Last verified: 6 October 2026. This is information about how betting companies were authorised in Brazil and what changed in 2026. It is not a recommendation to use any betting service, and it contains no operator rankings.
"Bets" became one of the most talked-about words in Brazil between 2024 and 2026. Within a short period the country went from a patchwork of unclear rules to a federal licensing regime with a public list of authorised companies, and then, in September 2026, to a nationwide prohibition. For anyone trying to understand the status of betting sites in Brazil, the sequence of events and the vocabulary matter. This page explains how betting companies were authorised, what the public list contained, what players were protected by, what changed on 25 September 2026 and how to avoid getting caught in the aftermath.
The vocabulary: "bets", "quota fixa", SPA
- Bets is the everyday word for online betting companies and websites in Brazil.
- Aposta de quota fixa is the legal term for fixed-odds betting: the odds are fixed when you place the bet, so the possible return is known in advance.
- SPA is the Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas, the department of the Ministry of Finance that authorised and supervised betting companies.
- .bet.br is the web-address ending that authorised companies used for their official domains.
How companies were authorised
Law 13.756 of 2018 created the fixed-odds betting lottery modality, and Law 14.790 of 29 December 2023 defined how companies could be authorised, taxed and supervised, and covered both sports betting and online games. The authorised market opened on 1 January 2025. A company needed an authorisation from the SPA; the authorisation fee was reported at R$ 30 million for five years, and companies needed a local presence in Brazil.
The Ministry of Finance published the results as an official spreadsheet of "companies authorised to exploit the fixed-odds betting lottery modality at national level". Each row lists the authorisation ordinance, the company's corporate name and CNPJ number, the brands and the domains. The version dated 6 May 2026 is public on the gov.br website. In total, reports put the number of authorised companies at about 85, operating close to 190 brands. A separate list covered companies authorised by judicial decision.
That is the reason why, between 2025 and September 2026, verifying whether a betting site was authorised in Brazil meant checking the official list, not just reading the site's own claims.
What players were protected by
Public summaries of the SPA ordinances show a set of obligations designed to protect players:
- Identity. Registration required the player's full name, CPF number, date of birth and address, a scanned identity document and facial recognition, with annual validation of the data.
- Age. Betting was for adults aged 18 or over.
- Payments. Credit cards could not be used and operators could not provide credit.
- Payment rails. Authorised operators could take deposits only through Pix, TED, debit or prepaid cards and same-institution transfers (SPA Ordinance 615 of 2024); crypto, cash, boletos, credit cards and third-party payments were prohibited.
- Withdrawals. Players could withdraw their available balance without restrictions and operators could not charge fees on payouts of prizes.
- Responsible gambling. Operators had to implement policies to prevent and mitigate harm, provide accessible responsible-gambling sections and honour self-exclusion requests.
- Advertising. Marketing could not suggest easy gains or target minors and had to carry age warnings; only operators authorised nationally could advertise nationally.
- Integrity. Operators had to take part in sports-integrity monitoring.
- Enforcement. The Ministry of Finance identified unauthorised sites and passed them to the telecommunications regulator Anatel, which notified providers to block them. Reports put the number of blocked sites at more than 18,000 by September 2025.
What changed on 25 September 2026
On 25 September 2026, Medida Provisória nº 1.394/2026 prohibited the exploitation, offering, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting in Brazil. The Ministry of Finance explains that it covers sports betting and online games, physical and virtual environments, and companies based abroad that offer these services to people in Brazil. Existing authorisations come to an end without compensation. The key dates were:
- 25 September 2026 – new deposits barred and new authorisations prohibited;
- 5 October 2026, 23:59 (Brasília time) – end of the voluntary withdrawal window;
- 6 October 2026 – platforms due to be unavailable;
- 9 to 14 October 2026 – return of unwithdrawn balances to the original payment accounts, with Caixa Econômica Federal as the fallback afterwards.
The measure is provisional. Congress has 60 days, extendable by another 60, to approve, amend or reject it, so the position may change. Our guide to the ban gives the details.
What the official list means now
The official list of authorised companies remains a historical record of who held an authorisation under the previous framework. It does not mean that those companies may operate today: while the measure is in force, being on the list does not give a company permission to offer betting in Brazil. If the measure is amended or lapses, the position of those companies would depend on what Congress and the courts decide. Anyone who tells you that a site is "still authorised" and that you can deposit is describing something that is not currently true.
How to tell a legitimate notice from a scam
- Official information about balances comes through the company's own official channels, your bank and the Ministry of Finance, not through strangers on messaging apps.
- Nobody legitimate charges a fee to return your own balance.
- A website that still accepts deposits from people in Brazil is operating outside the rules, whatever it says about itself.
- A name that looks like a known brand with an extra word, number or hyphen is a classic fake.
Our guide on spotting fake betting sites and Pix scams and the page on Pix explain how to protect yourself.
Responsible gambling
If betting had become a problem for you or someone close to you, the end of the market can be a turning point, and you do not have to face it alone. In Brazil, the Centro de Valorização da Vida (CVV) offers free emotional support by phone on 188, 24 hours a day, and peer-support groups such as Jogadores Anônimos exist. Set a budget, never chase losses and never use money you need for essentials.
A consumer checklist for any betting company's claims
The Brazilian episode offers lessons that apply anywhere. When a betting company claims to be "licensed", ask five questions. First, who is the licence holder, and is the corporate name and tax number the same as on the regulator's own list? Second, does the web address match the one the regulator published? Third, does the company explain how to complain and to which authority? Fourth, are the terms about withdrawals, bonuses and verification written in plain language? Fifth, does the company provide limits, cooling-off periods and self-exclusion tools without making them hard to find? A company that cannot answer these questions clearly, or that answers only with marketing language, is telling you something about how it will treat you when something goes wrong. In Brazil's case the regulator's list made the first two checks easy, which is why a public, searchable register is one of the most valuable consumer-protection tools a gambling market can have.
What to expect if the rules change again
Because the measure is provisional, there are several possible futures: the prohibition could be confirmed, a regulated market could return with different rules, or the measure could lapse. In each case, the practical advice for consumers is the same. Rely on the Ministry of Finance's own announcements, check any list of authorised companies on the official website, and be sceptical of any company, influencer or comparison site that announces a return before the law says so. We will update our Brazil coverage if the position changes.
Sources