MP 1.394/2026 · Refunds · What Changed for Players · Crypto Rules
📌 Important: Brazil banned online betting and casino games on 25 September 2026. While MP 1.394 is in force, Cocktailspins does not list or recommend betting or casino operators for players in Brazil. This page explains the law, the refund process and the crypto rules. Latest: Brazil Bans Online Betting — What MP 1.394 Means for Players.
Brazil spent most of 2024 building a licensed betting market. Law 14.790/2023 set the rules, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) issued authorisations, and from January 2025 around 85 to 87 companies operated legally after paying a R$30 million fee each. Deposits had to come through PIX or TED via a Central Bank-authorised institution, and players were identified by their CPF.
On 25 September 2026 President Lula signed Provisional Measure 1.394/2026 and ended that market. Published in an extra edition of the Diário Oficial, the measure prohibits operating, offering, intermediating and advertising fixed-odds betting, online or physical. That covers sports betting and online casino-style games. Lottery products authorised by other laws, such as the federal lotteries run by Caixa, are not affected.
The government’s stated reasons were household debt and gambling addiction. Finance Minister Dario Durigan said earlier SPA protections had proven ineffective, and Lula criticised football clubs’ dependence on betting sponsorship. The industry sees it differently: the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) called the measure “aimed solely at perceived electoral gain”, and the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) warned of “significant economic and legal consequences”.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 25 Sep 2026 | Measure in force. New deposits barred. |
| 5 Oct 2026 | Last day for players to withdraw balances themselves. |
| 6 Oct 2026 | Licensed sites and apps offline, including app-store listings. |
| 7–8 Oct 2026 | Operators consolidate balances by CPF. |
| 9–14 Oct 2026 | Refunds paid through operators’ partner banks. |
| From 14 Oct 2026 | Caixa Econômica Federal handles balances that could not be refunded. |
| 25 Oct 2026 | All authorisations under Law 14.790 extinguished. |
| 30 Oct 2026 | Banks may no longer serve unauthorised virtual asset providers. |
The measure is specific about money already in the system. Bets settled before the switch-off must be paid. Bets still open are void, and the stake is refunded in full. Within two days of going offline, operators must fund the refunds and send the banks and the SPA a list of amounts owed per CPF, with the money kept in segregated accounts. Banks then pay the player’s registered account within seven days of receiving that list.
Operators that miss these steps face a penalty of R$200,000 per day until they comply. From 14 October, balances that could not be returned move to an account at Caixa under Ministry of Finance supervision. If you had money at a licensed operator and have not received it, the refund goes to the bank account registered to your CPF, so that is the first place to check.
Advertising, marketing and sponsorship of fixed-odds betting are banned in every medium. Existing material had to be removed within ten days. Breaches count as abusive advertising under the Consumer Protection Code, internet providers carry a duty of care over betting promotion including third-party content, and app stores must keep banned products off their platforms. Platforms face fines of up to 10% of the group’s Brazilian turnover, capped at R$50 million per infraction.
A separate bill sent to Congress would add prison terms: four to six years for operating, and two to four years for promotion, use of data, payment facilitation and providing the app. That bill is not law yet. It shows where enforcement is heading.
Many players will ask whether the ban only hits the licensed market. It does not. According to the published text, MP 1.394 also reaches operators based abroad that offer bets to people in Brazil. Offshore sites were already outside the Law 14.790 framework, which meant no CPF-linked protections, no SPA oversight and no Brazilian complaint route. Now they are explicitly within the scope of a ban that also prohibits intermediation.
Crypto does not change that. A transfer through an exchange is still a transfer to a betting platform, and from 30 October 2026 the payment side tightens again, because banks may not provide accounts or FX services to virtual asset providers that lack Central Bank authorisation. A platform that loses its banking rails can also lose the ability to pay out. That is the risk players face, whatever the bonus looks like.
On 9 October 2026 the 9th Federal Civil Court of São Paulo granted Stake a partial injunction. The judge reasoned that if authorisations were already void, the measure would have no reason to set a later end date, and that the administration could not bring the termination forward. Stake was allowed to operate until 25 October under 12 conditions, including no new promotional campaigns or user acquisition, full withdrawal rights for players, blocking of excluded bettors and preserved records. Its request to continue until its licence would have expired in December 2029 still awaits a ruling on the merits.
A provisional measure lasts 60 days and can be extended once by another 60, with the clock paused during congressional recess. If Congress does not convert it, it lapses, although relations formed while it was in force remain governed by it unless Congress passes a legislative decree. The licences end on day thirty regardless, before any vote is due. Trade bodies have asked the Supreme Federal Court to suspend the measure, and the Attorney General’s Office has asked the court to uphold it. Brazil’s presidential election has made the ban a campaign issue. We will update this page as each of these moves.
Separately from betting, Brazil now runs one of the strictest digital asset regimes anywhere. Central Bank Resolutions 519, 520 and 521 took effect on 2 February 2026, formally pulling virtual asset service providers into the traditional financial system. Full authorisation is required by 30 October 2026, after which banks are prohibited from providing accounts or FX services to unauthorised entities.
The reason for the intensity is in the Central Bank’s own data: stablecoins account for roughly 90% of Brazilian crypto transaction volume. Brazilians use USDT and USDC to pay bills, send remittances and hedge against real volatility. That makes stablecoins behave like money without central bank backing, which is precisely what regulators moved to address.
What the rules mean in practice: algorithmic stablecoins and any lacking auditable fiat or public-debt reserves are prohibited. Pure VASPs face a USD 100,000 per-transaction limit, rising to USD 500,000 for financial institutions authorised in FX. Monthly reporting of stablecoin purchases, sales and international transfers is mandatory. And clients must be told explicitly that there is no coverage from the deposit guarantee fund, the FGC.
The authorised VASP list is public. Checking it before depositing is the single most useful step a Brazilian crypto user can take — under Article 18 of Resolution 519, an unauthorised platform faces compulsory shutdown with a thirty-day deadline to return client assets, and recovering funds from a platform in that position is not straightforward. For how stablecoin transfers work in general, see our USDT TRC20 explainer.
The federal lotteries operated by Caixa, such as Mega-Sena, are not covered by MP 1.394. Owning and trading crypto through an authorised provider remains legal, with gains reported to the Receita Federal. Fixed-odds betting in any form, online or in person, is not legal while the measure is in force, and state-level lottery betting schemes remain a point of dispute between the states and the federal government.
No. Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, signed on 25 September 2026, bans operating, offering, intermediating and advertising fixed-odds betting, including sports betting and online casino-style games. All federal authorisations end on 25 October 2026.
No. According to the published text, MP 1.394 also reaches operators based abroad that offer bets to people in Brazil. Offshore platforms were never covered by Brazilian consumer protection, and from 30 October 2026 banks may not serve unauthorised virtual asset providers.
Settled bets must be paid and open bets refunded in full. Operators consolidate balances by CPF and refund them through partner banks. From 14 October 2026, Caixa Econômica Federal handles balances that could not be refunded.
Yes. Law 14.478/2022 recognises digital assets. Since 2 February 2026, Central Bank Resolutions 519, 520 and 521 require virtual asset service providers to be authorised, segregate client assets and report stablecoin activity.
A provisional measure must be converted into law by Congress within 60 days, extendable once by 60. Trade bodies have challenged it at the Supreme Federal Court. The licences, however, end on 25 October 2026, before any vote is due.
If gambling has caused financial or personal harm, free and confidential help is available. In Brazil, the CVV emotional support line answers on 188, and Jogadores Anônimos runs support groups across the country. Internationally, BeGambleAware.org and GamCare offer guidance. Our Responsible Gambling Score explains what good player protection looks like.
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