Brazilian police launch operation against illegal betting network involving R$1bn
Enforcement & compliance1 min read
Brazil’s Federal District Civil Police launched Operation Azzardo on 5 November to investigate an alleged illegal betting and money-laundering scheme involving about R$1bn. Authorities are seeking to block accounts and financial assets linked to 64 individuals and 120 companies, up to a combined R$3.483bn. A sector lawyer said data funded by the regulated market helped inform the operation and argued that ending regulated betting could make enforcement harder.
The Federal District Civil Police (PCDF) launched Operation Azzardo on Thursday against a scheme that moved about R$1bn through illegal betting. The investigation points to Pix transfers from bettors to front companies for digital games.
The operation includes blocking the accounts and financial assets of 64 individuals and 120 companies, up to an overall limit of R$3.483bn. About 200 civil police officers from the PCDF and the civil police forces of São Paulo, Goiás, Paraná, Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte are taking part. In the Federal District, 24 search and seizure warrants are being served in different regions. In the city of São Paulo, teams are serving warrants in areas including Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima.
Freire argued that removing the regulated option does not remove bettors, who he said would play on clandestine platforms instead. He also said hundreds of clandestine betting sites are available on Instagram and that credit cards can be used on them, which he noted was prohibited in the legal market.