Brazil sports ministry says it backed betting ban without formal consultation
Regulation2 min read
Brazil’s Ministry of Sport said it supported Provisional Measure 1.394, which suspended online betting, although an official response to an information request said no formal consultation with the ministry was recorded before its issuance. The ministry said it took part in interministerial meetings and a public hearing. The National Office of Distribution’s figures, cited by the ANJL, put 2026 transfers from betting revenue to the national sports system and related groups at R$ 235.3 million.
Brazil's Ministry of Sport backed the provisional measure suspending online betting, although an official response to an information request found no record of formal consultation with the ministry before it was issued. The ANJL had asked whether the ministry had been consulted about the effects of a fixed-odds betting ban on efforts to combat sports match-fixing.
The ministry said it took part in meetings coordinated by the chief of staff's office where federal agencies discussed the effects of fixed-odds betting. It said Sport Minister Paulo Henrique Cordeiro followed the discussions that led to Provisional Measure 1.394, issued on 25 September 2026, and supported the initiative. Cordeiro attended a public hearing at the end of September where civil society representatives discussed the effects of betting, and later joined the president at the measure's launch in São Paulo, the ministry said.
Citing National Distribution Office figures, the ANJL said betting revenue generated R$235.3m in transfers during 2026 to the National Sports System, sports committees and civil society organisations. The association said the regulated betting market funded sports bodies, committees and athlete development, including youth categories.
Representatives of football clubs told the STF that the ban would cause millions in lost revenue from sponsorship contracts with betting companies. Asked about club sponsorship and funding, the ministry said it was following discussions on alternatives but gave no detailed proposals. It said it was working to combat match-fixing and practices that undermine the credibility of sport.
Cordeiro took office in 2026 after André Fufuca left to contest the elections. The STF is examining the constitutionality of the measure suspending online betting companies' activity.