Illegal bets are circumventing the control mechanisms of the Apple and continue to be made available in the company’s application store in Brazil. While platforms licensed by the federal government still do not have their own applications in the App Store, unauthorized bets offer sports betting games, online casino and the popular “tigrinho”, according to a report from Folha de S.Paulo.
According to the report, illegal applications are able to bypass the online store’s security mechanisms by presenting themselves in apparently harmless categories, such as children’s entertainment and sports. Folha downloaded, on iPhones, two illegal betting applications that were disguised in these categories.
Platforms use different strategies to escape inspection, including the use of misleading descriptions and even the visual identity of brands legal in the country, with the aim of confusing consumers. After approval by the App Store, some applications change their functionality and start redirecting the user to betting sites.
One of the examples cited in the report is the MegaArena – Sports Events application, which, despite the description focused on sporting events, offered sports betting and casino games, including virtual versions of roulette and slot machines. To access the games, it was necessary to create an account and make a minimum deposit of R$20 via Pix. According to Folha, the platform did not have mandatory user protection mechanisms, such as age verification or compulsive gambling prevention tools, required by Brazilian regulations.
Prints and videos obtained by the report also showed other irregular applications available in the Apple store, including one aimed at children — a practice prohibited by Brazilian legislation, which prevents betting by minors under 18 and prohibits advertising aimed at this audience. After the company was alerted, the applications were removed.
Among the tactics identified were applications that presented themselves as tools for caring for plants with artificial intelligence, measurement converters aimed at astronomers and even vague descriptions without clear indication of functionality. In all cases, after installation, users were redirected to betting platforms.
Another strategy involves changing the App Store registration country. Although Apple prohibits betting in Brazil, the company allows this type of application in other countries. Videos on social media teach users how to change their account location to download betting apps available in other jurisdictions.
Similar cases occurred in Googlewhen the company removed an illegal online casino application disguised as an entertainment game from the Google Play Store. The app, called “Tiger Drop”, allowed betting with real money without authorization to operate in Brazil and had already accumulated more than 500,000 downloads before being taken offline following a complaint.
Contacted by Folha since March 23, Apple did not respond to questions until the report was published.
Fonte: Gaming365 – Brasil
