Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has scheduled a public hearing for November 3 to examine the country’s ban on fixed-odds betting, as legal challenges continue and operators remain unable to resume activities, BNL Data reported.
Justice Luiz Fux ordered the hearing for 10 a.m. in the Second Chamber’s session room, inviting 26 participants from the betting industry, football, government, and other organizations.
His October 26 order, issued a day after the second round of voting, neither addresses the constitutional challenges nor grants the interim relief requested by operators. Provisional Measure 1.394/2026 consequently remains in effect, while operating authorizations that expired October 25 remain ineffective.
The restrictions have disrupted football sponsorship arrangements, resulting in contract terminations, suspensions, and revisions. Betting companies accounted for 7.9% of Brazilian Série A clubs’ revenue through direct sponsorships in 2025.
Ten clubs have been invited: Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, Cruzeiro, São Paulo, Corinthians, Ponte Preta, Vitória, Guarani, and Portuguesa. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), which has not publicly stated its position, was also summoned.
According to Folha de S.Paulo, the hearing could examine a potential agreement between the government, operators, and football clubs. One proposal reportedly discussed before the election would maintain sports betting while prohibiting online casinos and slots.
Such a compromise would affect a significant revenue source for regulated operators, while raising concerns that consumers could migrate to unauthorized gambling platforms without age verification or consumer safeguards.
Industry groups ANJL and IBJR argue that the measure lacked the constitutional urgency required for its introduction and that Congress should have considered the restrictions.
The hearing follows an October 6 request by the Attorney General’s Office to reject interim injunctions, consult the office before ruling, and revisit discussions held in November 2024. Folha reported that judicial intervention was avoided during voting to prevent perceptions of interference.
Unlike the 2024 hearing, which focused on gambling-related mental health and neurological concerns, the upcoming proceedings are expected to emphasize economic and legal issues.
Invitations extend to industry associations ANJL, IBJR, ANSEJA, AIGAMING, Abracopel, and ANPV, alongside Abert, CNI, ABLE, UERJ’s Economic Regulation Laboratory, and Abracrim. Government-side participants include the AGU, Finance Ministry, PGR, and CNC.
The invitation list excludes Congress, several ministries, Caixa Econômica Federal, football leagues, gamblers’ representatives, and the Brazilian Institute of Legal Gambling. Fux previously described betting as a “new and detrimental market activity” in separate proceedings interrupted by Justice Flávio Dino’s request for review.
The sector has faced more than a month of disruption since September 25, including lost revenue and suspended collections for legally designated beneficiaries, with its central legal challenges still unresolved.