Brazil Senate extends online gambling suspension by 60 days
Regulation2 min read
Brazil’s Senate has extended Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026, which suspends online gambling, by 60 days. The final deadline for congressional action is now 5 March 2027, while government representatives said they want a vote before the end of 2026. A joint committee must review the measure before it can proceed to floor debates.
Brazil’s Senate President Davi Alcolumbre extended the provisional measure suspending online gambling by 60 days. The deadline for a congressional vote on Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026 is now 5 March 2027, taking account of the parliamentary recess from 23 December to 1 February.
The measure will expire if it is neither approved nor considered during the extended period, potentially restoring the online gambling market to its state before President Lula da Silva issued it on 25 September.
Senator Randolfe Rodrigues, a federal government leader in the Senate, said the administration wants a vote during 2026, before Congress is renewed in February 2027. José Guimarães, minister of the Secretariat for Institutional Relations, confirmed the aim of deciding the future of online betting by the end of the year. Lawmakers have submitted 99 amendments to Provisional Measure 1,394/2026.
Lawmakers from different parties launched a legislative pact called Health Is Not a Gamble in the Chamber of Deputies to build political opposition to sports betting and online gambling. The initiative seeks to hasten a congressional vote on the measure. It is led by the Joint Parliamentary Front for the Promotion of Mental Health with the Institute for Health Policy Studies, the Brazil Against Bets Coalition and Umane. The pact calls for betting’s effects to be treated as a public health issue and proposes restrictions on advertising, promotions and sponsorships.
Trade associations and other industry groups have filed objections to Brazil’s online gambling ban with the Supreme Court. Industry organisations say the presidential intervention breaches the constitution and weakens legal certainty, competition and due process protections. Minister Luiz Fux heard from government, media, sports and civil society representatives at a public hearing that opened on 3 November. The court also received submissions from Health Minister Alexandre Padilha on addiction, gambling harm and household financial risks. Presenting the government’s case, Attorney General Jorge Messias said online gambling regulation had failed and put public health and household finances in danger. To prevent conflicting rulings, Fux suspended lower-court appeals challenging Provisional Measure 1,394/2026; appeals must now go through the Supreme Court.
Before the Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies can debate the measure, a joint committee representing both houses of Congress must review it. The panel of deputies and senators has not yet been assigned its members, leaders or rapporteur.