Brazil's Ministry of Finance has identified lawyer Willer Thomaz as the single largest bettor on the country's newly regulated fixed-odds betting platforms in 2025, according to a technical note revealed by UOL and confirmed by CNN Brasil on Monday.
The 25-page document, signed by Carlos Resende, subsecretary of Monitoring and Inspection, states that Thomaz moved approximately R$ 5 billion (roughly USD 900 million at recent rates) in wagers and withdrew more than R$ 200 million (roughly USD 36 million) from authorized platforms last year. His total deposits were nearly double those of the second-highest individual on the platform rankings.
Thomaz is a longtime friend of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL–Rio de Janeiro), the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Both men were named in a Federal Police request to open a formal investigation into alleged money-laundering and influence-peddling schemes. The request is pending before the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Brazil's highest court.
Betting regulation backdrop
Brazil legalized fixed-odds sports betting — locally known as "bets" — in late 2023, with the Finance Ministry tasked with licensing and oversight. The market launched in January 2025. The ministry's monitoring unit tracks high-volume accounts for signs of money laundering, given the large cash flows and the sector's historical ties to organized crime in other jurisdictions.
The technical note, divided into 97 items, concludes that Thomaz is "by a wide margin the person with the highest combined volume of deposits and withdrawals on authorized platforms in Brazil in 2025, totaling approximately R$ 350 million in these operations."
Political fallout
The revelation has intensified pressure on Congress. A Parliamentary Inquiry Committee (CPI) proposal to investigate both Flávio Bolsonaro and Thomaz has gathered 100 signatures in the Senate, surpassing the threshold required for formal creation. The CPI would have subpoena power and could compel testimony under oath.
Flávio Bolsonaro has not commented on the Finance Ministry note. In previous statements regarding the Federal Police request, his office has denied any wrongdoing and characterized the investigation as politically motivated.
The Federal Police investigation request remains under seal at the STF. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the rapporteur, has not yet ruled on whether to authorize the probe.