, Brazil’s own regulator information stated that Law 13.756/2018 legalized fixed-odds sports betting, and that the Ministry of Finance gained competence to regulate the sector after Law 14.790/2023, including the creation of SPA-MF in 2024 and publication of more than ten ordinances in 2024.
That same regulatory material said the rules include anti–money laundering identification requirements, prohibitions on depositing cash or boleto, and a maximum of 120 minutes for withdrawals after a request.
A São Paulo State Court of Accounts (TCE-SP) decision document that names Hebara listed Amilton Ricardo Almeida Noble as director-president of Hebara Distribuidora de Produtos Lotéricos S.A.
Citations in this report reflect those sources’ descriptions of the measures and the licensing framework, rather than implying any specific linkage between separate initiatives beyond what those sources themselves stated.
