Three settle with Rio Grande do Norte prosecutors over illegal betting scheme

Three people under investigation in Operation Conto da Sorte agreed on 15 October to pay R$200,000 and to forfeit a further R$1.2m, a total of R$1.4m, under an agreement with the Rio Grande do Norte prosecutor's office, according to a notice from the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting of the Ministry of Finance (SPA/MF). The three admitted involvement in the facts under investigation in the operation, the SPA said.

Operation Conto da Sorte was launched in June this year by the Federal Revenue Service in partnership with the public prosecutor's offices of Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte, and originated from a technical analysis by the SPA/MF. It investigates a group suspected of illegally exploiting gambling, using among other mechanisms the Lotseridó lottery created by the municipality of Bodó, in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte. Investigators also identified the use of shell companies and digital tools to direct users to illegal betting platforms.

According to the investigations, the group accessed systems of public bodies and inserted codes into pages with ".gov.br" and ".edu.br" domains to direct users to illegal betting sites, drawing on the credibility of those pages to give the clandestine platforms an appearance of legitimacy. To move money and conceal those responsible, the suspects used shell companies registered in the names of third parties, including low-income people, social programme beneficiaries and relatives of the organisers, while the leaders kept control of bank accounts through powers of attorney. The companies operated at non-existent addresses, empty commercial rooms or virtual offices, and the group continued to move funds and operate after the registrations were closed at the Federal Revenue Service.

The Rio Grande do Norte prosecutor's office said 21 companies were identified as registered at the same fictitious address in the municipality of Bodó. The agreement also required companies linked to the group to demonstrate within 180 days that they had implemented an integrity programme, known as compliance. Investigations continue in relation to the other people involved.