Three Brazilian trade groups have filed petitions with the Supreme Federal Court, known as the STF, seeking to suspend President Lula’s provisional measure banning online betting.
The provisional measure was introduced on Friday, 25 September, and immediately prohibited online betting operations across the country without delay.
Operators have been given until 6 October to take their betting sites and apps offline in compliance with the sweeping new directive.
Licence revocations are then scheduled to follow 30 days after the measure’s official publication, meaning the deadline falls on 25 October.
Although the measure took effect immediately upon introduction, it still requires a review by Congress before it can permanently enter into Brazilian law.
That congressional review process may take place over a period of up to 120 days, leaving the industry in significant uncertainty during the interim period.
The trade groups representing the online betting sector have moved quickly, filing petitions with the supreme court requesting that the measure’s effects be suspended while that review takes place.
Their central argument is that no new facts have emerged that would justify the urgency required under Brazil’s constitution for the legitimate use of a provisional measure.
The groups further argue that the government itself proposed the regulatory framework now under question, and that risks around vulnerable people, advertising and online casino products were all debated as the original bill moved through Congress.
Should the injunction be granted, the associations are requesting that several key bodies be barred from enforcing the provisional measure against operators in the meantime.
Those bodies include the Finance Ministry, Justice Ministry, Central Bank, telecoms regulator Anatel, Caixa Econômica Federal, and the Internet Steering Committee, covering a broad range of enforcement arms.
Beyond the petition already filed within existing STF cases, trade group ANJL has confirmed it will also file a separate legal action aimed specifically at challenging the provisional measure itself.
The case now sits with one of Brazil’s most powerful judicial bodies, and a decision on the injunction request could have immediate consequences for the country’s entire online betting industry.
