Brazil's STF Wraps Up Hearing on Online Betting Ban

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) has wrapped up a public hearing on the country's online betting ban. Justice Luiz Fux led the session in Brasília on Tuesday, November 3. Government officials, soccer clubs, sports bodies, and betting industry groups argued for and against the ban.

The hearing centered on Provisional Measure 1,394/2026, a decree with immediate force of law that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed on September 25. It bans fixed-odds betting and online casino games nationwide. Fux has not yet ruled on requests to suspend it. The ban remains in force while the court weighs seven constitutional challenges over betting, four of which target the measure.

Government Defends the Ban on Health and Legal Grounds

Justice Minister Wellington César Lima e Silva said the harms of betting justified state intervention. He argued that earlier regulation had fallen short given the scale of the problem. Solicitor General Jorge Messias defended the measure as constitutional. He said Laws 13,756/2018 and 14,790/2023, which legalized and then regulated fixed-odds betting, failed to provide the protection the Constitution requires.

Health Minister Alexandre Padilha said demand for gambling-related care rose more than 200% between 2018 and 2026.

He added that 40% of the 1.2 million people who requested self-exclusion from betting platforms reported losing control over their betting.

Separately, the Justice Ministry requested the removal of more than 36,000 illegal betting sites between September 25 and October 29.

Sports Groups and Operators Warn of Lost Revenue, Illegal Sites

Soccer clubs focused on lost sponsorship revenue and the short transition period. Fluminense President Mattheus Montenegro estimated the ban's impact on the club at R$200 million ($36.5 million). Flamengo Vice President Flávio Willeman asked who would pay for the canceled sponsorship deals. A lawyer for Botafogo said the 10-day transition period was too short for clubs to adapt.

The Brazilian Olympic Committee said betting revenue made up about R$130 million, or roughly 20%, of its planned 2027 budget.

Industry group ANJL, the National Association of Games and Lotteries, said regulation was working before the ban. The group cited a 32% drop in betting deposits over a recent three-month period compared with the same period in 2025. Several speakers warned that the ban would push bettors toward illegal sites.

What Justice Fux Said and What Happens Next

Fux told the public hearing he had formed "the perception that bets should be banned," Agência Brasil reported. The remark is not a formal ruling. He said speakers raised several issues absent from the court's first betting hearing in November 2024, including economic impact, illegal betting, organized crime, athletes' rights, and legal certainty.

Fux added that some issues could be resolved outside the courts. If the court has to step in, he said, it should act rationally and prudently. The Prosecutor General's Office has yet to file its opinion on the challenges to the measure. Congress must also vote on whether to make the measure permanent law, generally within 120 days, or it will expire. The STF has not set a date for a ruling.