Brazil’s Licensed Betting Sites Reach Shutdown Date as Fixed-Odds Ban Takes Effect

Brazil’s federally authorised betting sites and apps were required to become unavailable from 6 October, the date set in the Ministry of Finance’s timetable for implementing the government’s ban on fixed-odds betting. Level.casino has not independently tested individual sites.

The ban, Provisional Measure (MP) 1.394/2026, prohibits the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting across Brazil, according to the text published by the Presidency. It covers bets on real sporting events and on virtual online-game events, including when the service is offered from abroad to people in Brazil. It took effect on publication in an extra edition of the Official Gazette on 25 September.

Why 6 October, not 5 October

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Some reports refer to 5 October. The MP itself gives operators ten days from publication to make betting sites and apps unavailable (Article 7). The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) of the Ministry of Finance then set the operational calendar in Ordinance SPA/MF 3.005/2026, published on 2 October. As reported, customers could request voluntary withdrawals until 23:59 on 5 October, and sites and apps were to be unavailable from 6 October.

Player money

Under the MP, funds not withdrawn voluntarily are to be returned through banks, and press reports put that window at 9 to 14 October. The measure also says refunds do not remove an operator’s liability for amounts not made available or other obligations from its period of operation (Article 9).

What operators must do

• New funds have been barred from entering betting accounts since 25 September, with narrow exceptions for proceeds of financial assets already held (Article 7).
• Open bets still unresolved at the deadline are treated as void, with a full refund of stakes and no deductions. Prizes from bets settled by the deadline remain payable (Article 7).
• Within two days of taking sites offline, operators must secure the funds needed for full refunds and send banks and the SPA a list of bettors by tax number. Non-compliance carries a daily fine of R$200,000 (Article 8).
• Banks and payment institutions have seven days from receiving that data to refund bettors. Money that cannot be returned goes to a dedicated account at Caixa Econômica Federal (Article 9).
• Regulatory, tax, anti-money-laundering, responsible-gambling and record-keeping obligations survive the end of the licences, and operators must keep reporting through the SPA’s Sigap system (Articles 10 and 11). Reports on the ordinance give 15 December as the final deadline for these obligations.

Licences end on 25 October

Article 4 extinguishes all federal authorisations 30 days after publication, which falls on 25 October. The article states that the termination is for public-interest reasons and gives operators no right to a refund of licence fees or to compensation.

Enforcement beyond licensed operators

The MP lets the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security request that sites offering fixed-odds betting be blocked or redirected, with Anatel and CGI.br responsible for carrying out the orders (Article 23). It also bars banks, payment institutions and payment-scheme participants from processing fixed-odds betting transactions (Article 14), prohibits advertising and sponsorship in any medium (Article 16), and imposes duties on internet platforms and app stores (Articles 19 to 22). G3 Newswire reported that the two ministries had referred 5,209 domains for blocking.

Court challenges

The ban is being contested at the Supreme Federal Court (STF). Brazilian outlets reported that the industry bodies ANJL and IBJR asked Justice Luiz Fux on 28 September to suspend the measure, and that the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) asked for 72 hours to respond. Reports say Fux on 2 October gave the Attorney-General 72 hours. Poder360 reported that on 6 October the AGU asked him to reject the suspension requests and to hear the Prosecutor-General’s Office first. Level.casino has not reviewed the court dockets, and we found no report of a ruling on suspension.

What happens in Congress

Congress’s legislative record shows the MP awaiting amendments, with a mixed committee designated on 30 September. The amendment deadline was extended to 13 October, and the page lists a deliberation period from 25 September to 23 November. As of 5 October, 47 amendments had been filed. The government has also sent a separate bill creating criminal offences linked to fixed-odds betting, including a proposed four-to-six-year prison term for operating it, according to Agência Brasil. Whether the shutdown becomes permanent depends on Congress and on the court proceedings.

The government has cited public health and household debt as its reasons. It says treatment-related demand in the public health system rose about 140% between 2018 and 2025, according to figures reported by Agência Brasil. Industry groups argue in court that the measure is unconstitutional and that the timetable leaves operators no room to plan.