Study recommends gradual betting restrictions, but is cited in Brazil ban debate
Regulation2 min read
A study delivered to Supreme Federal Court minister Luiz Fux on 3 November recommended gradually restricting betting, starting with online casinos, rather than ending sports betting. Open Society Foundations funded the research, which reported that 56% of respondents supported banning online games while some backed continued betting under an advertising ban; the study later featured in arguments for Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, which prohibited fixed-odds betting nationwide.
A study funded by Open Society Foundations recommended gradual restrictions on betting, starting with online casinos, but was later used to support Brazil's nationwide ban on fixed-odds betting. First lady Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja, delivered the study to Supreme Federal Court minister Luiz Fux at a public hearing on 3 November.
The study recommended strengthening public health services for affected bettors and families, restricting advertising to deter new bettors, and gradually restricting betting products. Its coordinators said restrictions should first target digital casinos, which they described as faster and more accessible, before sports betting. The study reported that about half of female bettors played online casino games, while 26% bet on football.
The research found that 62% of women and 50% of men supported a ban on online games, giving a combined figure of 56%. It found that 41% of women and 47% of men agreed betting companies should continue operating if they were barred from advertising.
On 28 September, Clarice co-directors Beatriz Della Costa and Mariana Ribeiro and Open Society Foundations' Latin America democracy manager Sylvia Siqueira published an opinion column. The column used the research to support Provisional Measure 1.394/2026 without mentioning its recommendation for gradual restrictions. At the hearing, Fux said he had received the study and would take it into account.
Soros Fund Management, which describes itself as the main asset manager for Open Society Foundations, manages about $28bn. In a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission showing its position on 30 June 2026, the manager declared 494,990 Caesars Entertainment shares worth $14.94m and 38,752 MGM Resorts International shares worth $1.85m. The filing does not say whether the shares belong to the foundation or the manager's other clients. There is no evidence that the investments influenced the study. MGM is Grupo Globo's partner in BetMGM Brasil, which has been licensed by Brazil's SPA since December 2024 and is affected by the prohibition.