Brazil bans sports betting and online casino games by provisional measure

Provisional Measure 1.394, in force from 25 September 2026, prohibits fixed-odds betting across Brazil and ends every federal and state authorisation 30 days after publication; Congress must convert it into law or it lapses.

What happened

On 25 September 2026 President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Medida Provisória (provisional measure) no 1.394, published that day in an extra edition of the Diário Oficial da União and in force on publication. It prohibits operating, offering, intermediating and advertising fixed-odds betting in Brazil, on sporting events and on online games, including when offered from abroad; other lotteries are not affected. From publication, operators may take no new deposits, no new authorisations may be granted and pending applications lapse. Licensed sites and apps must go offline 10 days after publication: the government's timetable gives players until 23:59 on 5 October to withdraw, with blocking from 6 October. Bets still unsettled at that point are void and refunded in full; winnings on bets settled by then are paid. Operators send per-player refund lists to their banks on 6 and 7 October, under a daily fine of R$200,000 for delay, and the banks pay players back between 9 and 14 October. All federal and state authorisations end 30 days after publication, with no refund of the federal R$30 million grant fee and no compensation; no official end date has been published.

What it means

Under article 62 of the Constitution a provisional measure has the force of law but loses effect from the date it was issued unless it is converted into law within 60 days, extendable once by 60 with recess not counted; an amended conversion bill passed by Congress keeps it fully in force until signed or vetoed. If it is rejected or lapses, Congress must settle by legislative decree the legal relations formed in the meantime; if it does not do so within 60 days, those relations stay governed by the measure. The first deadline is 23 November 2026. Unless the measure lapses, is rejected or is amended, the ban applies in full. Banks and payment institutions, instant payments (Pix) included, may handle betting transactions only to wind down and refund, with the detail left to a Central Bank regulation not yet issued on 27 September. Betting advertising and sponsorship are banned, with existing material to come down within 10 days; platforms, app stores and operating systems must keep betting content and apps off their services, on pain of fines of up to 10% of the group's annual revenue in Brazil or, where it has none, R$10 to R$1,000 per registered user, limited in total to R$50 million per infraction; and the Finance and Justice ministries can order sites blocked through Anatel and CGI.br. The measure revokes article 21 of Law 14.790/2023, the original ban on payments to unauthorised operators, which Portaria SPA/MF no 566/2025 put into operation; Portaria SPA/MF no 2.750, published on 14 September 2026, revoked and replaced that ordinance. It keeps article 21-A, under which banks block unauthorised operators' accounts, adds a duty to report their transactions to COAF, Brazil's financial intelligence unit, and makes forfeiture of blocked funds an administrative decision with no prior court case. A separate bill creating betting crimes has been sent to Congress and is not law.

Who it affects

Every operator holding a federal or state fixed-odds authorisation in Brazil, and their compliance, finance and technology teams; the banks and payment institutions that hold operators' accounts and must pay the refunds; payment providers, advertisers, media owners, influencers, internet platforms, app stores and operating-system providers, now bound directly by the measure's payment, advertising and platform rules; B2B suppliers whose Brazilian customers lose their authorisations; and players with balances or open bets, who are refunded to their own bank accounts.

Sources

Primary sources last checked 27 September 2026.