Last Sunday, the issue of online gambling once again came into the media spotlight when Fantástico reported on the intensive police investigation into Blaze, a digital betting platform notorious for its games such as the popular Crash Jogo do Aviãozinho.
The report revealed that more than R100 million was blocked by the courts, triggering a lawsuit Series of questions about those responsible for the financial and moral damage that bettors claim to have suffered on the site.
Behind the scenes of this controversial platform, the task now is to find out who owns Blaze and how the digital influencers involved in the plan participate effectively. Find out more below!
Who owns Blaze?
Since arriving in Brazil in 2019, Blaze has been a strong presence in the virtual casino and sports betting scene. The platform has gained notoriety with a range of games including roulette, blackjack, slots, poker and the famous “Jogo do Aviãozinho”.
Despite its operations in the country, Blaze is headquartered in Curaçao, which is known as a tax haven. Operated by Prolific Trade NV, the identity of those responsible for the company remains partially hidden.
Recently, the program Fantástico revealed that the company is facing allegations of embezzlement one Ongoing police investigations revealed that three Brazilians were involved behind the scenes in Blazewhereby a part of the profits goes to them.
Erick Loth Teixeira was even accused on social media of owning Blaze.Source: YouTube/Screenshot
One of the alleged owners, Erick Loth Teixeira, was exposed by Daniel Peninn in a video in which the YouTuber seeks information about the blaze.com.br domain. According to Teixeira, he is not the owner of Blaze but has been hired to manage the company's advertising performance.
How does illegal platform gambling work in Brazil?
The illegal gambling platform in Brazil has attracted attention and claims to currently have more than 40 million users. One of the most popular games, known as “Crash” (or Jogo do Aviãozinho), has stood out.
In this game, a plane is displayed on a screen starting its flight, allowing the player to choose when to stop the flight as the prize value continues to rise. However, if the word “crashed” appears, the bet is lost.
This dynamic is repeated in other versions of gambling games available on the Blaze website. Since this activity remains illegal in Brazil, it is important to understand how these games work in order to make users aware of the risks involved, such as financial and emotional losses.
For example, playing the little tiger game led to two suicide cases in Maranhão. According to police, the victims are a rescue worker who lost the money to build her house and a 17yearold boy who lost around R$ 50,000 on Fortune Tiger.
What happened to Blaze: Investigations are in full swing!
There is a growing wave of complaints online and in public institutions involving the Blaze name. To date, there are 15 legal actions against the platform in several Brazilian states: São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Ceará, Paraná, Federal District, Mato Grosso and Pernambuco.
The investigation by the São Paulo police began with complaints from users who claimed that they were unable to withdraw the amounts won in Blaze's gambling games, which characterized a case of embezzlement a fraud practice provided for by the Penal Code in which the criminal attacks the victim deceived to gain an advantage, usually in the form of money.
“I'm trying to withdraw an amount of 1500 and they never credit it, and when the deadline expires they don't help at all. We just say we have to wait and the set deadline has already passed,” a player from Pará posted on the Reclame Aqui website.
Blaze has more than 28,000 complaints about Reclame Aqui. Source: Reclame Aqui/Screenshot
The progress of the investigation led to the blocking of R$ 101 million in September 2023 Blocking of the Blaze website by Anatel following a court decision by the Court of Justice of São Paulo (TJSP).
However, the suspension of the online platform was not effective. Blaze does not have legal representation in Brazil, making it difficult to carry out the court order Gaps are created so that the website continues to function on a different domain.
In addition, the police case also rearrested those involved in promoting the illegal platform, such as the influencers mentioned in the Fantástico report last Sunday (17).
The list is long: Neymar, Felipe Neto, Viih Tube, Mel Maia, Carlinhos Maia, Gkay, Bruna Biancardi, MC Poze do Rodo, MC Mirella, Júlio Cocielo, Jon Vlogs, Igor 3K, Mc Loma, Nicole Bahls, Lívian Aragão, Key Alves, Dynho Alves, Viviane Araújo, Larissa Santos and dozens of other influencers with millions of followers on their social media profiles.
How much does Blaze pay influencers?
It is not possible to say the exact amount that Blaze has paid artists, athletes and other famous people on the Internet to positively review the gambling games available on its platform.
However, there is evidence that values per marketing campaign reached millions of reais. YouTuber Cellbit even commented on the topic live with his followers. The streamer stated that he received Proposals of up to R$5 million to make the company known in a live broadcast.
Neymar, Gabriel Medina, Viih Tube, Mel Maia and several other influencers promoted Blaze on social media. Source: Instagram/Reproduction
Can influencers who promoted Blaze be penalized?
Yes, thanks to the approval of draft law (PL) 3915/2023, which makes the distribution of gambling a criminal offense. Soon, Digital influencers and artists can be prosecuted if they are paid to distribute this type of content.
If such a connection with illegal betting platforms and online casinos in the country is proven, celebrities can stop their activities and pay a fine of up to 2% of their turnover, capped at R$50 million.
After their names were revealed in the Globo report, influencers' reaction was mixed. Some preferred not to comment until the investigation was completed, like Mel Maia, others said they no longer had a contract with Blaze, like Viih Tube and Juju Salimeni.
There were also influencers who claimed to see no problem in their commitment to the company, such as Carlinhos Maia and Rico Melquiades. The A Fazenda 13 winner said he intends to continue promoting Blaze.
“I have a clear conscience, I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm not a criminal as they say,” Rico said. “Tomorrow I will be here with a new promotion at Blaze. I’m not forcing anyone to play, spare me!” explained the digital influencer in Stories.
How do you assess the development of the matter? Follow TecMundo's social networks and leave your comments there. To the next!