Brazil Betting Groups Ask STF to Suspend Ban Pending Hearing

Brazil’s National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) and the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) filed an urgent petition with the Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Oct. 6, asking Justice Luiz Fux to suspend Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026 until a new public hearing on the betting market is held. The filing is part of ADI 7721 and followed a request by the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) for a public hearing while keeping the ban in force.

The associations argued that if the federal government believes further review is needed, the hearing should occur before the ban takes effect. If Fux does not suspend the measure, they proposed that the transition begin on Dec. 31, 2026, with operators remaining active until then and deadlines starting Jan. 1, 2027. They said that date came from a Sept. 28 submission by Lucas Rocha Furtado, Deputy Attorney General for the Public Prosecutor’s Office, before the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU). Though he opposed betting, Furtado called the timeline exiguous and draconian and cited possible unconstitutionality and illegality.

The petition cited government data on illegal sites and warned that bettors could migrate to unregulated platforms, losing safeguards. It also said 83 companies paid BRL 2.55 billion ($476.6 million) for 85 five-year licenses, which the measure would terminate without a refund mechanism. Blocking took effect Oct. 6; balances to be returned totaled BRL 1.453 billion ($271.6 million) across 28.65 million CPF numbers, with licenses expiring Oct. 25. Fux will decide.