Category: Betting

More than 25 million Brazilians are actively using illegal betting platforms, a figure the Ministry of Justice revealed this week that exposed the sheer scale of the crisis. Now the federal government is taking its boldest steps yet, targeting the money itself rather than just the websites.

A Number That Shocked the Nation

The figure came directly from Minister of Justice and Public Security Wellington César Lima. Around 25.2 million Brazilians are currently using irregular betting platforms.

That is roughly 12% of Brazil’s entire population placing bets on platforms operating completely outside the law.

Brazil’s regulated betting market launched on January 1, 2025. In its first full year, 79 licensed companies reported that 25.2 million people placed bets through their platforms. The illegal market running alongside it is estimated to account for between 41% and 51% of all betting activity in the country.

• Illegal market annual revenue: BRL 26 billion to BRL 40 billion
• Estimated tax losses per year: up to BRL 10 billion
• Illegal websites blocked since 2025: nearly 50,000 domains
• Operators flagged for investigation: approximately 350 companies

In the United Kingdom, a global benchmark for betting regulation, the illegal market share sits at around just 3%. Brazil’s figure of up to 51% shows exactly how deep the problem runs.

Lula Signs Decree to Freeze Illegal Betting Funds

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Decree No. 13,033 on June 19, 2026. It gives authorities the direct power to freeze financial accounts held by unlicensed betting operators.

This is a fundamental shift in strategy. Instead of chasing illegal websites that reappear under new domains overnight, the government is now cutting off the money itself.

Once the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) identifies an illegal operator, banks and payment processors must freeze all linked accounts within 24 hours. Financial institutions then have 48 hours to confirm in writing that they have complied with the order.

Funds confirmed as proceeds from illegal betting operations are directed to the National Public Security Fund, which the government will use to fight organized crime directly.

The announcement landed just one day after authorities launched Operation “Conto da Sorte” (Lucky Ticket), a nationwide action targeting a network of illegal betting operators. Minister César Lima called the decree “a major step against illegal betting.” Finance Minister Dario Durigan said the ordinance gives the government “even more means to combat the illegal market,” while warning that the new decree would impose strict restrictions on transactions linked to clandestine betting.

Banks and Fintechs Are Now in the Firing Line

The government did not stop at the betting operators themselves.

Ordinance No. 1,766/2026, published alongside the decree, introduces joint tax liability for financial institutions, payment service providers and advertisers that continue supporting unlicensed betting platforms after receiving official government notice.

Banks that keep processing transactions for an illegal operator, even after a formal warning, can now be held directly responsible for that operator’s unpaid taxes.

The government has already flagged 37 financial firms, mostly fintechs and payment companies, as channels moving funds tied to illegal betting. This approach marks a clear change in philosophy. Officials have acknowledged that website blocking alone is not enough, since operators frequently reappear under new domains. Targeting the financial pipeline is designed to make it structurally impossible for illegal platforms to collect deposits and pay out winnings.

Advertisers and social media promoters pushing unlicensed platforms face enforcement action too, and authorities can act without prior warning under the new framework, closing any window for operators to restructure before penalties land.

Why Millions of Bettors Cannot Tell Legal From Illegal

Enforcement alone cannot solve this. Consumer awareness is a parallel crisis running just as deep.

A survey by the Locomotiva Institute, conducted with 2,000 bettors in 2025, found that 78% of bettors in Brazil have difficulty identifying whether the platform they are using is legal or not.

Sixty-one percent of respondents admitted to placing bets on irregular platforms. Nearly half said they had already deposited money into a platform later confirmed as fake or unauthorized.

Illegal platforms are designed to look completely professional. They carry polished branding, advertise through influencers across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, and process payments without friction. The line between a licensed site and a clandestine one is almost invisible to the average bettor.

One key signal bettors can use: authorized platforms in Brazil are required to operate under the “.bet.br” domain. Any site operating under a different domain structure has not been licensed by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting.

ANJL Backs the Push but Warns the Battle Is Far From Over

The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) publicly backed the new government measures, calling the decree an important step in weakening the underground market and improving consumer protection.

ANJL President Plínio Lemos Jorge said the data released by the government fully justifies stronger inspection and monitoring. He pointed to the cooperation agreement between ANJL, the SPA and the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) as the foundation for the intelligence work behind these latest announcements, including a joint monitoring laboratory focused on tracking and analyzing the betting market in real time.

“Combating the illegal betting market is a permanent challenge. The clandestine industry operates with a high degree of technological sophistication and adapts very quickly, which prevents any definitive assessment of the sufficiency of the measures adopted. What works today may no longer be effective tomorrow.”

— Plínio Lemos Jorge, President of ANJL

His warning is direct: no single decree will win this fight. The illegal market adapts, rebuilds and finds new payment routes as fast as enforcement closes old ones. The association described the confrontation as permanent, coordinated and dynamic rather than a one-time push.

Despite the challenges, Brazil’s legal betting market is delivering real results. The Federal Revenue Service collected BRL 9.95 billion in taxes from licensed operators across 2025. Between January and April 2026 alone, that number reached BRL 4.586 billion, nearly double the same period in 2025. Brazil is now the fifth-largest betting market in the world, sitting behind only the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia and Italy.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup currently driving record betting volumes across the country, the stakes have never been higher. Analysts estimate Brazil could see around BRL 19 billion in World Cup betting activity alone. For the regulated sector, that is both a massive opportunity and the biggest stress test the market has faced since launching just 18 months ago.

Brazil now has the laws, the decrees and the financial enforcement tools to go after illegal betting at a level it never has before. The challenge is whether authorities can maintain that pressure long enough to push millions of bettors toward safe, licensed platforms and permanently choke the clandestine industry out of oxygen. With 25 million people still gambling in the shadows, the work is far from done, and the people who will feel the difference most are ordinary Brazilians who deserve to bet on platforms that actually protect them. What do you think? Can Brazil’s latest crackdown finally bring the illegal betting market under control? Drop your opinion in the comments below.

One of the hottest weeks in global sports betting just wrapped up in Fort Lauderdale. Altenar arrived at SBC Summit Americas 2026 not just as a sponsor but as a company with active deals on the table and a sharp strategy for the U.S. and Latin American markets. Yogonet sat down with Senior Sales Manager Frederico Caputi to find out what the company is chasing, what operators keep getting wrong, and why the 2026 World Cup is changing everything.

Deals, Partnerships, and What Drove Altenar to Fort Lauderdale

Caputi did not arrive at the Broward County Convention Center looking to make small talk. “Our main priority at SBC Americas is very commercial and very practical: strengthening partnerships and accelerating deals already in motion across the U.S. and LatAm,” he said plainly.

That commercial intent shaped every conversation Altenar had on the show floor. Three core topics drove the company’s agenda throughout the event:

• Modular sportsbook architecture – Operators are no longer looking for heavy, all-in-one platforms. They want flexible, API-driven components they can control, customize, and swap in or out without rebuilding the entire system.
• Speed to market in regulated environments – Especially in Brazil and emerging U.S. states, getting to market first is a genuine competitive advantage. Timing separates winners from late arrivals.
• Operational efficiency – Margin optimization, risk management, and automation are pressing concerns as tighter regulatory and tax frameworks squeeze traditional revenue models.

Altenar’s C-level executives, account managers, and Caputi himself were all present. Caputi took part in a panel discussion on June 10 at the Latin America Regulation and Compliance Stage, addressing the very challenges operators across the region are trying to navigate in real time.

The summit also delivered a significant recognition for the company. Altenar took home Sportsbook Supplier of the Year at the SBC Awards Americas 2026, adding to a run of industry recognition that included Best Online Sportsbook Provider at the SiGMA South America Awards 2026, following its Sportsbook Supplier of the Year win at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024. For a company pushing hard into the Americas, the back-to-back recognition carries real weight.

The Localization Mistakes Operators Keep Making

Walk into any industry room in Latin America and the same problem comes up. A well-funded international brand arrives with a product built for European or North American bettors, drops it into a new market with a language change, and wonders why the numbers don’t move.

Caputi has watched this pattern play out and built Altenar’s regional approach around avoiding it. “Our focus is on giving local operators the tools and flexibility to compete with well-funded international brands,” he said. That means localizing across sports content, user experience, and risk management tools, not just language and currency.

The stakes in Brazil make this lesson expensive to ignore. Before regulation, users were transferring around R$33 billion ($6.6 billion) to international betting sites annually. Once the legal market launched, the industry generated roughly R$37 billion ($7.4 billion) in gross gaming revenue in year one alone. That is a market that rewards operators who understand it and punishes those who treat it as a smaller version of somewhere else.

Regulatory complexity adds another dimension. Brazil boasts mobile internet penetration reaching 86.2% in 2026, encompassing over 161 million active online users, but serving those users comes with strict rules. All transactions must flow through approved local payment methods. Crypto transactions are hugely popular in Brazil due to national currency fluctuations, and many operators are tempted to enable them. But that is a severe mistake. Crypto payments in betting are strictly prohibited by law.

Countries such as Peru, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico continue to offer strong opportunities, while others are moving closer to formal regulation, Caputi noted, pointing to a region where the direction of travel is consistent even if the pace differs market by market.

Offices and support teams in Brazil and Uruguay ensure a local service when it comes to risk management, trading and business support. That kind of grounded presence is what Caputi argues separates real localization from a strategy document nobody local has read.

Player Props, In-Play Betting, and What Bettors Want Now

The betting product that players expect in 2026 looks very different from what satisfied them even three years ago.

In the U.S. market, player props have become one of the main drivers of engagement. Player props have become one of the main drivers of engagement in the US, and this is closely linked to the long-standing popularity of fantasy sports. Bettors are already conditioned to think about individual player performance, and they now expect to combine those selections into same-game parlays. Altenar argues that sportsbooks can provide additional engagement, retention, and cross-sell opportunities, particularly through features such as player props, same-game parlays, and micro-betting markets designed to drive player activity.

In-play betting is growing just as fast. Players are no longer satisfied waiting for the final whistle. Players are increasingly craving an immediate outcome when placing a bet, rather than waiting until the end of the match. This type of betting is becoming increasingly popular, so Altenar is developing in-play sportsbook products which use relevant and accurate data in real-time to cater to the needs of the modern player.

Micro-markets complete the picture. Demand is shifting from final scores to “next event” and player props. This requires faster pricing and automated trading tools.

“Our goal is to give operators the tools they need not just to manage their sportsbook, but to truly understand and shape its performance. By leveraging predictive insights and advanced automation, we help partners reduce costs, mitigate risk, and unlock new opportunities for long-term revenue growth,” Caputi said.

World Cup 2026 Is the Biggest Sportsbook Stress Test Ever

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is already underway across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and no sportsbook operator has seen anything quite like the pressure it is generating.

FIFA expects the 2026 tournament to reach over six billion viewers, making it the most-watched sporting event in history. With the expansion to 48 teams and 104 matches, platforms will face sustained, high-intensity pressure over a longer period. Approximately 60% of fans plan to bet, including a massive wave of first-time users who expect instant, frictionless service.

The regional picture splits in interesting ways. In LatAm, operators see strong home-nation support and country-driven betting interest. In the U.S., operators are treating soccer as a priority far earlier than usual. Historically a tier-two betting sport, it is now seeing real investment in market depth well ahead of kickoff, driven largely by player props.

Altenar has spent months positioning itself for this moment. The company strengthened its LatAm presence by integrating with a leading iGaming platform ecosystem ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The partnership with Atlaslive specifically targeted reduced implementation timelines so operators could get live quickly. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, demand for scalable and reliable sportsbook technology is expected to increase significantly. The integration positions operators to capitalise on one of the highest-volume periods in the sports betting calendar with reduced implementation timelines and a proven sportsbook solution designed to perform under peak demand.

Altenar’s Head of Sportsbook Product has described the internal preparation as centered on scalability, resilience, and user experience under extreme traffic. A World Cup stress-tests every part of a sportsbook. When a goal is scored in a knockout match, millions of bettors hit in-play markets instantly, and if data lags or the odds engine cannot reprice fast enough, operators lose margin or customers.

With 38 U.S. states now offering legal betting and favorable time zones, engagement will be continuous throughout the tournament. There is nowhere to hide when the entire planet is watching.

From the show floor in Fort Lauderdale to the pitches in Dallas and Los Angeles, every thread in sports betting right now runs back to the same truth: operators who move fast, localize properly, and build platforms that hold up under pressure will capture this moment. Those who do not will watch the window close. Altenar’s regional push, backed by fresh industry recognition and a growing list of LatAm partnerships, puts the company squarely in the race at a time when the Americas market is changing faster than anyone predicted. The World Cup will tell us who really built for this era. What do you think the biggest opportunity is right now for sportsbook operators in the Americas? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

One of the world’s biggest online betting platforms is making a bold move in Africa. 1xBet has confirmed its place at Nigeria’s Responsible Gaming Symposium on June 11, 2026, an event that could define how player protection works across the continent. With 60 million Nigerians placing bets every single day and a market worth billions, the question of who protects the players has never been this urgent.

A Symposium That Means Serious Business

Now in its second edition, the Symposium brings together state regulators, operators, public health specialists, mental health practitioners, gaming agents, affiliates and researchers to advance evidence-based player protection across African markets.

The Responsible Gaming Symposium takes place at D’Podium International Event Centre in Ikeja, the capital city of Lagos State, on Thursday June 11. The event is organised by Nigerian non-profit Gamble Alert.

The Symposium is expected to bring together around 1,000 participants, with sessions combining keynote remarks, plenary panels, technical research presentations and breakout workshops.

This is not just a talking shop. The programme is built around four concrete pillars designed to produce real-world outcomes.

• Regulatory frameworks suited to local conditions
• Safety by design in product development
• Clinical responses to gambling harm
• The alignment of operator profitability with long-term player wellbeing

Gamble Alert is a non-profit organization committed to providing responsible gaming services, including awareness and sensitization programs, training programs, problem gambling treatment, and research for evidence-based interventions. The organization consists of professionals and advocates passionate about the prevention, treatment, and recovery of individuals, as well as supporting affected families and communities.

What 1xBet Brings to the Table

1xBet’s attendance forms part of a wider commitment to responsible gambling engagement, combining participation in policy discussions with continued support for independent research.

The operator has continued its involvement in the SBC Player Protection Index, a four-report research series. The series examines how operator practice, regulation and consumer outcomes interact across selected regulated markets, and is intended to provide regulators and industry with a shared evidentiary base for setting protection standards.

Simon Westbury, Strategic Advisor to 1xBet, was direct about why Africa needs its own approach. “Responsible gaming in Africa cannot simply be transplanted from European templates. The mobile-first nature of the market, the role of agents and affiliates, and the specific clinical and community context all require evidence drawn from the market itself. The Lagos Symposium is one of the few venues where regulators, clinicians, researchers and operators have that conversation in the same room.”

Gamble Alert’s CEO made clear what operator presence actually means in practice. Fisayo Oke added: “Operator engagement at this level moves the conversation from intent to delivery. We are pleased to have 1xBet at the table as we work to set practical standards for safer gambling in Nigeria and across the wider continent.”

“Responsible gaming in Africa cannot simply be transplanted from European templates.” – Simon Westbury, Strategic Advisor, 1xBet

Nigeria’s Gambling Boom and the Cost Behind It

The Nigerian gambling market is the largest and fastest-growing in Africa, driven by a population of over 220 million people, high smartphone penetration, and a deep-seated interest in sports betting. As of the end of 2025, the market’s Gross Gaming Revenue is estimated at $3.63 billion, representing a 24% annualized increase since 2020.

The market is fueled by smartphone penetration, with over 90% of bets occurring via mobile platforms. Sports betting accounts for 75% of wagers, with the English Premier League and local leagues dominating user interest.

But the growth hides a serious human cost.

The rapid growth of the market has raised serious public health concerns, with problem gambling rates estimated between 1% and 8% nationally. In some youth samples, problem gambling has been reported as high as 38.3%, leading to calls for a comprehensive National Gambling Harm Reduction Strategy.

Economic pressures and high youth unemployment encourage some players, particularly students and young adults, to view sports betting as an alternative income strategy, despite evidence that most lose more than they win.

Nigeria currently has no specialist treatment centres for problem gamblers, leaving thousands without proper clinical support. Cases are typically managed through general substance use facilities, a gap that experts say is no longer sustainable.

Gamble Alert’s Fisayo Oke has emphasised that responsibility must be shared, not only among operators and regulators but also players, who must be educated to engage with games as leisure and not a pathway to wealth.

1xBet’s Broader Player Safety Push in Africa

The Symposium is part of a clear and consistent direction 1xBet has been taking across African markets in 2026.

At SiGMA Africa 2026, a Responsible Marketing panel featured Nanna Chigozie Ewuzie, Compliance Manager from Nigeria, speaking on behalf of 1xBet. The presentation focused on player protection, highlighting age verification as a mandatory technical safeguard, effective monitoring tools and structured collaboration with regulators.

Practical initiatives discussed included 1xBalance, an educational project promoting responsible behaviour and limit-setting, along with 1xCup in Nigeria, a grassroots football support initiative aimed at adult audiences with careful communication.

Lagos and Oyo states have thrown their support behind Gamble Alert’s nationwide campaign for responsible gambling. The pledge was made at the 2025 Responsible Gaming Symposium in Lagos, where health officials, regulators and industry leaders gathered to confront the rising social cost of Nigeria’s fast-growing igaming scene.

Chairman and Director-General of the Oyo State Gaming and Lottery Board, Boladuro Olajide, admitted that youth addiction remains a serious concern, particularly in states lacking regulatory frameworks. He said Oyo is one of the few states with an enforceable gaming law, which was revised in 2023 to strengthen licensing and compliance.

Participants at SiGMA Africa agreed that, for sustainable development, the African iGaming market needs clear regulations, open dialogue, and ongoing implementation of new technologies. The Gamble Alert Symposium is where that dialogue moves from conference rooms into concrete policy.

Nigeria’s gambling industry is at a turning point. A market worth over $3.6 billion is growing faster than the frameworks meant to protect the people inside it. 1xBet’s confirmed seat at Gamble Alert’s Symposium on June 11 is a signal that the biggest operators in the market understand the stakes. The real test will come after the conference ends, when the promises made in Ikeja must translate into tools, policies and protections that reach real players. For millions of Nigerians, that work cannot wait any longer.

What do you think about the role major operators like 1xBet should play in responsible gambling across Africa? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Chile’s tax authority just sent a message that foreign online betting companies can no longer ignore. The Internal Revenue Service, known as the SII, issued Resolution 69 on June 2, 2026, requiring offshore gambling platforms to register in Chile’s tax system and pay the 19% VAT they owe. Years of uncollected revenue and a market operating in legal shadows have finally pushed the government into direct action.

What Resolution 69 Demands From Online Operators

The resolution is specific. It covers foreign companies offering betting, casino games, games of chance, and similar services through internet or digital platforms to users based in Chile.

Once registered, these operators must follow all existing rules that apply to foreign taxpayers providing digital services subject to VAT in the country. Most critically, they must declare and pay all outstanding VAT through Form F129, the SII’s Digital VAT Form, going back across the last 36 tax periods.

The tax base is broad by design. The 19% VAT applies to the total amount received as payment for these services, regardless of its nature or how the payment is structured.

The SII drew a firm line on one key point. The resolution deals strictly with tax compliance. Decisions about whether these platforms are legally authorized to offer gambling services in Chile fall under separate regulatory authorities entirely.

The Tax Hole Chile Has Been Trying to Fill

This problem did not appear overnight. Chile has applied VAT to digital services provided by non-resident companies since July 2020. The rules were on the books. Enforcement was the issue.

According to the SII, as many as 110 platforms, including major international gambling operators, were not registered with the simplified tax system, costing the government an estimated $13 million in lost VAT revenue every year.

The SII previously published a public list of non-compliant foreign companies. Betsson, bet365, Entain, and Betway were named among the gambling operators. Crypto platforms Coinbase and Crypto.com also appeared on that list.

“These platforms have been openly advertising and processing transactions in Chile for years. The SII’s duty is to ensure they pay the taxes they owe on those operations.”

Resolution 69 also corrects a specific problem that had been blocking compliance since 2023. Earlier that year, following court rulings that questioned the legality of online gambling, the SII had removed betting platforms from its digital VAT registration system. Operators that wanted to pay simply could not. The new resolution reopens that door.

Here is how the VAT compliance process now works for registered foreign operators:

Step	What Operators Must Do
Register	Enroll via SII’s Digital VAT Portal
Declare	File Form F129 monthly or quarterly
Back-pay	Settle outstanding VAT for the last 36 tax periods
Transfer	Pay via SWIFT for declarations made in foreign currency

Chile’s Bigger Push to Regulate Online Gambling

Resolution 69 is one piece of a much larger puzzle. Chile has been working toward full online gambling regulation for years, and the pace is now accelerating.

On May 7, 2026, the government of President José Antonio Kast granted “suma urgencia” status to Bill 14838-03, the most significant online betting legislation ever considered in Chile. This procedural designation required the Senate to debate the bill within just 15 days, signaling how urgently the administration wants this done.

The bill has been in motion since March 2022. It has passed through multiple administrations and cleared the Senate with 27 votes in favor. If enacted, it would create a full licensing and taxation framework. Key elements include:

• A 20% tax on gross gaming revenue, on top of VAT
• A 1% annual contribution to responsible gambling programs
• A 15% tax on player winnings at withdrawal
• A 2% share of sports betting revenue directed to national sports federations
• An annual operating license fee of approximately $70,000

The Supreme Court has added serious weight to the situation. In November 2025, Chile’s highest court ordered major internet companies to block access to all illegal online betting sites within five days. The ruling confirmed that only Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Lotería de Concepción, and Teletrak hold legal authority to offer online gambling in the country.

The proposed legislation would also transform the existing Superintendency of Gaming Casinos into the Superintendency of Casinos, Betting and Games of Chance, with powers to grant licenses, monitor platforms in real time, and sanction violations.

Industry Reacts and the Market Numbers Tell the Story

The reception from the industry side was notably positive. Chile’s Agrupación de Plataformas de Apuestas en Línea, known as aPAL, publicly welcomed Resolution 69. The group said the measure restores access to the same tax compliance path available to other foreign digital service providers, giving operators legal certainty while strengthening public revenue collection.

The scale of what is at stake makes clear why every player in this space is paying close attention.

Chile’s total gambling market was estimated at $2.49 billion in 2025. The Superintendent of Casinos reports that Chileans currently access at least 900 online gaming sites that collectively generate around $150 million per year. Chile’s undersecretary of finance has stated that fully regulating the online gambling market could bring in up to $55 million in annual tax revenue.

The digital backdrop matters too. As of January 2025, 18.6 million Chileans were internet users, representing 94.1% of the population, with 97.3% accessing the web via mobile devices. Online betting is effectively just a screen tap away for nearly every adult in the country.

Industry analysts project that pending regulation could transition as many as 3.5 million players to licensed platforms by 2027, pushing market penetration from 16.2% to 18.3%.

Chile is now walking a careful line between a court system that calls most online gambling illegal and a tax authority determined to collect revenue from it anyway, all while legislators race to create a legal framework that could change everything. For every foreign operator currently serving Chilean users, the tax clock is not just ticking. It is already overdue. What happens next in the Senate could determine whether Chile becomes Latin America’s next major regulated gambling market or continues this long-running legal standoff. Share your thoughts in the comments below.