Brazil extends betting ban as Supreme Court challenges mount
Brazil’s Congress has extended the country’s ban on online sports betting and casino gambling by another 60 days, with the controversial prohibition now facing four constitutional challenges before the Supreme Federal Court.
Senate President Davi Alcolumbre signed Act No. 118 on November 10, extending Provisional Measure 1,394/2026, which was introduced by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on September 25.
The legislation prohibits the operation, promotion and advertising of fixed-odds betting throughout Brazil, including online casino games and offshore gambling platforms targeting Brazilian customers.
It also terminated existing betting authorisations, prohibited new licences and required operators to return outstanding customer balances.
The latest extension gives Congress additional time to consider the legislation, which must receive parliamentary approval to become permanent law.
However, the prohibition is also being challenged before Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, with four direct actions of unconstitutionality filed by gambling industry organisations.
According to Brazilian public news agency Agência Brasil, Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux has ordered the suspension of related legal proceedings nationwide until the court rules on the constitutional challenges.
Several Brazilian gambling sites had previously obtained temporary court orders allowing them to resume gambling activities, although those decisions were subsequently overturned.
The government has defended the prohibition on social and economic grounds, citing concerns about household debt and gambling-related harm.
Lula previously described online betting as a “cancer”, arguing that drastic intervention was necessary.
The legislation also established an interagency enforcement committee tasked with identifying illegal gambling websites, disrupting financial transactions and coordinating investigations.
The extension keeps the prohibition in force while Congress and the Supreme Court consider its future.
