A court in Sobradinho, Federal District, Brazil, has authorized freezing bank accounts and assets of 64 individuals and 120 companies worth up to R$3.483 billion, about $630 million at the Central Bank's exchange rate for November 6. The ruling follows Operation “Azardo”, which the Federal District Police (PCDF) carried out on November 5.
Around 200 police officers took part in the raid, and 50 search and seizure warrants were executed. Besides the Federal District, the operation covered São Paulo, Goiás, Paraná, Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte.
Police found that players' Pix payments went to company accounts opened between February and July 2026. The firms had identical registered capital and addresses in Sobradinho, Sobradinho II and Ceilândia. Among them were a psychosocial support clinic and a tarot goods shop.
The central link was a fintech from São Paulo that the Central Bank allowed to operate as a direct lending institution. According to police, about R$1 billion passed through it and two related companies, including payments to illegal websites. The freeze applies only to the fintech's own funds, while customer accounts outside the investigation have not been touched.
Participants in the scheme cited regional lottery licenses from the states of Paraíba and Rio de Janeiro. Police established that none of the websites they checked were covered by those permits. For operators in this story, the takeaway is simple: a local license does not give the right to accept bets in other states.
The court also barred the companies from opening bank accounts for 90 days, suspended the registration of 100 CNPJ numbers, and lifted bank and tax secrecy for 82 individuals and 83 companies. The suspects face between 11 years and 6 months and 31 years in prison on combined charges, and up to 33 years for providing false information in official documents.
For comparison, in March 2026 the PCDF carried out Operation Resina Oculta against a group that used about 15 betting platforms to launder money from illegal trade. The investigation continues, police are looking for the platform organizers and assessing the losses to players.
