Brazil’s National Telecom Agency running out of resources to tackle illegal gambling
According to Brazilian news outlet Folha de S.Paulo Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) is running out of funding and doesn’t have enough staff to block access to illegal online gambling sites. According to the agency’s president, Carlos Baigorri, about 15,000 illegal sites have been taken down since January. The tool used to take these platforms offline has been maintained through an agreement with UNESCO, which provided R$ 8 million.
With the rise in illegal betting activities, Baigorri estimates that Anatel will need to enhance its resources. To address this, a public competition will be held to hire 50 new staff members, necessitating an annual budget of R$ 23 million.
“It is still unclear how many of these employees will be directed to control of illegal betting,” said Baigorri. “We may need to establish new partnerships.”
The ABFS (Association of Bets and Fantasy Sports) sent a letter to Baigorri asking for a re-establishment of the agency’s technical staff to improve the oversight of the illegal market in this sector.
According to the association, the agency has publicly acknowledged that it is facing a critical staff shortage. Currently, 141 positions are vacant for the role of regulation specialist, which represents 25.8% of the total allowed by law. New retirements of employees expected by 2026 are anticipated to worsen this situation, the ABFS stated in their letter.
However, increasing the technical staff of Anatel depends on government authorization through a presidential decree, alongside a favourable indication from the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services.
In May Baigorri emphasized that the country’s betting regulation framework remains in its early stages and requires stronger institutional support. While recent legislation marks a significant development for the industry, Baigorri noted that the lack of a dedicated regulatory agency poses a challenge to effective oversight.
A recent report released by Instituto Locomotiva and financed by the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) sheds further light on the scope of the problem. The study found that three out of four Brazilians who bet online in 2025 used illegal platforms. Additionally, 46% have deposited money on sites that they later discovered to be fake or irregular. The majority (78%) report difficulties in identifying whether a platform is legal, and 72% admit they do not always check the necessary information to ensure the service’s legality.
