The Finance Ministry ordered on Thursday (13) the immediate suspension of Pixbet's operations, a sports betting company based in Paraíba. The precautionary measure, revealed by g1, provides for the cancellation of bets in progress and the return of the amounts to bettors.
Precautionary measure
According to the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), Pixbet failed to comply with monitoring and oversight rules and does not maintain mechanisms to control compulsive gamblers. The company also allegedly failed to forward information required by the ministry.
“The precautionary action was taken due to the high risk of harm to bettors and to the regulated market,” the SPA stated in the administrative proceeding records.
The decision establishes a daily fine of R$ 200 thousand in case of non-compliance. Pixbet, responsible for the domains pix.bet.br, ganhei.bet.br, and betdasorte.bet.br, will only be able to operate again after it sends the data and the SPA verifies compliance with the rules. The company may remain active in Rio de Janeiro and Paraná, where it holds local licenses.
Operation Arena
Operation Arena is investigating a business group suspected of using corporate and financial structures abroad to conceal the origin and destination of money obtained through gambling. 19 search and seizure warrants were executed in Paraíba, São Paulo, Sergipe, Rio de Janeiro, and Paraná, in addition to lifting bank and telematic secrecy and seizing up to R$ 1.1 billion.
Pixbet's owner, Ernildo Júnior, was approached by the Federal Police in Campina Grande; his car and cell phone were seized. The company's headquarters, also in Campina Grande, was the target of a search and seizure, as was the home of a man identified as a “straw man” for the group. Those under investigation may face charges for foreign exchange evasion, money laundering, and other crimes against the national financial system.
The SPA stated that the sanctioning proceedings against Pixbet were already underway before Operation Arena and that the precautionary measure is not related to the police operation. The company's defense said it did not have access to the decision authorizing the operation and was “caught by surprise,” and that it will comment after analyzing the document.
