Brazil Supreme Court schedules public hearing on online gambling measure

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) has scheduled a public hearing for 3 November at 10:00 am local time to discuss Provisional Measure (MP) 1.394/2026, the court confirmed. The session will be held in the STF's Second Panel (Segunda Turma), according to the court. Justice Luiz Fux called for the hearing.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the provisional measure on 25 September, and it prohibits online casino and sports betting along with other forms of online gambling. The session falls under Direct Action of Unconstitutionality (ADI) 8027, brought by the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL), which contests the provisional measure on constitutional grounds. The ANJL wants the regulation suspended without delay and, in the longer run, formally declared unconstitutional. The association further asks the STF to confirm that existing laws governing online sports betting and gaming in Brazil are constitutional.

The Office of the Attorney General (AGU) had asked for an evaluation of whether a further public hearing could be convened. According to the AGU, an updated debate is justified by what has been learned since the November 2024 hearing, by new evidence on betting's impact and by the provisional measure's issuance. The AGU proposed that the meeting gather diverse perspectives, and it named the participants it has in mind: "public agencies, researchers, consumer advocacy groups, civil society representatives, affected economic sectors, and the gambling market".

The court said 26 institutions and entities will take part. Among them are the ANJL, the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR), the National Confederation of Trade in Goods, Services, and Tourism (CNC), the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), the Ministry of Finance and the AGU. Representatives of several football clubs will also attend, including Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, Cruzeiro, São Paulo, Corinthians, Ponte Preta, Vitória, Guarani and Portuguesa, as well as the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).

Sunday's general election in Brazil saw President Lula recover from losing the first round and secure a fourth non-consecutive term as President. Flávio Bolsonaro, the defeated presidential candidate, has had his passports revoked by Brazil amid an investigation into alleged money laundering linked to online gambling, and his location is not known. He is thought to be travelling to the United States, where he has applied for political asylum.