Following the Pixbet case, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) expanded the list of suspended bets, halting the operation of another 11 licensed betting sites.
Brands from ZeroumBet, a company created by influencer and lawyer Deolane, as well as the MegaPosta site, are among the suspended platforms.
The measures were applied on the 14th and remain in effect until the operators involved resolve the issues or until the SPA’s administrative process is concluded.
The main reason for the suspension is related to regulatory failures, especially regarding the submission of documentation and information required for the secretariat’s oversight of the sector.
List of suspended bets
In total, 11 sites, distributed among 5 operators, received precautionary measures from SPA. Below is the list of suspended bets:
- ZeroumBet: Zeroum, SportVip and Energia Bet sites
- RR Participações: MultiBet, RicoBet and BRXBet sites
- Nexus International: MegaPosta site
- Select Operations: MMA Bet, BetVip and PapiGames
- Enseada Serviços e Tecnologia: KBet
The reasons for the suspensions
According to the precautionary measures applied to the suspended bets, the companies involved failed to comply with the mandatory measures for market monitoring and oversight.
In the case of RR Participações e Intermediações de Negócios, which owns the MultiBet, RicoBet and BRXBet brands, SPA states that the company did not submit documentation regarding its corporate structure.
Such data is essential to prove who is actually behind the company’s operation, as well as whether this meets the requirements of the regulated market.
The failure to submit the required documentation directly affected SPA’s analysis for the legal authorization of RR Participações e Intermediações de Negócios.
This also hindered the assessment of the company’s tax and labor compliance, as well as the integrity of the controllers, economic-financial qualification, and technical capacity of the operator.
The decisions to suspend the operators Nexus International (MegaPosta), Select Operations (MMA Bet, BetVip and PapiGames), Enseada (KBet) and ZeroumBet (Zeroum, SportVip and Energia Bet), on the other hand, were upheld because they failed to properly submit the required data.
For the regulator, this also compromises the monitoring of site operations, which poses a risk to the oversight process and to the integrity of the sector.
The suspension of operations for the suspended bets will remain in effect until the irregularities are resolved and validated by SPA.
Impact for operators and bettors
Following SPA’s determination halting the sites’ operations, the suspended bets will not be able to receive deposits or accept new bets.
The platforms must also clearly and visibly inform users about the suspension.
User access must be maintained only to allow for the refund of any bets already made and the withdrawal of game balances.
Ongoing bets must be canceled and fully refunded. Until the regulatory failures are resolved, the sites are, technically, out of operation.
If the determinations are not complied with, a daily fine of R$ 200 thousand will be applied.
Increased oversight
Besides affecting the suspended bets, SPA’s stance is an indicator for the Brazilian gambling market of increased oversight and compliance requirements.
And this applies not only to the prevention of problem gambling but also impacts corporate governance and the submission of data so that the government can properly oversee the operations of licensed companies.
Even though the precautionary measures do not represent a final punishment, SPA may apply stricter sanctions, such as fines, license revocation, and even restrictions on obtaining new authorizations.