The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) has flagged 60,477 suspected illegal betting sites targeting Brazilians since the federal ban on fixed-odds betting took licensed operators offline, according to its LegitBet monitoring data up to 27 October.
LegitBet confirmed that 34,134 of those addresses were actively signing up players, with bonus offers, registration forms and deposits through Brazil’s instant payment system Pix, according to the IBJR.
Brazil illegal betting sites since the ban
Provisional Measure (MP) 1.394/2026, published on 25 September, bans the operation, advertising and intermediation of sports betting and online games in Brazil, including by companies based abroad. Under the Ministry of Finance timeline, every licensed site and app had to go offline from 6 October.
On 27 October alone, LegitBet logged 436 new suspicious addresses and confirmed activity on 231 of them, the IBJR said. It also tracked 374 irregular links spread through social networks, Telegram channels and newly registered domains.
The IBJR, whose board includes executives from bet365, Betano, BetMGM and Flutter, opposes the MP and backs the “Proibir não é proteger” manifesto shown at Brasileirão matches. In May it warned that a betting ban would feed the illegal market.
Cloned brands
Licensed operators have reported fake pages copying the names and visual identity of Betano, Novibet, bet365 and BetMGM to push users towards unauthorised sites. In the BetMGM case, pages using the brand promised first-deposit bonuses of up to 500%, the IBJR said.
We are facing scams that exploit consumer trust in well-known brands. Illegal betting sites continue to advertise on social media, such as Instagram, and spread these scams through messaging apps, leading the public to pages that offer no guarantee of security.
Carlos Lima, Executive President, Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) (translated from Portuguese)
Lima, the IBJR’s executive president, said the shutdown of licensed platforms had left players with fewer ways to tell a real operator from a copy.
With the regulated platforms offline, it has become more difficult for consumers to distinguish a genuine channel from an imitation. The ban has driven away the regulated companies, but it has not prevented the circulation of these offers that harm society.
Carlos Lima, Executive President, IBJR (translated from Portuguese)
The IBJR called on public authorities to investigate those responsible, take down fraudulent ads and websites, and cut the payment flows behind the illegal sites.
Next steps
Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Luiz Fux has set a hearing on the ban for 3 November, and the government is targeting a 20 December vote in Congress on the MP.
Source: Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR)
