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Brazilian Federal Police investigates alleged illegal betting money laundering

Enforcement & compliance

Brazil’s Federal Police launched Operation Véu de Maia on 6 July to investigate alleged money laundering and foreign-exchange evasion linked to illegal sports betting. Investigators are examining 87 suspected companies and carried out nine search and seizure orders in five Brazilian cities.

The investigation extends enforcement beyond betting websites to suspected financial intermediaries and cross-border payment flows.

Earlier fines and penalties by SPA

DateCompanyAmountStoryAppeal status
Not namedNot statedBrazil finance ministry reports 47,000 illegal betting platforms taken downNot stated
Not namedNot statedTelegram betting channels continue promotions despite Brazil banNot stated
Not namedBRL 3,400,000,000Federal District police launch illegal betting operation after SPA referralsNot stated
Not namedBRL 3,483,000,000Federal District police launch Azzardo probe and secure up to R$3.483bn in blocksNot stated
BlazeBRL 5,000,000,000SPA flags money-laundering prevention failures in Blaze betting flowsNot stated

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Enforcement & compliance

Federal District police launch illegal betting operation after SPA referrals

Brazil’s Federal District Civil Police launched Operation Azzardo on 5 November, following communications from the Ministry of Finance’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting about five months earlier. The investigation led to the blocking of just over R$ 3.4 billion in an alleged illegal betting scheme; ANJL said a fintech had moved about R$ 1 billion for the group. The association cited the operation as evidence of the scale of Brazil’s illegal betting market.

On 5 November, the Federal District Civil Police in Brazil carried out Operation Azzardo, an action against an alleged illegal betting scheme. The operation against the scheme ended with the blocking of a little more than R$3.4bn, according to the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL). ANJL said the action was made possible by communications the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) of the Ministry of Finance sent to the Federal District Civil Police about five months earlier.

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