Justice Prevents Anatel from Blocking Access to Betting Sites Outside Rio de Janeiro

The Federal Court prohibited, on Friday (07/26), the National Telecommunications Agency - Anatel from blocking betting sites outside the State of Rio de Janeiro. Since last Tuesday (07/23), the agency had been preventing access to "bets" not registered according to state regulations in Rio de Janeiro territory, by order of the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (Brasília).

The block was requested by Loterj (Loterias do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), based on a state decree published in 2023. The National Association of Games and Lotteries - ANJL approached the TRF-1 for clarifications on the scope of the judicial decision. In a decision published this Friday, Judge Pablo Zuniga Dourado pointed out, based on the documents in the case, that the block might have affected other companies that are within Loterj's rules. He urgently summoned Anatel to clarify the implementation of the decision that led to the block and warned the agency not to exceed the limits of Rio de Janeiro.

Sector representative associations say that Loterj's action goes against the law regulating sports betting in Brazil. The ANJL emphasizes that, according to the law, companies have until December 31 of this year to obtain the necessary licenses to operate in the country. The association also mentioned that the situation creates legal uncertainty. Although the jurisprudence of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) indicates that the exploration of lotteries should not be a Federal Government monopoly, regulation is the sole responsibility of the Union.

This judicial decision and the consequent reaction from companies highlight the complexity and the dispute over competence in regulating sports betting in Brazil, involving different levels of government and the private sector.