Brazil's regulator ramps up crackdown on unlicensed operators
SPA and national telecoms body sign agreement to fast-track removal of illegal betting sites ahead of January's regulated market launch
Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) and national telecommunications agency Anatel have agreed to help speed up the process of removing unlicensed operators from the market.
A technical cooperation agreement (ACT) signed between the two bodies will look to expedite the blocking of websites still illegally offering betting services.
The agreement aims to improve communication between Anatel and the SPA, while reducing operating costs and strengthening oversight in the sector.
The SPA, which is housed within the Ministry of Finance, is responsible for identifying the illegal websites before flagging them to Anatel.
In turn, the telecoms agency will carry out the technical process of removing the domains with the help of internet service providers.
After receiving confirmation of the sites that need blocking, Anatel analyses the account access that the domain has, as well as its connectivity infrastructure, to ensure a more effective blocking process.
It then informs the SPA when the blocking process has been completed, signalling an end to the communication cycle between the two parties.
Since the Ministry of Finance finalised, in October, its list of approved operators ahead of Brazil’s regulated market going live next month, Anatel set about removing unlicensed companies from the market.
More than 5,200 illegal domains have been removed after the crackdown began on 11 October.
Operators that had applied for a licence were allowed to remain in the market while the government full analysed licence submissions. At the time of writing, 101 companies are on the approved operator list.
The Ministry of Finance reiterated that any unauthorised operators are “disregarding the legal regulations proposed by the federal government for the sector and exposing consumers to financial risks”.
From 1 January, Brazil-facing operators will be required to include “.bet.br” in their domains, allowing users to easily identify them as trusted betting platforms.
SPA secretary general Regis Dudena said: “Anatel has already been a very important partner, since we intensified the fight against illegality.
“Now, with the ACT, this relationship will be even more fluid and efficient, which is a gain for the country in the challenge of ridding the betting sector of the presence of opportunistic and malicious groups.”
Anatel president Carlos Baigorri added: “The agreement will allow for an agile flow for processing the blockings. We know that it is a challenging task to prevent Brazilians from accessing illegal gambling sites and, precisely for this reason, cooperation is essential so that the blockings are carried out in the shortest possible time by telecommunications service providers.
“We have the duty, as a state body, to combat illicit practices that cause competitive imbalances and disrespect our legislation.”
Earlier this week, the Brazilian government revealed a 16-person working group from across four departments that will work together to provide a report into how best reduce gambling-related harms in the regulated market.