Over 50 amendments proposed for Brazil’s online gambling ban
Proposed changes include the exclusion of sports betting from the ban on online gambling in Brazil.
Key takeaways;
- Brazilian lawmakers have already submitted 54 amendments to Provisional Measure (MP) 1,394/2026, with several deputies and senators proposing that sports betting be removed from the ban, leaving only online casino games prohibited.
- Other amendment proposals range from reinstating all previously legal gambling activities, to introducing stricter advertising restrictions, providing SUS treatment for problem gamblers, and partially refunding licensing fees paid by operators.
- Despite the nationwide gambling ban, Stake secured a preliminary court ruling allowing it to continue operating until October 25, arguing that the MP itself sets that date as the deadline for licence cancellations.
Brazil.- Legislators have already submitted 54 proposals of amendments to Provisional Measure (MP) nº 1,394/2026, which bans betting and online casino gambling in Brazil. They have until October 13 to present more to the National Congress.
Like any provisional measure, the government’s proposal announced by surprise two weeks ago will need to be approved by a joint commission of federal deputies and senators within 120 days after publication. Proposed amendments must also be considered and possible modifications may be made to the original text.
The 54 suggestions for amendments received so far cover various topics, but the most significant for the industry involve proposals withdrawal of sports bets from activities prohibited by the provisional measure. For at least seven parliamentarians, only online casino games should be banned in the country.
That’s the measure that President Lula da Silva had initially been expected to announce given his previous comments calling for an online casino ban only. The federal deputies Marcos Braz (PSDB-RJ), Julio Lopes (PP-RJ), Pedro Aihara (PP-MG), Felipe Francischini (Vamos-PR) and Julio Arcoverde (PP-PI) and the senators Marcos Pontes (PL-SP) and Hiran Gonçalves (PP-RR) has backed calls for the ban to be modified in this direction.
Deputy Carlos Roberto Rodrigues, or Bebeto (PP-RJ), suggests the liberation of all gambling modalities that operated before MP 1,394/2026, rather than being maintained as restrictions on advertising in the sector but that advertising be banned, including a prohibition of the acquisition of naming rights for football stadiums.
In contrast, deputy Tabata Amaral (PSB-SP) does not propose allowing gambling, but suggests an amendment intended to ensure that people with gambling problems are directed to a comprehensive treatment via the Unique Health System (SUS). Other proposals include suggestions that the fees paid by gambling companies to acquire the operating licenses issued by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting should be partially refunded.
No date has yet been set for congressional debate of the proposed measure.
Stake granted more time amid Brazil gambling ban… and then not
Global gambling operators have been left counting the cost of the ban on gambling in Brazil. On September 25, President Lula announced an immediate suspension on online betting, with operators no longer allowed to accept deposits and all licensed betting websites and apps to be blocked from October 6. Operators are required to return all player balances by October 14, even if customers do not actively request a withdrawal.
However, one operator had gained a little bit of breathing room – briefly. On Thursday (October 8), the 9th Civil Court of the Federal Justice of São Paulo granted a favourable preliminary ruling to Stake in its legal appeal against the Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas (SPA) of the Ministério da Fazenda, the Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) and the Central Bank over Brazil’s gambling ban.
The determination by federal judge Cristiane Farias Rodrigues dos Santos allowed Stake’s platform authorisation to remain valid until October 25. That would mean that it would not have been able to receive sanctions for maintaining its operations until October 25 or under a new judicial determination. The obligation for the operator’s site to redirect to the government’s brasilsembets.gov.br was been temporarily suspended.
The Federal Justice of São Paulo had ruled that the MP itself establishes October 25 as the final date for the cancellation of the operating licenses issued by the SPA. However, Judge Di Salvo of the Federal Regional Court has now suspended the injunction, noting that it would have given Stake a monopoly over the gambling in Brazil. The ruling would have led to a “regulatory asymmetry capable of affecting the execution of the public policy implemented, characterising risk to the administrative order,” the ruling states.
FAQs
Could Brazil’s betting ban still be changed before becoming permanent?
Yes. MP 1,394/2026 must be approved by Congress within 120 days of publications, and lawmakers have already proposed 54 amendments, including several that would allow sports betting to continue while banning only online casino games.
What happens to player funds held by betting operators in Brazil?
Under the government’s measures, operators must return all player balances by October 14, even if customers do not actively request a withdrawal.
Why is Stake still operating after Brazil’s gambling ban?
A preliminary ruling from the 9th Civil Court of the Federal Justice of São Paulo allows Stake’s authorization to remain valid until October 25, protecting the operator from sanctions while the decision remains in force or until a new judicial determination is issued.
