Brazilian court lets Stake keep operating until 25 October amid national gambling ban
A federal court in São Paulo has granted Stake a partial injunction allowing it to operate in Brazil until 25 October 2026 and ordering its platform to be unblocked, reported by iGaming Business on 9 October. The wider question of Brazil's provisional ban on online gambling remains before the courts.
Brazil is a long way from South Africa, but it is a live example of how fast a regulated online gambling market can be reversed by a single government decision. South Africa has no licensed online casino regime, and the long-stalled National Gambling Amendment Bill is the main route to one. Brazil shows why players should not assume that a market open today stays open, and why checking an operator's licence status in the country where you live matters.
What happened
The Federal Court of São Paulo granted a partial injunction to Stake, according to iGaming Business on 9 October 2026. The judge, Cristiane Farias Rodrigues dos Santos of the 9th Federal Civil Court, allowed the operator to continue in Brazil until 25 October, the date the government's provisional measure set for operator licences to expire.
The court ordered that Stake's authorisation not be treated as terminated, which suspends the blocking of its platform. Stake's request to operate until its licence would have expired on 31 December 2029 was left for a later merits review.
The conditions and the background
The court attached 12 conditions. Reported examples include:
- barring bets from people excluded by law, government programmes or regulatory tools;
- barring gambling with social programme money;
- keeping identification, withdrawal options and enough funds to cover balances;
- banning advertising aimed at children and teenagers and new campaigns to grow the user base.
The case was brought by the law firm Bichara e Motta against Provisional Measure 1.394/2026. iGaming Business reports that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva banned online gambling in late September 2026 through that measure, and that two major Brazilian gambling trade bodies have asked the Supreme Federal Court to overturn it. No timeline for that ruling has been given.
The law firm described the order as the first favourable decision for a fixed-odds operator in the dispute. This is a single first-instance order for one company, not a ruling on the ban itself.
What it means for South African players
Nothing changes for South African players. The story is useful context. Brazil moved from a licensed betting market to a proposed ban in a matter of months, and operators and players were left with uncertainty about balances and access. That is the kind of risk to weigh when choosing where to play, and it is a reason to read the terms of any site on withdrawals and account closure.
Gambling carries real risk of loss and should be treated as entertainment. Our responsible gambling page lists tools and help lines.
What to watch next
Key dates and events: the 25 October expiry of the provisional measure's licence deadline, the merits decision on Stake's request, and any Supreme Federal Court action on the trade bodies' challenge. Other operators may seek similar orders, but nothing in the report says they have been granted.