Brazil Bans Online Fixed‑Odds Betting Under Provisional Measure

Overview

• President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Provisional Measure 1.394 on Friday that immediately bans the offer, intermediation and advertising of fixed‑odds bets and many online games while forbidding new deposits.
• The MP gives users until 23:59 on October 5 to withdraw balances, requires platforms to be made unavailable from October 6, and sets a timetable for banks to return funds with Caixa stepping in if needed.
• Agencies including the Finance Ministry, Justice, Anatel, the Central Bank and the Polícia Federal are being mobilized to block sites, remove apps, restrict payments and pursue illegal operators, with specific payment‑blocking rules to be defined by the Central Bank.
• The Health Ministry used CPF data from platforms to trace users, sent telehealth invitations after reporting a more than 600% rise in SUS treatment demand for gambling disorder, and expanded mental‑health outreach.
• Industry groups (ANJL, IBJR) and operators are organizing unified legal and congressional responses, have suspended some partnerships, warn of lost sponsorship revenue and migration to clandestine platforms, and may seek court-ordered compensation while the MP awaits congressional approval within 120 days.