Brazil's betting ban: what it means for iGaming companies and their money

The short answer

On 25 September 2026 Brazil banned fixed-odds betting and online casino games by Provisional Measure 1,394, 21 months after its regulated market opened. Deposits stopped that day, sites went offline on 6 October and every licence ends on 25 October. For iGaming companies the urgent questions are about money: player refunds, Brazilian receivables, and the banks and payment firms that will now review anyone with Brazilian flows.

• 30 days from publication to the end of every authorisation.
• 9–14 October: banks refunded remaining player balances to the accounts they were paid from.
• 37 fintechs were notified in July 2026 for moving money for about 160 illegal betting operators.

What the measure does

Provisional Measure 1,394 amends Law 14,790 of 2023, the law that created the regulated market. It prohibits operating, offering, intermediating and advertising fixed-odds bets, on real sports events and online games, in Brazil. Bets authorised by the states and the Federal District end too. Traditional lotteries, such as the federal Mega-Sena draws, continue.

The Ministry of Finance's timetable:

The measure also tells the authorities to take down illegal sites and to block bank accounts used irregularly for betting. The Ministry of Justice and the Federal Police are getting more resources to do it.

Is it final?

Not yet. A provisional measure takes effect immediately but lapses unless Congress approves it within 60 days, extendable once by another 60, with the parliamentary recess not counted. Congress can approve it, amend it or reject it. Dozens of amendments were filed before the 13 October deadline, some separating sports betting from online casino.

Industry associations, including ANJL and IBJR, have asked the Supreme Court to suspend the measure. As of mid-October no court had suspended it nationally. One operator won an injunction from a federal court on 8 October; the regional federal court suspended it the next day.

Our view: plan for the ban to stand. If Congress later reopens part of the market, it will almost certainly do so under new rules and new licences, not by reviving the old ones.

Who is affected, and how

The ban reaches further than the operators that held Brazilian licences.

The payments point deserves attention. In July 2026, before the ban, the government notified 37 fintechs that had moved money for about 160 illegal betting operators running more than 40,000 sites. Brazil's authorities have been following the money for months, and the ban makes every payment to a betting operator a payment to an illegal one.

What it means for your bank accounts

If your company had any Brazilian betting flows, your bank or payment provider will notice the change, even if you are not based in Brazil.

1. Expect a review. Providers' monitoring will flag payments to or from Brazilian betting businesses after 25 September. Write a short statement now: what you did in Brazil, when it stopped, and what flows remain, such as final invoices or refunds. Send it before you're asked.
2. Collect Brazilian receivables quickly. Suppliers and affiliates owed money by Brazilian operators should invoice and agree settlement while the operators still have staff and bank accounts. Keep the contracts and invoices that show the work was done while the market was legal.
3. Stop Brazilian traffic and keep the evidence. Affiliates should switch off Brazilian campaigns and geo-target them out, with dated records. Your provider will want proof that commission received after the ban relates to work done before it.
4. Don't route around it. Payment firms willing to process Brazilian betting now are the ones the authorities are pursuing. An account that touches them can be frozen, and that can follow you to your other providers.
5. Move your focus to licensed markets. Operators and suppliers moving budget elsewhere in Latin America, or to Europe, will need providers that accept those licences. That is a search worth starting before the Brazilian revenue disappears from your accounts.

Providers with a Brazilian licence on Finzil

Of the 203 business account providers on Finzil, three hold a licence in Brazil: Checkout.com, Wise and Ebury. Of those, only Checkout.com names gaming among the sectors it serves. A Brazilian licence lets a provider process payments in Brazil; it does not make Brazilian betting legal again, and none of them will process it.

For everyone else, the useful question is which providers accept your licences elsewhere. 28 providers on Finzil say they serve iGaming, and they read licences differently: some accept only UK or EEA licences, others any licence they can verify. The table at the end lists the ones most often used by operators and suppliers with several markets.

Finzil checks your licence, country of registration and owners against the published rules of 203 providers. Check your company.

Questions people ask

Is online betting illegal in Brazil now?

Yes. Provisional Measure 1,394 of 25 September 2026 bans fixed-odds betting and online casino games, including by operators based abroad. Sites had to go offline from 6 October and all licences end on 25 October 2026. Congress can still approve, amend or reject the measure.

What happened to player balances at Brazilian betting sites?

Players could withdraw until 5 October 2026. Remaining balances were refunded by the banks between 9 and 14 October, to the account the deposits came from, with Caixa Econômica Federal stepping in from 15 October where a bank couldn't pay.

Can affiliates still promote betting in Brazil?

No. The measure bans advertising and promotion of fixed-odds betting as well as operating it. Affiliates should stop Brazilian campaigns and keep dated records showing when they stopped.

Will the Brazilian betting market reopen?

It depends on Congress and the Supreme Court. The measure lapses if Congress doesn't approve it within the constitutional deadline, and associations have asked the court to suspend it. As of mid-October 2026, it remains in force.

General information, not legal or financial advice. Sources: Provisional Measure 1,394/2026 (Planalto); Ministry of Finance, Secretariat of Prizes and Bets; Agência Senado, 28 September 2026; Agência Brasil, 25 September and 9 July 2026. Provider figures from 203 profiles on Finzil, checked in October 2026.