Recent investigations have linked Flávio Bolsonaro, a prominent Brazilian presidential candidate and senator, to the betting company Best Bet. Documents indicate that Bolsonaro was indirectly associated with the enterprise. The Federal Police of Brazil initiated an inquiry to determine whether he collaborated with Tomaz in a scheme aimed at concealing the source of funds via these betting establishments. This information surfaced in a report by Folha de S.Paulo published on October 19.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes is overseeing the case in the Supreme Court, which has not yet pressed any charges against Bolsonaro. In response to the allegations, Bolsonaro has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, claiming that he and Tomaz were merely friends and had no business dealings. He characterized the investigation as "an aggression against legal certainty," but did not commit to restoring any licenses. According to a report from Folha on October 22, he assured Flamengo’s president, Luiz Eduardo Baptista, of his intent to address the issues affecting clubs and bookmakers if he wins the election.
Tomaz, the lawyer involved, declined to provide comments about the allegations, citing unfamiliarity with the documents in question. Recently, he disclosed a staggering €886 million in betting turnover for Brazil in 2025, the highest recorded in the country, according to CNN Brasil and G1. The Federal Court in Brazil is also probing alleged money laundering tied to Tomaz, his companies, and Flávio Bolsonaro.
Further developments from January 2023 show that Tomaz established Cathedral Holdings in Madeira, launching operations with an initial capital of €50,000. By February, Cathedral Holdings introduced Rede Loto, the operational entity for Best Bet, licensed to manage the lottery under Cathedral Holdings' supervision. Best Bet received its operational license in May 2023, following Loterj’s issuance of permits to 13 firms. The license was endorsed by Hazenclever Cançado, Loterj’s president, appointed by Bolsonaro.
During the bidding phase, Tomaz’s firm proposed a 20% allocation of income. The competing company, which offered 26%, was disqualified for not adhering to the required decimal format. Following their victory, Best Bet renegotiated the income share to 26.455%. By July 2023, Best Bet expanded its operations nationwide, not limited to Rio de Janeiro.
In addition to Cathedral, Tomaz also founded Alcazar Holdings, which includes a Brazilian division, Alcazar Brasil. Reports indicate that both Cathedral and Alcazar are managed by Mateo Scudeler and share office space within the Marina Club building in Funchal. Financial documents reveal that Cathedral expects to receive €984,000 in 2025, a significant increase from €7,800 the prior year, while Alcazar’s debts surged from €8,100 to €824,000 in the same period.
According to the Federal Police, Flávio was provided access as a master user to the bank account of Alcazar Holdings, an offshore entity co-owned by Tomaz, until May 2025, when he was removed at his request. Folha de S.Paulo reported on October 15 that their investigation uncovered multiple flights booked by Cathedral that involved the senator at least three times that year, including trips from Lisbon to Nice on April 11, and later journeys from Cascais to both Nice and Paris on May 23, which involved relatives of Bolsonaro.
The inquiry has mentioned Cláudio Castro, the governor of Rio de Janeiro, who served from May 2021 to March 2026, along with Alexandre Ramagem. Police documents also cite payments made to Torre Comunicação Estratégica, reportedly owned by Ramagem, which allegedly provided services to Tomaz’s law firm during Ramagem's 2024 campaign for the Rio mayoralty.
Bolsonaro continues to dismiss these allegations, maintaining that he has no ties to the lawyer or his businesses. The investigation by the Federal Police remains ongoing, with the case active in the Supreme Court.
