Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued Provisional Measure No. 1,394 on Sept. 25, prohibiting the operation, offer, brokerage and advertising of fixed-odds betting in the country. The measure covers bets on real sports events and virtual online-game events, applies to state and district authorizations, and leaves other lottery categories already authorized by law outside its scope. It took effect on publication.
The measure gives operators 10 days to remove physical or digital advertising and sponsorship signs. The government says the deadline is Oct. 5 at 11:59 p.m. local time and that betting websites and apps must go offline from Oct. 6. Existing federal, state and district authorizations are set to expire 30 days after publication. The Ministry of Health says sanctions can reach R$2 billion. The text also bars new deposits from publication, while requiring operators and payment providers to return eligible customer balances.
For esports clubs, tournaments and creators, the commercial effect is direct: fixed-odds betting sponsorships and promotional material aimed at Brazilian audiences fall under the prohibition, whether distributed physically or digitally. The measure exempts certain betting advertising published before Sept. 25 when it was ancillary to other content, so implementation around existing posts and sponsorship inventory will require attention to that distinction. FURIA, paiN Gaming, LOUD and MIBR are among the Brazilian esports properties to watch for public changes to sponsor placements; the measure itself does not identify individual contracts.
The change follows a Ministry of Finance notice published Sept. 15 on payment controls targeting irregular betting operations. That announcement described tools for detecting and blocking financial flows linked to illegal operators; 10 days later, the provisional measure also set a timetable to end the licensed fixed-odds market. Its effect on esports will be visible in sponsor removals and revised commercial announcements over the transition period.
