Brazil Betting Ban (MP 1.394/2026): Balances, Deadlines, FAQ

Last verified: 6 October 2026. This is a fast-moving situation: a provisional measure can be changed, approved or allowed to lapse by Congress, so always check the official sources linked at the end of this guide before you act.

On 25 September 2026 the Brazilian federal government published Medida Provisória (MP) nº 1.394/2026, a provisional measure that prohibits fixed-odds betting across the whole country. Brazilians know these services simply as "bets". Only a few months earlier, in May 2026, the Ministry of Finance was still publishing an official list of companies authorised to operate them. The change was abrupt, it took legal effect immediately, and it affects millions of players, a few hundred brands, football clubs, broadcasters and payment companies. This guide explains in plain language what the measure says, what the deadlines are, what happens to money sitting in a betting account, and what could happen next.

This guide is information, not legal advice, and nothing in it is a recommendation to use any betting service. If you have a specific problem with a balance or a payment, speak to your bank, to the company holding your balance, or to a lawyer.

What is a provisional measure?

A Medida Provisória is an instrument the President of Brazil can issue in cases of relevance and urgency. It has the force of law from the moment it is published, but it is temporary: Congress has 60 days to vote on it, and that period can be extended once by another 60 days. If Congress does not turn the measure into a permanent law within that window, it loses its effect. Congress can also approve it with changes, which means the final rules can look different from the text that was first published.

For MP 1.394/2026, reporting on the official timetable points to 24 November 2026 as the end of the first 60-day period and 23 January 2027 as the end of the extended period if it is extended. Those dates matter because they are the horizon within which the rules could change.

What the measure prohibits

According to the Ministry of Finance's own explainer page, MP 1.394/2026 prohibits, throughout the national territory, the exploitation, offering, intermediation and advertising of "loterias de apostas de quota fixa" (fixed-odds betting lotteries). In practical terms, the measure covers:

Sports betting (apostas esportivas).
Online games (jogos on-line), the casino-style products that had been allowed under the 2023 framework alongside sports betting.
Physical and virtual environments, in other words shops as well as websites and apps.
Foreign companies offering these services to people located in Brazil.
Authorisations previously granted at federal and state level for the activity.

The measure leaves other lottery modalities that are authorised by law untouched. It does not, for example, end the traditional federal lotteries.

Two words in that list deserve attention: intermediation and advertising. The ban is not only about the companies running the games. It also reaches promotion, sponsorship and anyone who directs people towards these services. That is why sports clubs, broadcasters, influencers and comparison websites have all been told to review what they publish.

The timeline you need to know

The official guidance sets out a short and strict wind-down schedule:

25 September 2026 – the measure is published and takes effect. New deposits into betting accounts are barred and no new authorisations can be granted.
5 October 2026, 23:59 (Brasília time) – last moment for players to withdraw their balances voluntarily. Advertising and sponsorship material was also due to be removed by this point.
6 October 2026 – platforms must be unavailable. Open bets that cannot be settled are liquidated automatically.
Around 6 to 8 October 2026 – companies must report to financial institutions the balances that players did not withdraw.
9 to 14 October 2026 – the financial institutions return the remaining balances to the original payment accounts used by players.
After 14 October 2026 – Caixa Econômica Federal, the state-owned bank, is the fallback channel for amounts that could not be returned and for disputed cases.
25 October 2026 – the authorisations previously granted to betting companies expire, 30 days after the measure's publication.

Different outlets quote slightly different dates for the reporting step, which is why we show a range. The withdrawal deadline of 5 October and the shutdown on 6 October are consistent across the official page and the major reports.

What happens to the money in your betting account?

This is the question most players are asking, and the structure of the measure is designed to protect balances rather than confiscate them. In short:

Balances belong to the player. The measure sets out a procedure to return balances, refunds and prizes. It does not make the money disappear.
Money you did not withdraw is meant to go back to where it came from. After the reporting step, the funds are returned through the financial institutions to the original account or payment method that was used to fund the betting account.
There is a backstop. If something cannot be returned, Caixa Econômica Federal enters the process after 14 October.

What should you actually do? Check your bank and payment-app statements over the days from 9 to 14 October for a credit from the betting company. Keep screenshots of your final balance, your last transactions and any messages you received. If a return does not arrive, contact the company's official support channel first, then your bank, and, if you still have no answer, look for the official guidance of the Ministry of Finance and of the consumer-protection bodies.

Very importantly: nobody legitimate will ask you to pay a fee to release your balance. We come back to this in the section on scams, because a moment of confusion like this one is exactly when fraudsters become active. Our separate guide on spotting fake betting sites and Pix scams in Brazil covers the warning signs in detail.

What happens to open bets and prizes?

Many people ask what happens to a bet that was placed but not yet settled when the platforms closed. According to the Senate's summary of the measure, open bets that have no result within about ten days are cancelled and the full amount wagered is refunded, while prizes that have already been settled are paid normally. Other outlets describe the cut-off slightly differently, for example by saying that bets settled before 5 October are paid and later ones are voided, so keep your betting history and screenshots and check the official channels if the amount you receive does not match your records.

What about bonus balances?

Promotional balances are the part of an account that is hardest to answer with certainty. As far as the public summaries show, the measure sets rules for returning the player's own money, refunds and prizes, but does not spell out how promotional bonus balances are treated. Treat a bonus balance as uncertain, and ask the company through its official channels rather than assuming it will be converted into cash.

The role of the banks and of Caixa Econômica Federal

The return of balances is organised through the financial system, not through the betting companies' own apps. In outline: the companies report each player's unwithdrawn balance, identified by CPF, to financial institutions around 7 and 8 October; the institutions then have about seven days to process the return, which is why the expected window is 9 to 14 October; the money goes back to the original account or payment method whenever possible; and where that is not possible, funds go to Caixa Econômica Federal, which holds them under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance until the person claims them. You do not need to ask anyone for the money to be returned, but you should check every bank and payment-app statement you used to fund the account.

What to do if your balance is not returned

Check the dates. The scheduled return window runs from 9 to 14 October 2026; a missing credit before then is not necessarily a problem.
Check every account. The refund is meant to go to the original payment account, which may not be your main one.
Gather evidence. Screenshots of your last balance and open bets, deposit and withdrawal receipts, e-mails and chat transcripts.
Complain through official channels. Start with the company's official support, then use consumer-protection channels such as Procon and the federal consumer complaints platform consumidor.gov.br. If you cannot afford a lawyer, the Defensoria Pública offers free legal assistance in many cases.
Never pay a fee to anyone who promises to speed up or recover your refund.

This is general information, not legal advice. A lawyer can tell you which remedies fit your situation.

What it means for the companies and the market

Before the measure, the Ministry of Finance's authorisation list showed on the order of 85 companies operating close to 190 brands. Each company had paid a federal authorisation fee reported at R$30 million for a five-year licence. Under the measure, existing authorisations come to an end without compensation, and the text explicitly rules out refunds of those fees. Reports from law firms advising the sector expect operators and industry associations to challenge the measure before the courts, including before the Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF).

The industry association for games and lotteries, a responsible-gambling institute and several major football clubs publicly opposed the measure. The clubs' main concern is the loss of sponsorship income, because betting brands had become one of the most visible sources of shirt and stadium sponsorship in Brazilian football. Other affected groups include broadcasters, advertising agencies, technology and game suppliers, and payment companies.

Payment companies have a particular obligation. Banks and payment providers are not supposed to process betting transactions beyond what is necessary for the orderly closure of accounts. As we read it, that means the usual ways of funding a betting account in Brazil, including Pix, are no longer available for that purpose while the measure is in force.

Why was the measure introduced?

The government's decision followed more than a year of public debate about the social effects of online betting, from household debt to the exposure of young adults and the growth of advertising around sport. We do not repeat unverified statistics here. What is clear from the public record is that the 2023 framework had created a licensed market from 1 January 2025, that the Ministry of Finance published and updated a list of authorised companies, and that the federal government then decided in September 2026 to replace regulation by prohibition.

A short history of the framework

Law nº 13.756 of 12 December 2018 created the "fixed-odds betting" lottery modality at federal level.
Law nº 14.790 of 29 December 2023 set out the licensing, tax, advertising and responsible-gambling rules and covered both sports betting and online games. The Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas (SPA), part of the Ministry of Finance, became the regulator.
1 January 2025 – the authorised market formally opened to the public.
May 2026 – the SPA's published authorisation spreadsheet still listed authorised companies, their brands and their official domains, all under the ".bet.br" ending.
25 September 2026 – MP 1.394/2026 prohibits the activity.

Penalties, blocking and the payments system

The measure comes with enforcement tools. According to the Senate's summary, betting platforms that do not comply face daily fines of R$ 200,000, and providers of apps and internet platforms can be fined up to 10% of the revenue of their economic group or up to R$ 50 million per violation. The Ministries of Justice and Finance can request the blocking of sites and apps, which the telecommunications regulator Anatel passes on to internet providers, and app stores are expected to remove betting apps. Companies must keep records of their players for five years.

The payments system is also involved. Banks, payment institutions and other participants in payment arrangements may not process or enable transactions for fixed-odds betting, except for what is needed to wind accounts down and return money. The Central Bank is required to put in place a mechanism to reject instant payments, which includes Pix, that are linked to prohibited betting. In practice, this means that a Pix payment to a betting service is expected to be blocked, and that anyone asking you for such a payment is asking you to do something the payments system is designed to stop.

Is the measure already law? Congress and the courts

A provisional measure applies from the day it is published, so the prohibition is already in force. But it is not yet permanent law. Congress has 120 days (counting the extension) to vote on it, and the legislative process runs through a joint committee and both houses. Associations from the sector have also taken the measure to the Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF), according to the court's own news service, which means that a court decision could affect it. If you read that "the bets are coming back" or "the ban is cancelled", check whether it comes from the Ministry of Finance, Congress or the courts, because social-media posts regularly get this wrong.

Does it cover state lotteries, poker or the "jogo do tigrinho"?

Traditional lotteries. Other lottery modalities authorised by law, such as the federal lotteries operated by Caixa, are not affected. State concessions for fixed-odds betting are brought to an end.
Slot-style games. Popular online slots, including the one known as "jogo do tigrinho", are online games with random results, which fall within the scope of the measure.
Poker. The text defines its scope as fixed-odds betting and online games with random outcomes. Skill-based games such as poker are not mentioned explicitly, and some legal commentary says they fall outside the measure. Because the position is not entirely clear, anyone affected should seek legal advice.

What could happen next?

There are three broad possibilities, and it is too early to say which is most likely:

Congress approves the measure and the prohibition becomes permanent law.
Congress amends it, for example to allow some forms of betting again under stricter rules. The reporting around the measure mentions this as one possible route.
The measure lapses because Congress does not vote on it in time. In that case the 2023 framework would, in principle, come back into force, although in practice the companies' situation would be very uncertain after months of closure.

In parallel, expect court challenges. Provisional measures can be questioned before the Supreme Federal Tribunal, and several organisations have said they will do so. A court decision could suspend or alter the effects of the measure, which is another reason to rely on official sources rather than social-media summaries.

A practical checklist for players

Do not try to deposit or play on any site that is still accessible. After the measure, any service that still takes bets from people in Brazil is operating outside the rules, and you may have no way to recover your money.
Check your bank and payment-app statements from 9 to 14 October for the return of your balance.
Keep records: screenshots of balances, receipts, e-mails and chat transcripts.
Use only the official channels of the company, your bank and the government to ask about your balance.
Be suspicious of anyone who contacts you first, especially on messaging apps, offering to "unlock" or "recover" money.
If betting was becoming a problem for you or someone close to you, use this moment as a chance to talk to someone. 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.

Frequently asked questions

Is online betting legal in Brazil today?

Under MP 1.394/2026, which has legal force since 25 September 2026, fixed-odds betting, including sports betting and online games, is prohibited nationwide. The measure is provisional and Congress can still change it.

Did the measure also ban online casinos?

Yes. The official explainer states that the prohibition covers sports betting and online games ("jogos on-line"), and it applies to companies based abroad that offer these services to people in Brazil.

Can I still withdraw my money?

The voluntary withdrawal window closed on 5 October 2026 at 23:59 Brasília time. Balances that were not withdrawn are to be reported to financial institutions and returned to the original payment accounts between 9 and 14 October, with Caixa Econômica Federal acting as the fallback afterwards.

Is it legal for a website or influencer to promote betting sites to people in Brazil now?

The measure prohibits the advertising and intermediation of fixed-odds betting, and it set a deadline for removing advertising and sponsorship material. Anyone publishing content about this should read the measure and seek legal advice.

Where can I read the official text?

The Ministry of Finance's Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas published an explainer page on MP 1.394/2026 and keeps the lists of authorised companies on its website. The text of the measure itself is published in the Diário Oficial da União.

When do the bets go offline?

Platforms and apps were due to be unavailable on 6 October 2026, after the voluntary withdrawal window closed on 5 October at 23:59 Brasília time.

What happens to a bet that is still open?

According to the Senate's summary, open bets with no result within about ten days are cancelled and the amount wagered is refunded in full, and settled prizes are paid normally. Keep your records in case the figures differ.

Was the "jogo do tigrinho" banned too?

Yes, in the sense that online slot games with random results fall within the scope of the measure, which covers fixed-odds betting and online games.

Can the bank or Caixa take my money?

The measure sends unwithdrawn balances back to the original payment account, and where that is impossible, to Caixa Econômica Federal, which holds them for the person under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance. If you have debts, speak to a lawyer about whether your bank can offset them.

Will the ban be permanent?

Not necessarily. Congress has 120 days to approve it, change it or let it lapse, and the Supreme Federal Tribunal has been asked to review it.

Brazil's Betting Ban Explained: What MP 1.394/2026 Means for Players