In a workshop for journalists, IBJR, BetMGM, Único, and Pinheiro Neto showed how facial biometrics and the KYC system help block fraud involving artificial intelligence and help organize the regulated sector.
With the 2026 World Cup approaching — the first one with a fully regulated betting market in Brazil — user security has become the sector’s main topic.
To explain how this works in practice, the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) organized an online workshop for journalists this Tuesday (June 2), bringing together lawyer André Santa Ritta, a partner at Pinheiro Neto Advogados, and Pedro Moreno, head of products at Único, to detail the new security rules.
The overall assessment of this first phase of regulation in the country is quite positive, even with the large volume of requirements from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA/MF).
According to André Gelfi, president of IBJR, the market was a bit startled at first by so many rules, but the process has been a success.
“Even though market players were surprised by the volume of requirements imposed by the regulator, the result can be considered a success, especially regarding bettor protection, the dynamics of the activity, and security requirements,” said Gelfi.
The problem of illegal betting sites and the weight of the rules
Beyond the technical side, the workshop also discussed the challenges of getting the market running cleanly. André Santa Ritta explained that following the government’s ordinances is the only way to provide legal certainty to the sector and attract serious investment.
One of the major problems today is still the illegal market. Brands that operate outside the law bring serious risks to bettors and to sports, and also deprive the government of tax revenue.
The participants agreed that the cost of staying within the rules in Brazil is high, but it works as a filter. Over time, and with stricter enforcement, only well-structured companies with good practices will be able to remain in the country sustainably.
Facial biometrics in practice: the BetMGM case
On the practical side of the operation, the main focus is on verifying bettors’ identity (the KYC process).
Pedro Regis, a specialist at Único, and André Sapuca, from BetMGM, showed how facial biometrics and artificial intelligence are used during registration to prevent minors from accessing platforms and to block modern fraud methods, such as the use of deepfakes.
To prove that the system works, BetMGM shared some real data from its operation in Brazil. Using Único’s validation technology, the company has already successfully completed more than 1 million registrations, taking an average of just 23 seconds per user — a very fast time by industry standards.
The system has also processed 3.9 million secure transactions and blocked more than 1 million fraud attempts.
This scenario shows that, in the regulated market, security and a good customer experience must go hand in hand. Identity verification is no longer just an obligation to the government — it has become the foundation for building a trustworthy and transparent market in Brazil.