On Thursday, the administration of Brazilian President Lula da SIlva confirmed a request to block 5,209 illegal betting websites and over 2,000 social media profiles, as part of measures implemented following the presidential decree that banned this activity last Friday.
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Representatives from the Ministry of Justice and the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) presented an update on measures taken by the committee established on Monday to curb the proliferation of new illegal betting sites. “We will target every link in that chain in a progressive and continuous manner,” stated Justice Minister Wellington Lima.
According to authorities, the ban decreed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has simplified the tracking of financial flows and illegal advertising, given that all betting is now illegal within the national territory. Anatel notified telephone carriers and social media platforms, with agency director Octavio Penna instructing that the web addresses be taken offline.
Regulatory bodies report additional efforts to curb unusual financial activity at financial institutions. National Public Security Secretary Chico Lucas noted that the same institutions receiving betting-related funds also handle proceeds from various other illicit activities, such as arms and drug trafficking.
⚡️ “OS CLUBES QUE SE VIREM”, diz Lula após medida proibindo bets
Durante cerimônia de sanção de lei para fortalecer o futebol feminino no Brasil nesta segunda-feira (28), o presidente classificou as plataformas de aposta como “uma máquina de matar o povo pobre”. pic.twitter.com/dBaften8VV
— RT Brasil (@rtnoticias_br) September 28, 2026
Lucas highlighted that, according to Central Bank data, financial transactions via Pix—Brazil’s electronic payment system—dropped by nearly 10% starting Saturday. The secretary stated that the betting ban was the only significant event during this period, suggesting a direct link to the reduction in transactions.
Platforms linked to betting associations in Brazil, such as Bet Legal, claim that more than 500 illegal betting sites have been launched since Friday. Although the data has not been officially challenged, Chico Lucas notes that consumers previously struggled to distinguish between legal and illegal operators, whereas now “everything is clearer, as they are all banned.”
President Lula, a candidate for re-election, is banking on the measure’s popularity as an electoral asset. According to a Quaest poll released this Monday, 62% of Brazilians support the ban on sports betting and online casinos.
Online betting operators, which were legal prior to the measure, are challenging the decision and considering taking the case to the Brazilian Supreme Court. Under the terms of the provisional measure, companies have until October 5 to return funds deposited by bettors.
Brazilian authorities arrested 28 Bolivian nationals carrying more than 2,500 cocaine capsules inside their bodies, in what police described as the largest seizure of drug couriers of its kind in the history of Mato Grosso do Sul.
The arrests occurred along the BR-262 highway… pic.twitter.com/sNqOu995gX
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) September 28, 2026
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