Brazilian Deputy Julio Lopes has labelled the lack of official data on the size of the illegal gambling market as “absurd.”
During the latest meeting of the commission created to discuss piracy and organized crime in Brazil the deputy criticized the disparity between numbers presented by the government and those from sector representatives regarding the legality of the online betting market in the country.
The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies created the commission to discuss piracy and organized crime in Brazil in March.
While Leandro Lucchesi, the General Regulation Coordinator of SPA (Prize and Betting Secretariat) of the Ministry of Finance, cited estimates that up to 70% of bets could already be in the legal market, industry associations pointed out that piracy still dominates about half of the market.
Julio Lopes called the lack of precise government data “absurd.”
“I honestly think it is absurd that there is such a large discrepancy between the government’s view and yours regarding illegality. It would be important for you to come together so that we have a data point closer to reality,” the deputy said.
Lopes added that the difference represents billions of reais and it is “unbelievable” that the exact size of the problem is not known in a market as professionalized as Brazil’s.
As reported in the Chamber of Deputies News Agency in response, Leandro Lucchesi clarified that the secretary does not officially validate the numbers cited, which come from private consultancies.
“SPA, in fact, does not endorse any of these indicators,” he declared. “SPA is entering into a technical cooperation agreement with Ipea [Institute of Applied Economic Research] to obtain this indicator, among others,” Lucchesi explained.
He said the work plan should be formalized still in 2026.
Executive Director of the Laboratory of Human Rights and New Technologies (LabSul), Letícia Ferraz, presented data on economic losses. According to her, while the legal market grossed R$ 37 billion in 2025 and generated R$ 9.9 billion in tax revenues linked to public policies, the illegal market moves between R$ 26 billion and R$ 40 billion annually.
“We are losing between R$ 7 billion and R$ 10 billion annually that could be transformed into public policies,” she emphasized.
As suggestions to combat the issue, the director advocated for a competitive environment with fair taxation, approval of the legal framework to combat the illegal market (PL 4044/25), the creation of a distinctive seal for legal operators, and greater involvement of the Central Bank and the Council for Financial Activities Control (Coaf) in monitoring the financial system.
PIX Member of the Advisory Council of the International Gaming Association (Aigaming), Ana Bárbara Teixeira also reinforced the need to control access of pirate platforms to the payment system.
“The part we’re having the most trouble with today is the financial system; it’s how illegal bets manage to access Pix,” she noted. She suggested that regulated betting houses be given access to the Central Bank’s fraudster list to improve money-laundering prevention.
The president of the Brazilian Association of Games and Lotteries (Abrajogo), Witoldo Hendrich Júnior, highlighted the need for legal certainty. In his view, the excessive proposals to raise taxes or restrict advertising hide investors and push bettors toward illegality.
“Excess is pushing players, and ultimately society, into piracy,” he warned.
Meanwhile Gianluca Fiorentini, Compliance Manager at the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), detailed the technical difficulties in blocking sites. He explained that the agency acts only to execute orders from SPA and that Anatel’s role is limited.
“Anatel does not have factual-legal means to remove content on its own. It does not have the authority for that.”
Among the challenges listed by him and by Witoldo Júnior are the use of technologies that mask user location and the dynamism of pirate domains, which change the digital address within minutes to bypass blocks.
The post Lack of government data on illegal gambling market in Brazil “absurd” says lawmaker appeared first on G3 Newswire.
Brazilian Deputy Julio Lopes has labelled the lack of official data on the size of the illegal gambling market as “absurd.” During the latest meeting of the commission created to discuss piracy and organized crime in Brazil the deputy criticized the disparity between numbers presented by the government and those from sector representatives regarding the legality…
The post Lack of government data on illegal gambling market in Brazil “absurd” says lawmaker appeared first on G3 Newswire.