LOTERJ president discusses Brazil betting regulation and illegal-market risks

Fabíola Esteves, president of LOTERJ, took part in a panel at the SBC Digital Brasil Day on the direction of betting regulation in Brazil, the state lottery said. The panel, titled in Portuguese as whether Brazil should regulate or prohibit, addressed Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026, issued by the federal government, and its possible effects on the country's betting and electronic games market.

During the panel, Esteves set out LOTERJ's experience in regulating fixed-odds betting, including the safeguards the authority has adopted, among them the exclusive use of Pix as a payment method. She also stressed the importance of tackling the illegal market, which she said exposes consumers to risks and may be linked to other criminal practices.

Esteves further addressed the social dimension of lottery activity and the importance of transparency in how the sector's resources are applied. She cited LOTERJ initiatives run with RioSolidario that serve children, adolescents and women in situations of vulnerability, including early-childhood education spaces in Cidade de Deus, Vila do João and Jardim Batan, and the Lar da Mulher, which provides shelter to women at high risk of domestic violence and to their children.

The debate precedes a public hearing called by Supreme Federal Court (STF) minister Luiz Fux for 3 November 2026 at 10am, which is to discuss the economic effects and the constitutionality of the provisional measure. The panel also included Isadora Marcante, Elisa Marcante, Leonardo Biazzi, Ana Bárbara Teixeira, Fernanda Meirelles, Amilton Noble, Tiago Gomes, Helena Matos and José Francisco Mansur.