Correction, 13 October 2026: the first version of this piece described Brazil's licensing process as if the regulated market were still operating. It did not mention Provisional Measure 1.394 of 25 September 2026, which prohibits online betting nationwide. This version is rewritten around that measure.
Brazil's ban on online betting now runs on three clocks: a Supreme Court judge's decision, Congress's review of the measure, and an election calendar that could end in a runoff on 25 October.
What the measure does
Provisional Measure 1.394 was published on 25 September 2026 in an extra edition of the Diário Oficial da União. Its ementa says it "Proíbe a exploração, a oferta, a intermediação e a publicidade de loterias de apostas de quota fixa no território nacional." Brazilian law-firm briefings on the text add the following:
- The prohibition covers operation, offer, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting, including offers made from abroad to people located in Brazil.
- It bars new deposits into operators' transactional accounts from the day of publication.
- Operators were due to deactivate sites and apps on 6 October, and bettors had until 5 October to withdraw balances.
- Concessions, permissions and authorisations under Law 14.790/2023 are extinguished 30 days after publication, with no compensation from the state.
- Banks and payment institutions authorised by the Central Bank must help return funds and block transactions to betting operators.
Decree 13.128 of 28 September regulates one of the measure's articles, according to the Senate's legislative record for the measure.
Three clocks
The court. Two sector associations, ANJL and IBJR, asked the Supreme Federal Court on 28 September to suspend the measure until Congress finishes its review or the court rules on the merits. Their fallback request was protection for licensed operators or a six-month wind-down. Justice Luiz Fux, rapporteur for three challenges to Law 14.790/2023, gave the federal government 72 hours on 2 October to respond. Reports on that order say any decision on the measure would come after the first round. The Federal Attorney General's office told the court it opposes lifting the ban.
Congress. A provisional measure lapses unless Congress converts it into law. No vote date had been confirmed in the sources reviewed for this update.
The election. The first round took place on 4 October. Under TSE Resolution 23.760/2026, a runoff on 25 October applies to executive offices only, and only if no candidate wins an absolute majority of valid votes.
Why the timing matters
The measure was signed nine days before the first round. That places the court's decision and Congress's vote inside a campaign period, when a ruling against the government or a vote to block the measure would carry political weight. The ban's survival therefore depends less on the licensing framework that the earlier version of this piece described and more on which clock finishes first.
Two of those clocks are fixed. The runoff date is set by the electoral calendar. The first-round date has already passed. The court's timing is not fixed, and the reporting reviewed for this update gives no firm date for a ruling.
The measure also reaches offers made from abroad to people located in Brazil. That makes enforcement against offshore sites, rather than licensing, the variable that will decide how much betting moves offshore while the ban is in force.
What operators are already pricing
Entain is the clearest public read so far. On 28 September the group kept its FY26 Group Underlying EBITDA guidance of £910m to £960m but expects results at the lower end, assuming the ban is upheld for the rest of 2026. Entain had expected Brazil to be about 5% of its Online NGR. The company said it was disappointed the measure came without industry consultation. Our separate piece on Entain's guidance covers the numbers in full.
Sponsorship is the second exposure. Several Brazilian clubs, including São Paulo, Vitória, Ponte Preta, Portuguesa and Guarani, have asked to join the court case, according to reporting on their filings. They argue for transition arrangements that protect club revenue. Fluminense, whose main sponsor is Superbet under a contract renewed to the end of 2029, is following the case closely.
The timetable is the policy
A provisional measure stays in force while it is challenged, and reports on the Supreme Court order say any decision would come after the first round. Operators, bettors and clubs are therefore working from a calendar set by a judge and a campaign, not from a regulator's licensing file. For anyone modelling the Brazilian market, the next dated event is the 25 October runoff, followed by whatever ruling Fux issues.
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