New guidance provides practical tools to identify, disrupt and prevent transactions linked to unlicensed operators within Brazil’s regulated market
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), through its Payment Provider Forum, has released a best practice guide aimed at helping payment providers in Brazil tackle illegal sports betting and strengthen protections across the regulated market.
The guide delivers clear, actionable steps to detect and block financial flows linked to unlicensed operators, while supporting compliance with Brazil’s new betting regulations and safeguarding the integrity of sporting events.
Established in February 2025, the IBIA Payment Provider Forum brings together leading companies such as Pay4Fun, Z.ro Bank, OKTO and OneKey Payments, alongside key industry stakeholders, to address shared risks and reinforce market integrity. Following the introduction of Law No. 14,790/2023, payment providers are prohibited from processing transactions for unauthorised operators, and the guide outlines operational controls designed to mitigate legal, financial and reputational risks.
The document also highlights key financial threats associated with illegal betting, including the use of shell accounts, fraudulent cash-outs, and links to match-fixing and organised crime. To address these challenges, it recommends measures such as continuous licence verification, risk-based transaction monitoring and enhanced due diligence procedures.
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, noted that the initiative provides “a practical framework for collaboration, aligning payment providers, operators and integrity stakeholders around clear controls and coordinated action to protect the regulated betting ecosystem.”
Ari Celia, Co-Chair of the Forum and representative of Pay4Fun, emphasised the critical role of payment providers: “They are on the front line of compliance and market channelisation. By combining robust controls with trusted intelligence sharing, unlicensed activity can be blocked quickly and consistently before it scales.”
Marcelo Bueno, Co-Chair of the Forum and representative of Z.ro Bank, added that the guide establishes clear and practical controls, including continuous licence validation, risk-based monitoring, and structured blocking and reporting protocols, helping reduce legal, financial and reputational exposure.
A central message of the guide is the importance of collaboration across the ecosystem. Intelligence sharing and coordinated action enable stakeholders to more effectively detect suspicious activity and disrupt illegal betting networks.
Through initiatives such as the Payment Provider Forum, IBIA continues to support efforts to improve market channelisation, strengthen financial safeguards, and enhance cross-sector cooperation in the fight against illegal betting and match-fixing-related financial crime.
The guide is available for download in English and Portuguese.
