Brazilian senator under betting-linked laundering probe flies to Miami after election defeat
Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami on 28 October 2026 after losing the presidential runoff, while under investigation over a suspected money-laundering scheme involving betting companies. The allegations are unproven and the cases remain with Brazil’s Supreme Court, as reported by iGaming Business.
This is a Brazilian political case, but it shows how betting licences can be used as a cover for dirty money, which is a worry for any regulator. South Africa has its own money-laundering rules for gambling, which is why licensed operators ask for identity checks. If a gambling site skips those checks, that is a warning sign about how it is run. The case also reminds readers that an offshore licence is not a guarantee of good governance.
What has been reported
iGaming Business reports that Flávio Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator, landed in Miami on Wednesday 28 October 2026 after leaving Brazil following his loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the presidential runoff. The trade outlet says he faces at least two criminal investigations, one of them about suspicions that he took part in a money-laundering scheme worth around $905 million involving betting companies.
These are investigations, not convictions. We have not been able to read court documents for this brief, so everything here is attributed to that report.
The betting angle
According to the same report, investigators suspect Bolsonaro secretly co-owned betting businesses with lawyer Willer Tomaz, who is also being investigated. Tomaz is the sole owner of Rede Loto, the company behind BestBet and two other Rio de Janeiro-licensed brands. The report says BestBet took just over BRL360,000 in almost two years, far below the BRL5 million it paid for its state licence, and that Tomaz placed more than BRL10 billion in sports wagers through another site.
The report also says police point to joint access to a Santander account, which both men deny.
Where the cases go next
iGaming Business says the Supreme Federal Court ordered passports surrendered and banned Bolsonaro from leaving Brazil before he left. Because he lost the election, the cases stay at the Supreme Court under a 2025 ruling on crimes tied to a politician’s time in office. Brazil’s betting regulator, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets, is named in the report as having identified Tomaz as the country’s biggest gambler.
What it means for South African players
Nothing here changes how you can play from South Africa. The useful lesson is about trust. Regulated markets lean on licence fees, identity checks and transaction monitoring to keep criminal money out. Players benefit when those checks exist, even though they can feel like a hassle at sign-up. See our FICA guide for what to expect.