Investigators suspect Bolsonaro was a hidden co-owner, alongside lawyer Willer Tomaz, of Rede Loto, which runs BestBet and two other brands licensed in Rio de Janeiro. BestBet brought in just over BRL360,000 in almost two years, under a tenth of its BRL5 million state license fee. Tomaz, who is also under investigation, wagered more than BRL10 billion on sports through Blaze and was named Brazil’s biggest gambler by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets. Addressing the accusations, Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing.
At the Federal Police’s request, Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports and banned him from leaving Brazil, and the passports were canceled when he missed the October 27 deadline. He crossed into Argentina by land the same night and flew via Guayaquil, Ecuador, to Miami, landing on October 28, 2026. Additionally, Bolsonaro had pledged in a video on October 26 to cooperate.
Flávio Bolsonaro stated:
“I have never thought about leaving the country. I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me.”
Brazil’s regulated betting market has been offline since early October 2026 under Lula’s Provisional Measure 1,394/2026, signed in late September 2026. The Supreme Federal Court will hold a public hearing on challenges to the ban on November 3, and Congress must vote on the measure by November 23.
