At Loterj's request, the Federal Court ordered the blocking of sports betting company websites in Rio de Janeiro a month ago. Even so, the portals continued to operate normally in the state, circumventing the decision at the same time that Anatel alleged technical problems in complying with the decision.
Finally, the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) began blocking websites of sports betting companies in Rio de Janeiro this Tuesday (23). Thus, the websites cannot be accessed using mobile data from the companies Claro, Vivo and Tim. Access via Wi-Fi is still available in some cases.
According to companies in the sector, operators do not have the technological capacity to block websites in just one state of the country, which would make it impossible to comply with the court order. Companies in the sector are trying to withdraw the decision.
The process was initiated at the request of Loterj, which launched a notice in Rio de Janeiro and has already authorized some companies. The grant was R$5 million (US$895,000). The matter generated questions from other states and also from the Ministry of Finance.
In addition to asking for a value lower than the R$30 million (US$5.4m) set by the federal government, the Rio de Janeiro model allows for some flexibility. For example: bettors must agree that their bets are being placed in Rio de Janeiro, so operators can operate throughout the country, without complying with regional criteria. Loterj says it is supported by STF decisions.
Source: GMB
