More Than 60 App Store Apps Hide Betting Platforms

More than 60 apps on Brazil’s App Store appear to disguise gambling platforms as ordinary games and utilities, according to an investigation by 9to5Mac. The apps behave normally in most countries but reveal betting services when opened from a Brazilian IP address.

How the disguised apps work

Brazilian users have reported seeing poorly made apps climb the App Store rankings in categories including Navigation, Travel, and Weather. Many use AI-generated animal illustrations for their icons. The apps, known as jacket apps, act as fronts for hidden betting platforms.

9to5Mac found that the apps function as advertised almost everywhere except Brazil. In Brazil, they redirect users to online betting services. One example was reportedly the top-ranked app in the Weather category at the time of the investigation.

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Most of the apps come from developer accounts with only one App Store listing. Their developer names often appear more common in Vietnam and other countries than in Brazil. The apps also share several characteristics:

• Similar or identical privacy policies
• Few or no recorded updates
• File sizes of roughly 15MB

GitHub instructions targeted App Store review

The investigation also uncovered a public GitHub repository containing instructions for a Cursor agent to create simple, “vibe-coded” apps that serve as betting fronts. The instructions call for three to five visible interfaces, marketable names, and animal-themed icons featuring a dragon, ox, rabbit, rat, or tiger.

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The apps are designed to support remotely controlled routing to a local interface, an in-app web page, or an external website. The instructions also recommend clear branding and enough variation between apps to make them appear to be separate products.

The repository includes measures intended to avoid suspicion during App Store review, including uniquely named startup and remote-configuration codes for each app. Yet Apple’s recommendation system appears to group them together: several listings recommend other suspicious apps in the “You Might Also Like” section more often than legitimate apps.

Brazil presses Apple and Google for answers

The discovery follows renewed pressure from Brazilian authorities over unauthorized betting apps on Apple’s and Google’s platforms. Just a few days ago, Brazil’s Ministry of Justice gave both companies five business days to explain how they detect apps that hide or alter betting features after approval, verify that operators are federally authorized, and prevent minors from accessing gambling services.

Earlier today, Apple was also ordered to remove eight AI “nudify” apps from the App Store after pressure from the San Francisco City Attorney. That order came six months after a separate Tech Transparency Project investigation found dozens of similar apps on the platform.

9to5Mac said it has contacted Apple for comment and will update its report if the company responds.