The growth of the sports betting market led to the creation of a strict inspection network in Rio de Janeiro.
To combat fraud, the Civil Police, the Public Ministry, through the Specialized Action Group for Sports and Supporter Defense (GAEDEST), and the Football Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FERJ) joined forces in an integrated operation.
Currently, the Consumer Police Department (Decon) is leading the investigations, including investigating suspicious polls during the “quadrangular of death” of Series A of the 2026 Carioca Championship, the tournament that defines relegation.
How organized crime structures sports fraud
Delegate Wellington Vieira, responsible for Decon, details the scope of police work and the institutional cooperation that underpins the task force.
“The Football Federation here in the State of Rio de Janeiro contacted the Civil Police, and the Consumer Police Office was designated to concentrate these investigations”, he explains.
“We currently have 15 investigations investigating match-fixing in football matches across all series (A, B, C and D).
If there is any type of suspicion of fraud, with the collaboration of bookmakers, the Federation, the Public Ministry and Justice, we investigate”, adds the delegate.
The scenario revealed by the investigations demonstrates a complex structure that transcends lawns.
“It has already been noticed that the groups that operate in this type of fraud form criminal organizations that manipulate match results”, he says.
“This can escalate to other crimes, including extortion and even more serious situations. Our objective is to remove these people from circulation”, warns Wellington.
Data monitoring and vulnerability in the lower divisions
The technology provided by betting and monitoring platforms has become the main ally in this fight.
The vice-president of FERJ, Sandro Trindade, explains the flow of intelligence.
“At the end of 2023, due to these problems, we seek to direct the investigations to a specialized police station”, he says.
“From then on we started sending integrity reports that we received from monitoring companies identifying hypotheses of manipulation of results”, he states.
According to him, the alert dynamics work in real time.
“These companies monitor bets placed on the platforms. When an unusual volume of money appears in a specific bid, this generates an alert. Based on this report, the federation forwards the information to the authorities for investigation.”
For lawyer Raphael Cvaigman, a regulatory specialist, criminals define their targets well.
“Normally we are not talking about Series A, but series C and D, where athletes have lower pay and short contracts”, he explains.
“Furthermore, many of these matches have little visibility and are not always broadcast, which can facilitate manipulation attempts”, points out Raphael.
Recent operations, such as the arrest in Dubai of recruiter William Rogatto, target of Operation VAR, reinforce the urgency of the legal siege sustained by the new General Sports Law.
