The gambling row in Brazil returned to the football pitch at the 14th Lisbon Forum on June 2. Speaking at a panel on e-games and online betting, Ramalho said companies that offer betting on sport should not be considered as the default source of manipulation scandals.
Football Integrity Becomes the Main Line
Legal operators are subject to rules, they pay for licences and they are overseen by the state. The same could not be said for the illegal sites. Ramalho said this distinction is often lost in public discussion, particularly when scandals in football are being discussed.
She also said that betting is now part of the modern football market. In her view, the question is no longer whether betting exists around football. The question is how Brazil separates licensed firms from illegal operators.
Her most powerful point was about incentives. There’s little incentive for a licensed operator to want to fix a match, because that kind of manipulation can harm the prices, the trust, the sponsorships and regulatory standing. Unlicensed market has fewer apparent checks.
Illegal Sites Stay in Focus
Ramalho urged for a tougher crackdown on unlicensed bookmakers in Brazil. She bemoaned what she said was unfair competition from operators that avoid licensing, payment, advertising and compliance rules.
The tone of that message is very much now in line with politics in Brasilia. Fixed-odds betting in Brazil has been regulated since 2025, but illegal operators still pose a huge enforcement headache. Recent talks have moved beyond website blocking and are now also focusing on payment controls, data sharing and harsher punishments.
Here is the tougher part about regulation. Domain blocking can deter illegal traffic, but it doesn’t usually end activity. Mirror sites, offshore payment routes and shadow advertising umbrellas also enable unlicensed brands to stay in front of consumers.
For regulated operators, the discussion is reputational too. When every scandal is portrayed as a “betting problem,” the regulated market doesn’t get to explain why licensing exists in the first place.
Operators Point to Payments
Also on the Lisbon panel were Superbet and Betano representatives. Superbet CEO Alexandre Fonseca rejected the idea that regulated betting is the main driver of household debt in Brazil.
He cited one big payment-system difference. Brazil’s regulated operators are not allowed to take credit cards. Players must use approved electronic transfer methods, with Pix being the main route. Fonseca said the illegal market still accepts credit cards, unlike licensed operators.
Guilherme Figueiredo, director public affairs at Betano, also defended targeted controls, including tools linked to government programs such as Bolsa Família and Desenrola. His point was that enforcement should focus on risk and legality, not treat every betting operator as the same type of problem.
Market Reading
The useful takeaway is not that licensed operators should escape scrutiny. They still need strong controls on advertising, player checks, sponsorships and integrity alerts. But Brazil’s next enforcement phase needs sharper definitions. Match-fixing, illegal payment flows and offshore betting are separate problems. If lawmakers treat them as one broad industry failure, legal operators may carry the public blame while illegal sites keep the commercial advantage.
