Telegram betting channels continue promotions despite Brazil ban
Enforcement & compliance3 min read
A media investigation found 87 domains offering betting and withdrawals across six Telegram channels, a month after Brazil’s provisional measure prohibited betting platforms. The channels had more than 43 mil subscriptions, and none of the domains ended in .bet.br; the Finance Ministry’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting said it had blocked more than 47 mil illegal sites since the measure was issued.
Betting channels on Telegram are still advertising games and referral bonuses in Brazil, a month after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a provisional measure banning betting platforms, Metrópoles reported. Its investigation found 87 distinct domains advertised in six channels with more than 43 mil subscriptions combined. None of the 87 domains had the ending that had identified federally authorised platforms before the ban.
More than 47 mil illegal sites in Brazil have been blocked since the provisional measure was issued, according to the Finance Ministry's Secretariat of Prizes and Betting. The federal government had sought the removal of 1,027 Telegram betting groups and channels on 9 October; together they had 18.4 million subscriptions.
Conversation records reportedly included offers of tigrinho games, promises of withdrawals without fees and repeated lists of alternative addresses. Participants in groups supporting former president Jair Bolsonaro said they had been added to betting channels they had never encountered before. One said they had been added to more than five channels in a single day. Two people in the channels examined said they had lost money betting on sites promoted through the app.
On 7 October, Zona de Jogo, which had closed after the ban, asked the Finance Ministry to block Zonapostas, a site using its name and visual identity without permission. The SPA said four sites linked to the domain cited in the complaint had been blocked, but did not confirm whether Zonapostas itself had been taken down.
The provisional measure requires apps and social networks to act against illegal advertising and remove prohibited content when notified. Banks and payment institutions are barred from processing transactions intended for betting. Those advertising illegal betting can be fined for abusive advertising. Apps and social networks that breach the measure face fines of up to 10% of their group's revenue in Brazil and temporary suspension for repeat offences.
The ban has been in force since September, but the Chamber and Senate must approve the provisional measure for it to become law. Congress has not established the joint committee of deputies and senators responsible for examining the text before votes. Lawmakers have up to 120 days to approve the measure. If the deadline passes without a vote, the measure will expire in early March 2027 and Lula will be unable to reissue it until the end of 2027.
The Associação Nacional de Jogos e Loterias has asked Brazil's Supreme Federal Court to suspend the measure and restore the rules that allowed authorised betting platforms to operate. Justice Luiz Fux heard representatives of the government, betting sector and football clubs on 4 November. The government defended the ban on grounds of harm to health and household finances. Sector representatives argued that the ban could push bettors towards illegal platforms.
In a separate case concerning a 1941 law prohibiting gambling operations, Fux voted to uphold the prohibition. Proceedings paused in August after Justice Flávio Dino asked for more time to examine the case. On 5 November, Dino indicated he was ready to return the case and proposed joining the discussions on gambling and betting. Supreme Federal Court president Edson Fachin indicated that the cases could be heard together, but no date has been set.