On October 6, the ANJL and IBJR submitted a request to Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, specifically addressing Justice Luiz Fux, asking for a suspension of the country’s betting ban until a new public hearing can occur. The organizations seek to permit authorized operators to continue processing deposits and accepting bets until that hearing takes place. The federal government has requested a second hearing to review new evidence from the licensed gaming sector.
The Attorney General’s Office is against this suspension and has urged Justice Fux to await a formal response from the Prosecutor General’s Office before making a decision. ANJL and IBJR have expressed concerns that holding the hearing after authorized licenses are revoked and contracts are terminated would reduce the discussion to a mere formality, a “fait accompli.” They argue that if the government requires additional proof, it is logical to maintain operations while such evidence is gathered.
As a back-up plan, ANJL and IBJR propose to allow market participants to operate until 11:59 p.m. on December 31, unless the new regulations take effect at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2027. Their petition also calls for restoring access to authorized channels, ending traffic redirection, reviving operators’ social media accounts, and permitting contractual dealings with legal entities even during the transition period.
To bolster their request, the government has reported a total of 10,435 illegal websites identified for blocking between September 25 and October 1. Bet Legal reported a significant increase in unauthorized sites, with 1,195 reported as of September 24 and rising to 1,949 by the morning of October 6.
Statistical data indicates that 83 enterprises have paid around €400 million (BRL 2.55 billion) to acquire 85 five-year licenses, with the effective period running from January 2025 to March 2026. A provisional measure states that these licenses will expire without offering reimbursement or compensation to the license holders.
This scenario follows an earlier application by ANJL regarding ADI 8027 related to Provisional Measure 1,394/2026, seeking to have it suspended. However, the current petition specifically addresses the necessity of maintaining legal operations until the hearing or the beginning of the transition period on December 31.
