Brazil's finance ministry reports no studies on potential betting ban
Regulation2 min read
Brazil's Ministry of Finance said on 24 September 2026 that it found no studies assessing the economic, fiscal, regulatory or social effects of a potential ban on fixed-odds betting, online games or related advertising. The response followed an information request submitted on 20 September, one day before President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026, according to the report.
The Ministry of Finance reported that, after consulting its technical units, it found no studies, notes, opinions or reports assessing the effects of a full or partial ban on fixed-odds betting, online games or related advertising. The response was formalized on 24 September.
The response followed an Access to Information Law request filed on 20 September, which asked the ministry and its secretariats to check whether impact assessments existed on a potential change to online betting regulation in Brazil. The request covered a total ban on fixed-odds betting, a prohibition or restriction of online gaming, and a total ban or substantial restriction of advertising.
Lula signed Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026 on 25 September 2026. The text banned sports betting and online games across Brazil, including their advertising. The response was formalized one day before the signing of the measure, and on that same date the Ministry of Justice placed the documents used to structure it under a five-year secrecy period.
The ministry said the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting exercises its powers under Laws No. 13,756 of 12 December 2018 and No. 14,790 of 29 December 2023, which cover fixed-odds betting. According to the response, that unit's actions are aimed at regulation, inspection and sanctions in the legal market, without a specific mandate to assess the impacts of a prohibition broadly and prospectively. The ministry also said that no unit within the federal Public Administration had been formally charged with a comprehensive assessment of such a ban. The ministry added that, because the subject cuts across several areas, analysing it would take several bodies.