Brazil Betting Sites and Apps Go Offline as Ban Wind-Down Begins

Fixed-odds betting websites and apps in Brazil must be unavailable from October 6, 2026, under the shutdown calendar published by the Ministry of Finance following the national ban on fixed-odds betting. The voluntary window for bettors to withdraw available balances from platforms closed at 23:59 on October 5, 2026.

The ministry set out the timetable in a notice published October 5, 2026. Under the calendar, new deposits into the transactional accounts of betting platforms have been prohibited since September 25, 2026, the publication date of Provisional Measure 1.394/2026.

Provisional Measure 1.394/2026 prohibited the exploitation, offer, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting lotteries across the entire national territory, according to an official explainer published by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets, the Ministry of Finance’s betting secretariat. The ban covers sports betting and online games in physical and virtual environments, including offerings by agents based abroad to people located in Brazil, and it applies to state and district concessions, permissions and authorizations. Other lottery modalities authorized by law are not covered. The measure established a transition period for closing operations and defined procedures for the withdrawal and return of funds held by bettors on platforms.

Refund Schedule for Bettor Balances

On October 6 and 7, 2026, platforms must inform financial institutions of the remaining balance of each bettor, itemized by CPF taxpayer registration number, along with the origin bank account of the deposits.

Financial institutions must then return the amounts to the respective bettors between October 9 and 14, 2026. From October 14, 2026, Caixa Econômica Federal will act as intermediary in returning funds to bettors in cases where operational difficulty prevents banks from making the refund.

Blocked-Access Notice

The federal government’s “Brasil sem Bets” blocked-access page tells visitors that the betting platform they tried to access is offline by determination of Provisional Measure 1.394/26, which has prohibited sports betting and online casinos in Brazil since September 25, 2026.

The page states that platforms were obliged to keep their sites live and allow withdrawals until 23:59 on October 5, 2026, and that banks operating with betting platforms will return balances automatically between October 9 and 14, 2026. Anyone who does not receive their money is directed to seek Caixa Econômica Federal from October 14. The page also invites reports of any platform still operating and directs people harmed by betting to the SUS public health service through gov.br/bets.

Obligations for Formerly Licensed Companies

The Secretariat of Prizes and Bets published Portaria 3.005/2026 on October 2, 2026, an ordinance establishing the procedures and deadlines for the regulatory obligations of companies that had been authorized to offer betting in Brazil, the secretariat said in an October 5, 2026 notice. The ordinance regulates stages of the operations-closure process, including the submission of information on amounts still to be returned to bettors, the regularization of financial obligations and the updating of company registration data.

Companies must report to the SPA, through the Sigap betting-management system, the final balances in bettor accounts and the amounts held in the transactional accounts used to move betting funds. The information must reflect balances recorded as of 23:59 on October 5, 2026, and must reach the secretariat by October 7, 2026.

The required data includes the identification of the companies and the brands they used, the financial institutions responsible for the accounts, bettors’ CPF numbers and dates of birth, the amounts to be refunded, and the banking details needed to make the returns. Operators must also inform the date on which they sent the financial institutions the data needed to make the payments.

Operators must keep their registration and contact data current. Any change to the legal representative’s information, address, telephone number or official email must be communicated to the secretariat within 48 hours, and each company must appoint a legal representative to track pending obligations until they are fully regularized.

The ordinance sets December 15, 2026 as the deadline for companies to regularize the financial and regulatory obligations related to their period of operation and to the transition toward the extinction of their authorizations, subject to specific deadlines set by the SPA. Companies remain responsible for obligations constituted while they were operating even after their authorizations end, and completing these stages does not prevent later identification and collection by the SPA or other competent bodies.