Brazil's games law leaves sports betting untouched

Brazil's Law 14.852/2024 sets out a legal framework for electronic games, recognising game development and esports and opening the way for incentives to the sector. The law excludes gambling, slot machines and betting, and does not create betting licences or obligations for betting houses, the report said.

Fixed-odds betting is governed by Law 14.790/2023, and since September 2026 the offering and advertising of such bets has been prohibited by Provisional Measure 1.394/2026. The report said the change affecting football came from that measure, which affects club sponsorship arrangements, and that no new reporting obligation is linked to national team results.

The games law does not change the national team's World Cup calendar, according to the report. FIFA sets dates and times at the World Cup, while the CBF negotiates friendlies with organisers and broadcasters, and the games law gives the CBF no new coordination obligation with operators or broadcasters.

Group-stage kick-off times were set by FIFA and were not affected by Brazilian law, the report said. Brazil drew 1-1 with Morocco on 13 June at 19:00 Brasília time, then beat Haiti 3-0 and Scotland 3-0, finishing first in Group C with seven points; Vini Jr. scored four goals in the group stage. In the knockout rounds, Brazil beat Japan 2-1 on 29 June at 14:00 in Houston, with goals from Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli, and lost 2-1 to Norway on 5 July at 17:00 at MetLife Stadium, with two goals from Erling Haaland.

After the World Cup, the CBF scheduled two friendlies in Australia in September: a 1-1 draw in Townsville and a 4-2 win in the second match on 29 September, the report said. Brazil's next match is in the November FIFA window, the last of the year, and the report said the opponent, venue and time should be confirmed on the CBF's official channels once announced.

For clubs, Law 14.852 matters mainly to those with esports teams or investments in games, while Copa do Brasil matches and Brasileirão rounds are unchanged, with calendars and broadcasts following CBF regulations and TV contracts. The report listed steps for clubs to review betting-linked sponsorship contracts in light of the provisional measure and for clubs with esports to check how their teams fit under Law 14.852.

The report said the World Cup ended on 19 July with Spain as champion, and that Brazil's matches were played at times set by FIFA between 14:00 and 22:00 Brasília time. It said there are no longer authorised operators in the country under the provisional measure and that balances are being returned by Caixa. After the elimination, Ancelotti said: "Temos de pensar que uma derrota é também um começo." The report said changes to betting rules depend on Congress and on possible court decisions on the provisional measure.