Brazil betting groups fight ban over $477m in licence fees

ANJL & IBJR want Justice Fux to freeze the ban until a public hearing the government itself requested takes place.

The hit

Brazil’s betting trade bodies ANJL & IBJR filed an urgent petition with the Supreme Federal Court on Tuesday, asking Justice Luiz Fux to suspend the betting ban until a new public hearing can be held. The filing, part of case ADI 7721 according to BNLData, came a day after the Attorney General’s Office asked the court to hold that same hearing while keeping the ban in force.

Why it matters

For bettors & operators, the ruling decides whether the ban stays live while the market’s future gets reargued in court. The associations say a hearing held after licences are revoked & bettors scattered settles nothing. They also warn that a legal shutdown pushes bettors toward unregulated sites, stripping away protections like self-exclusion & under-18 checks.

The record

Licence fees at stake	BRL 2.55bn ($476.6m) paid by 83 companies for 85 five-year licenses
Bettor funds still owed	BRL 1.453bn ($271.6m) across 28.65 million CPF numbers, per government figures
Illegal domains surge	Active unauthorised domains rose from 1,195 to 1,949, a 63% increase (Bet Legal observatory)
Illegal sites reported for blocking	10,435 websites submitted by the federal government in one week
Alternative transition date proposed	31 December 2026, a date first raised by Deputy Attorney General Lucas Rocha Furtado

What happens next

Justice Fux must now rule on the suspension request. Operators must submit bettor lists on 7-8 October, return balances 9-14 October, with licences expiring 25 October unless the court intervenes.

Sources: Brazil: ANJL and IBJR ask courts to suspend betting ban pending public hearing

Named in this story? Reply to newsdesk@infobets.com & we publish it.

18+. Betting involves risk. If gambling is a problem for you or someone close to you, help is available.