Court Approves Attorney General’s Decision to Not Whitelist Zeroumbet in Brazil

Dozens of betting companies have applied for a license before Brazil’s upcoming launch of regulated sports betting. Some of those who didn’t make it on time, took the matters to court, arguing that they couldn’t adapt to the new legalization schedule.

While Brazilian authorities agreed to let some of the latecomers in, a court recently decided to keep an operator tied to an ongoing criminal investigation out.

The Court Upheld AGO’s Decision

The operator in question is Zeroumbet Plataforma Digital, an online gaming company owned by controversial lawyer and influencer Deolane Bezerra. For context, Bezerra was arrested in September amid ongoing AML investigations.

Operação Integration, a major crackdown on potential money laundering in Brazil, saw several people arrested for suspected fraud involvement.

In addition to Bezerra, who was arrested two times because of alleged involvement with a criminal organization, the authorities also arrested Darwin Henrique da Silva Filho, the owner of Esportes da Sorte. Interestingly enough, the latter site was able to scoop up a license eventually.

Zeroumbet, which is one of the three brands Bezerra requested sports betting approvals for, tried to argue in court that it shouldn’t be punished for its owner’s crimes. According to company officials, keeping it off the whitelist was a violation of Brazil’s presumption of innocence.

However, the 14th Civil Court of São Paulo agreed with the decision of the Attorney General’s Office to keep Zeroumbet off the list of approved operators. The court justified its decision with the high legal and regulatory standards Brazil’s online wagering sector seeks to uphold.

In the meantime, Bezerra continues to deny the allegations against her.

Brazil Betting to Launch on January 1

Brazil’s legal sports betting market is set to launch on January 1, 2025. The country has so far approved 100 companies for operation during the transition period between October and January, although some of them had to fight for this right.

The country is believed to have a huge untapped potential for regulated gambling because of its large population and well-known passion for sports. However, some fear that these qualities are a recipe for gambling harm problems.