Brazil: Group generates $35.2m with illegal gambling operations
25 people were formally charged with 42 offences, including money laundering.
The Public Ministry of Paraná has formally charged 25 individuals involved in an alleged criminal organisation that generated around BR200m ($35.2m) through illegal online gambling operations linked to the jogo do bicho, a popular lottery-style game in Brazil.
The case comes from a large-scale operation that uncovered a sophisticated money-laundering and illegal betting network operating across several Brazilian states.
According to prosecutors, the group was led by a businessman based in Londrina, who managed a nationwide online platform used to process and distribute illegal betting.
Authorities allege that the organisation laundered profits through shell companies and luxury asset purchases, including real estate and high-end vehicles.
The indictment lists 42 types of offences, including criminal association, money laundering, usury, forgery and the contravention of gambling laws.
The MP-PR has requested the confiscation of approximately BR200m in illicit profits, along with properties and vehicles tied to the operation.
Investigators also asked the court to impose collective moral damages.
The first phase of the operation led to the seizure of BR150m in bank accounts, 23 search warrants and three arrests, one of which targeted a federal highway police officer alleged to have helped transport criminal funds.
In total, 18 properties and 236 vehicles were seized.
A second phase was launched after authorities discovered that several suspects had been tipped off about the earlier operation, allowing them to hide assets and evidence.
Despite arrests, investigators found that the online gambling platforms continued to operate normally.
Prosecutors said the group’s technology enabled the insertion of illegal gambling systems into credit card machines, earning commissions from other operators nationwide.
The alleged ring leader, now believed to be in the United States after fleeing via Paraguay, remains a fugitive.
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