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Brazil bans online betting and casino games: what happened and what comes next

Brazil's Provisional Measure 1,394 banned online sports betting and casino games on 25 September 2026. The timeline, how balances are being refunded, the court challenge and what Congress decides next.

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Written by Steffen Fonvig
Published Last updated
Contents9

This is a developing story. It reflects confirmed information as of 7 October 2026 and will be updated as Congress and the courts act.

Brazil has banned online sports betting and online casino games less than two years after its regulated market opened. On 25 September 2026 the federal government signed Provisional Measure 1,394, which prohibits the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting in the country, including online casino games. The measure took effect on publication, licensed sites had to go offline on 6 October, and players' remaining balances are being returned through the banking system.

What the measure bans

Provisional Measure 1,394 prohibits the exploitation, offering, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting in Brazil. According to the Federal Senate's summary, the ban covers sports betting on real events and online casino-style games, and it applies to companies based abroad that offer betting to people in Brazil, not only to locally licensed operators.

It also reaches beyond the operators themselves:

  • Advertising and sponsorship linked to fixed-odds betting are banned across physical and digital media.
  • Banks and payment institutions, including the Pix instant-payment system, may not process betting transactions, except for payments needed to wind operations down and return customers' money.
  • Anatel, the telecoms regulator, can order betting sites to be blocked, the body that manages the ".br" domain can act on domain names, and app stores must remove betting apps.
  • Companies that do not comply face fines reported at R$200,000 a day.

Existing licences are revoked 30 days after publication, on 25 October 2026. The measure states that companies will not receive any refund, full or partial, of the fees they paid for their authorisations.

The government signed the measure shortly before the general election held on 4 October 2026.

Timeline

Date What happens
25 September 2026 Measure published; new deposits stop
5 October, 23:59 Last moment for players to withdraw their balances voluntarily, and the deadline for removing betting advertising
6 October Betting sites and apps go offline, including in app stores
7–8 October Companies report each customer's remaining balance to banks, identified by tax number (CPF)
9–14 October Balances are paid back through the banks, without the customer having to ask
After 14 October Funds that banks cannot return are transferred to the state bank Caixa Econômica Federal
25 October Remaining licences are revoked, with no refund of licence fees
Up to 120 days after publication Congress must approve, amend or reject the measure (60 days, extendable by 60)

What it means for players

Your balance should come back to you. Players who did not withdraw before 5 October do not need to apply: operators pass balances to the banks by tax number, and the banks pay them out. Money that cannot be paid out goes to Caixa Econômica Federal rather than staying with the operator.

Open bets are cancelled and refunded. Bets on events that could not be settled within ten days of publication are treated as void, and the full stake is returned. Bets that were already settled are paid as normal.

Beware of sites that keep targeting Brazilian players. The ban applies to everyone, licensed or not. Any site still offering betting to people in Brazil after 6 October is operating outside the law, with no regulator to complain to and no reliable way to get money back. On 6 October the Finance Minister said the government had already taken down more than 11,000 illegal betting sites. If you are unsure how to judge a gambling site in any market, our guide on how to choose a safe online casino explains the basic checks.

If gambling has become a problem, our responsible gambling page lists free, confidential help and practical tools.

The numbers so far

On 6 October the Finance Minister, Dario Durigan, said that about R$1.3 billion was still sitting in the accounts of 26.5 million bettors who had not withdrawn their money, and that 188 licensed platforms were required to shut down.

Two industry associations, ANJL and IBJR, have asked the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to suspend the measure, arguing that it would cause effects that could become irreversible before Congress decides on it. Justice Luiz Fux, the rapporteur, gave the government 72 hours to respond on 2 October. The Attorney General's Office has defended the ban and, in a related case, asked the court to declare Brazil's earlier betting laws unconstitutional. Sites went offline on 6 October without an interim ruling from the court, and no decision had been reported at the time of writing.

A separate bill with criminal penalties

On the same day as the measure, the government sent Congress a separate bill, PL 5,477/2026, that would make operating fixed-odds betting a crime punishable by four to six years in prison, with lower penalty ranges for advertising and for facilitating the activity. Unlike the provisional measure, the bill has no effect until Congress passes it.

Impact on the industry

Listed companies have started to report the effect. Entain said Brazil had been expected to contribute around 5% of its 2026 online net gaming revenue; it kept its full-year earnings guidance but now expects to land towards the lower end if the ban stays in place. The affiliate company Gentoo Media cut its 2026 revenue guidance to around €92 million, from a previous range of €97 million to €100 million, assuming no further revenue from Brazil this year.

What to watch

  • Congress. The measure lapses unless Congress approves it within 60 days, extendable by another 60. Lawmakers can also amend it.
  • The Supreme Federal Court. A ruling on the industry challenge could suspend or uphold the ban while Congress deliberates.
  • The repayment process. Whether balances are returned in full and on time, and how much ends up with Caixa.
  • Enforcement against unlicensed sites, which will decide whether the ban reduces gambling or moves it offshore.

We will update this article as these points develop. More stories are in our news section.

Sources