Brazil finance minister says betting suspension will require 2027 budget adjustment
Regulation1 min read
Brazilian Finance Minister Dario Durigan said on 5 November that suspending betting would reduce projected Selective Tax revenue and require an adjustment to 2027 budget planning. The government collected R$15.3bn in sector taxes between January 2025 and September 2026, according to figures presented by the Federal Revenue Service. Congress must review the provisional measure within 120 days, with the deadline extending to 5 March 2027; otherwise, the measure will expire.
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva decided on 25 September to ban sports betting and online gaming, and this will reduce projected Selective Tax revenue next year. Finance Minister Dario Durigan announced this at a press conference on Thursday.
The Bets Provisional Measure, signed by Lula in September, prohibits offering, operating and advertising online betting across the country. The National Congress must review and vote on the measure within 120 days. Because the count is suspended during the legislative recess, the deadline would extend to 5 March 2027. If lawmakers do not review it by then, the measure will expire. In that case, the activity would be allowed again nationwide from March.
Next week, the government intends to establish the joint committee that will examine the text. Senator Randolfe Rodrigues, who leads the government in Congress, wants the proposal kept entirely intact, with no opening for legalising sports betting as some amendments propose. Randolfe said a meeting with Senate President Davi Alcolumbre and Chamber of Deputies President Hugo Motta is expected this weekend, to settle the committee's creation and its membership.