Willer Tomaz, a Brazilian lawyer, has reportedly amassed about €886 million in betting turnover on Blaze during 2025, the highest amount documented in an analysis by the Finance Ministry, as noted by CNN Brasil and G1. Currently, Brazil's Federal Court is looking into alleged money laundering connections involving Tomaz, his companies, and presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting published a technical note detailing gambling activities for 2025, where Tomaz’s turnover was almost double that of the next highest individual. This turnover reflects the total amount of wagers placed rather than new deposits, including both winnings and amounts wagered again.
Blaze experienced more than €45.7 million in deposits and around €35.4 million in withdrawals from Tomaz’s account throughout the year. However, the technical note remains unpublished in any government repository; thus, these figures are primarily sourced from media reports.
Blaze's risk monitoring practices are under examination. Reports indicate that, despite the transaction volume, Tomaz’s account has been classified as medium risk by Blaze. The Secretariat pointed out that the nature of the transactions should have warranted a higher risk classification.
In October, Tomaz executed 14 deposits amounting to approximately €1.24 million, and the following day made at least 12 withdrawals in just 18 minutes, totaling about €1.06 million. This analysis raises concerns regarding Blaze's anti-money-laundering protocols and whether any suspicious transactions were flagged. Nonetheless, these findings do not imply Tomaz's guilt or any intentional wrongdoing by Blaze; Tomaz asserts that his bank transactions are clear and traceable.
On October 18, Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court initiated an investigation into potential money laundering involving Tomaz, his businesses, and Flávio Bolsonaro. This inquiry arose from the case's transfer from federal courts in Rio Grande do Sul due to Bolsonaro's special jurisdiction. Reports indicate police have obtained emails suggesting that Bolsonaro was a primary user of the bank account linked to Tomaz’s US company, Alcazar Holdings. This access is crucial for determining any potential financial ties between Tomaz and Bolsonaro.
While Tomaz and Bolsonaro describe their relationship as merely a friendship, they both deny any business collaborations. Tomaz refutes any claims of criminal activity, and Bolsonaro's defense team disputes any allegations regarding their personal affiliations. The investigations are ongoing.
