Brazil signs the Macolin Convention on match-fixing, the first country in the Americas to do so
Brazil signed the Council of Europe's Macolin Convention against the manipulation of sports competitions at a ceremony in France. The treaty must still go through the National Congress and be ratified before Brazil becomes a full party.
This is a sports betting integrity story, not a casino one, and it does not change anything for South African players directly. It is relevant because match-fixing and betting regulation are being tackled through international cooperation, and South Africa is a major betting market with its own history of integrity cases. Brazil's move shows that large markets outside Europe are joining the same information-sharing framework. South African readers who bet on sport can expect integrity monitoring to become more international over time.
What was signed
Brazil has signed the Macolin Convention, the main international treaty on preventing and fighting the manipulation of sports competitions. iGaming Business reported the signing on 3 November 2026. The ceremony took place at the Council of Europe headquarters in France, and the treaty was signed for the Brazilian government by its ambassador to France, Ricardo Neiva Tavares.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs oversaw the process, with the Ministries of Sport, Finance and Justice taking part. Brazil is described as the first country in the Americas to sign.
What the treaty does
The convention was opened for signature in 2014 in Macolin, Switzerland, and has been in force since September 2019. As of September 2026 it had 43 signatories, of which 17 had ratified it. Australia and Morocco are among the signatories outside Europe.
- It sets up information exchange between countries and cooperation between authorities.
- It calls for monitoring of suspicious movements in sports betting.
- It requires each state to have a national platform that gathers information and links sports bodies, regulators and betting operators.
Brazil's domestic steps
The Brazilian Ministry of Sport has followed the accession since 2025, and the government announced its intention to join in September of that year. In March 2026 it created a National Policy for the Prevention and Combat of Manipulation of Sports Results, developed with the Finance and Justice ministries and the Federal Police. Giovanni Rocco, the National Secretary of Sports Betting, said the signing expands the possibilities for international cooperation.
What it means for South African players
There is no change to the rules you bet under. The point is direction of travel: integrity monitoring of betting markets is increasingly shared across borders, which makes it harder to hide suspicious patterns in one jurisdiction. Casino games such as slots and roulette are outside the scope of this treaty, which is about sport.
What to watch next
Brazil still has to send the text to the National Congress for approval and then complete ratification under its own procedures. Until then it is a signatory, not a full party. Brazil's wider betting rules are also still being fought over, which we cover in our news section.