Key Highlights
- President Lula enacted Law No. 15,358/2025, establishing comprehensive measures against unauthorized gambling and criminal networks
- Brazil’s Central Bank and Finance Ministry now possess authority to instruct financial institutions to freeze accounts connected to unlicensed betting operations
- Banks and payment providers must participate in fraud detection networks designed to identify illegal gambling operators
- Special regulations for Pix instant payments will be implemented to block their exploitation by unauthorized betting sites
- Violations carry substantial penalties including monetary fines, operational suspensions, and potential criminal charges
Brazil has implemented decisive action against unauthorized gambling platforms through new legislation that equips financial authorities with the capability to freeze banking facilities and payment channels associated with unlicensed operations.
On March 25, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva approved Law No. 15,358/2025, with immediate publication in the nation’s Official Gazette on the same date.
Officially designated as the Legal Framework for Combating Organized Crime, this legislation carries the informal title of the “Raul Jungmann Law.”
The statute specifically addresses fixed-odds gambling enterprises operating without proper governmental licensing. It equips Brazil’s Central Bank alongside the Ministério da Fazenda with enhanced enforcement capabilities to dismantle these operations through financial channels.
Through the newly introduced Article 21-A, banking institutions, payment service providers, and financial intermediaries must freeze accounts belonging to unauthorized operators once regulatory bodies identify them. Additionally, these entities must prevent any subsequent transactions that would facilitate illegal gambling activities.
The legislation incorporates safeguards ensuring procedural fairness. Operators facing account freezes retain the right to challenge regulatory decisions. Furthermore, bettors holding outstanding balances with blocked operators maintain entitlement to financial recovery.
Implementation of Fraud Detection Networks and Pix Payment Controls
A central component of this legislation involves establishing compulsory fraud intelligence-sharing networks. According to Article 24-A, financial institutions and payment companies must integrate with interoperable platforms specifically designed to identify individuals and organizations functioning as unauthorized gambling operators.
These networks will enable institutions to exchange critical data, identify questionable activities, and implement protective measures including transaction blocks or refusals.
The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting will manage a publicly accessible database listing unauthorized operators that financial institutions can reference.
The legislation additionally targets Pix, Brazil’s extensively adopted instant payment infrastructure. Article 24-B mandates that the Central Bank establish specialized regulations for Pix to prevent exploitation by illegal gambling platforms.
Proposed countermeasures include establishing a gambling-specific transaction classification connected to a registry of licensed operators. Automated screening mechanisms utilizing economic activity identifiers and Pix keys may be deployed to intercept irregular transactions.
Transaction statements involving betting operators may feature visual identifiers as another enforcement mechanism. Financial institutions will also be required to implement systems capable of recognizing suspicious transaction behaviors.
Enforcement Penalties and Institutional Obligations
The legislation establishes new administrative violations accompanied by strengthened penalties. Organizations maintaining commercial relationships with unlicensed operators risk monetary sanctions, operational suspension, or complete license cancellation.
Non-compliance with anti-money laundering regulations also falls within the scope of these enhanced penalties.
Promotional activities for unauthorized betting operators constitute violations under this law. This encompasses digital platforms, social media influencers, and conventional media outlets when demonstrable awareness exists regarding the operator’s unlicensed status.
Assets seized from frozen accounts will be channeled to the National Public Security Fund following forfeiture proceedings. This mechanism directly connects financial enforcement efforts with public safety financing.
The Central Bank and Ministério da Fazenda now bear responsibility for developing the operational guidelines necessary to execute the law’s provisions.
Brazil’s authorized betting sector has experienced growth, and this new legislation aims to safeguard licensed operators and consumers from illicit competition. The statute received official publication in the Official Gazette on March 25, 2026.
