Brazil’s SPA says it had no impact study before betting ban

Brazil's Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) told a freedom-of-information request on 24 September 2026 that it had no study on the impact of banning fixed-odds betting. Less than 24 hours later, the government issued Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, which banned sports betting, online casinos and sector advertising across the country.

The request, registered on 20 September, asked whether any study existed, was being prepared or had been commissioned on three scenarios: a total ban, a ban on online games or a restriction on advertising. The reply was prepared by the SPA, which is the market regulator. After consulting its technical units, the SPA said it had identified no studies, technical notes, opinions or reports assessing the economic, fiscal, regulatory or social impacts of any of those scenarios.

According to the secretariat, there was no estimate of the effect on gross gaming revenue of the regulated market, tax and other public revenue, funds for sport, club and competition sponsorship contracts, bettors moving to illegal operators, consumer protection, or public health including the risks of problem gambling.

The Finance Ministry also recorded that it had found no unit anywhere in the federal administration formally responsible for a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of a ban. It added that such an analysis would require multidisciplinary technical studies that do not yet exist, plus a prior definition of the regulatory scenario and methodological assumptions. The SPA clarified that its negative answer did not stem from a secrecy classification or from a restriction on an existing document. It said it acts under the regime in force, Laws 13.756/2018 and 14.790/2023, and had not been given competence to assess the impacts of a possible ban.

According to a report, the president was initially advised to ban only online casinos, and a full ban was decided at a meeting at the Alvorada Palace on 23 September. The measure was published in the Diário Oficial da União on 25 September.

On 30 September, the Ministry of Sport was asked whether it had been consulted before the measure on its impact on efforts against match-fixing. The reply came on 3 November, after a deadline extension, and was prepared by the National Secretariat for Sports Betting and Economic Development of Sport (SNAEDE). The secretariat said it had identified no formal consultation with the ministry before the measure. It also said that, after searching its electronic information system and institutional email, it had not found studies, technical notes or opinions on the effects of the ban on sports integrity.

On 13 October, the Ministry of Justice created a division within the Federal Police to combat illegal betting and result manipulation. The Civil House and the Ministry of Justice have reportedly placed the documents on the measure under secrecy. The measure locks the agenda of the Chamber of Deputies on 9 November and lapses on 4 March 2027 if it is not voted on.