Brazil probes 40 betting accounts over money laundering fears

Stake has won court permission to keep operating in Brazil until 25 October while the government appeals.

The hit

Brazilian authorities are investigating around 40 online gambling accounts holding unusually large sums over possible links to money laundering & organised crime, according to Casino.org. Finance Minister Dario Durigan said some accounts contained more than R$500,000, while others held upwards of R$1 million. The probe emerged as the government unwinds R$1.325 billion owed to roughly 26.5 million customers after banning the industry.

Why it matters

Brazil’s regulated licensing system has only been up & running since January 2025. Regulators are now sorting genuine refunds from accounts that look nothing like typical betting activity. No charges have been filed & no account holders named, but Durigan said the balances in question were vastly higher than those of ordinary bettors.

The record

Accounts under investigation	~40; some held over R$500,000, others upwards of R$1m
Total owed to customers	US$264m across roughly 26.5m customers
Concentration of balances	1% of bettors hold 80% of funds; 3.4% hold ~90%
Smallest accounts	86.2m accounts hold under R$1 each, R$15.5m total
Ban timeline	Ban took effect 25 September; sites ordered offline 6 October
Illegal sites blocked	Government requested blocking of 13,241 websites since the ban

What happens next

Refunds through banks run from 9 to 14 October, with Caixa Econômica Federal handling the rest. Stake can keep operating until 25 October after a São Paulo court ruling, which the government says it will appeal.

Sources: Brazil Online Gambling Ban Exposes Suspicious High-Value Accounts

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