Brazil bans sports betting and online casinos

Brazil's government published Provisional Measure 1.394 on 25 September 2026. It prohibits, across the whole country, the operation, offer, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting. Fixed-odds betting is the legal category that covered both sports betting and online casino games in Brazil's licensed market.

What the ban covers

According to the Ministry of Finance, the measure applies to sports bets and to online games, in physical and virtual settings alike. It applies even when an operator based abroad offers them to people located in Brazil. It also covers the concessions, permits and authorisations that states and the Federal District had granted for fixed-odds betting. Other lotteries authorised by law are not affected.

The timetable

From 25 September, no new money could go into betting accounts. Players had until 23:59 on 5 October to request their balances. From 6 October, betting sites and apps had to be unavailable.

On 6 and 7 October, operators must report each player's remaining balance to the banks, listed by CPF and with the bank account the deposits came from. The banks return the money between 9 and 14 October. Where a bank cannot, Caixa Econômica Federal acts as intermediary from 14 October.

What happened to the licensed market

Brazil opened its licensed market on 1 January 2025, with every authorised operator on a .bet.br domain. The Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) still publishes its list of the companies it authorised, now titled as authorised until the measure took effect, but none of them may operate. Our licensed-casinos page lists Brazil as a market with no legal operators for that reason.

What it means for crypto casinos

Licensed operators were already barred from taking crypto deposits under SPA Ordinance 615 of 2024. The new measure goes further: offering bets or online casino games to people in Brazil is prohibited, whoever the operator is and wherever it is based. A crypto casino that leaves Brazil off its own restricted list is not thereby lawful to play at from Brazil. Our Brazil country pages now lead with the ban.

How long it lasts

A provisional measure has the force of law from the day it is published. Under Article 62 of the Constitution, it lapses unless Congress converts it into law within 60 days, a period that can be extended once by another 60. We will update the Brazil pages when Congress acts.