ANJL data shows 41,716 suspicious betting sites after Brazil online gambling ban

Brazil recorded 41,716 suspicious gambling websites as of 8 October, according to monitoring data from the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL). The LegitBet monitoring system identified 30,593 sites matching monitored characteristics, and found 79 further suspicious sites on 8 October alone, of which 55 were confirmed. The report distinguishes suspicious activity from legally established violations.

Between 2 and 7 October, between 70 and 233 new domains were detected each day. Since 5 October, the monitoring data has covered only websites aimed at Brazilian users, excluding domains already on the blocklist of telecommunications regulator Anatel and sites operated by authorised companies; the reported totals may therefore not capture the full extent of unauthorised activity.

Search engines accounted for 32% of website detections on 8 October, existing databases for 30% and networks of already monitored websites for 18%. Telegram channels generated 13% of detections, followed by social media platforms including Kwai, Instagram, Reddit and Snapchat with 8%. Of the websites identified via Telegram, 90% were confirmed as suspicious.

The newly confirmed websites showed recurring features. Of the 55 domains confirmed on 8 October, 82% contained numbers in their names, including a group of 13 addresses with the same name but different number combinations. The .com extension accounted for 43.6% of these websites, followed by .vip with 12.7% and .bet with 7.3%; other extensions included .org, .cc, .co, .net and .top. The sites advertised "gambling", payments through the Brazilian instant payment system PIX, registration by mobile phone only, daily bonuses and referral rewards. One website offered rewards of up to R$1m.

The spread of suspicious links rose sharply. Between 8 and 23 September, an average of 77 such links per day were distributed through monitored channels. After the provisional measure banning sports betting took effect on 25 September, that average rose to 549 links per day between 1 and 7 October, about seven times the previous level. The number of links reached 948 on 7 October, a day after authorised betting operators took their websites and applications offline, before falling to 733 on 8 October.

The findings were published amid differing assessments of the economic impact of the ban. In an interview with O Globo on 14 October, Guilherme Mello, executive secretary of the Planning Ministry, questioned whether a betting ban would necessarily reduce economic activity and suggested consumers could spend elsewhere. "It is a change of money," Mello said. Finance Minister Robinson Barreirinhas made a similar comment in an interview with the newspaper on 8 October, according to the report.

The report, dated 9 October and published by ANJL, follows a period in which unauthorised providers already accounted for more than 40% of betting activity despite 22 months of regulation, according to the source.