Brazil's betting ban fight moves to the Supreme Court and Congress after Lula's re-election
Brazil's electoral court confirmed Lula's re-election with about 52% of the vote. iGaming Business's Brazilian commentator says the fight over Provisional Measure 1,394 now moves to the Supreme Federal Court and Congress, and that Congress may allow sports betting back without online casino.
Brazil is a close example of what happens when a regulated online gambling market is abruptly closed. Operators that held licences stopped trading, and players are left to choose between waiting and unlicensed sites. South Africa has no regulated online casino market to withdraw, but the lesson about licence certainty is the same: a licence is only as stable as the law behind it. The suggestion that online casino may be left out of any return is the part to watch.
What happened
iGaming Business reported on 26 October 2026 that Brazil's Superior Electoral Court confirmed Lula's re-election on Sunday with almost 52% of the vote against just over 48% for Flavio Bolsonaro. The article, written by Gildo Mazza, is opinion and analysis, so some of what follows is the author's view and not established fact.
The court route
The Supreme Federal Court must first decide whether Provisional Measure 1,394, which banned betting, is constitutional. Sector bodies and football clubs have filed actions, and rapporteur Minister Luiz Fux had promised a decision once the election was over. The author expects the court to consider revoking the measure.
The Congress route
Congress has until 25 November to consider the measure, with a possible 60-day extension. From 9 November its agenda is blocked until the measure is voted on. A joint committee has been partly formed but not installed. The author says the indication in Congress is that betting sites could return with sports betting only, and that the licences are reported as invalid from 25 October, so it is unclear whether operators must reapply.
The cost, as the author counts it
The commentary says operators paid BRL30 million for five-year concessions, stopped trading for more than 30 days and lost about BRL1.2 billion in revenue, while the government lost over BRL400 million in tax revenue. These are the author's estimates.
What it means for South African players
Nothing in Brazil changes what you can play here. It does show why we tell readers to check who licenses a site before depositing.