Brazil's Congress Extends Betting Ban for 60 Days, Keeping Sites Shut Until March

Senate President Davi Alcolumbre gave lawmakers until March 4, 2027 to vote on Lula's ban. The committee that must review it first has not yet been set up.

Francis Gable

11/11/26 · 2 minNovember 11, 2026 · 2 min read

Davi Alcolumbre, who presides over Brazil's Congress, extended the emergency measure banning sports betting and online casino games by 60 days, in an act published in the official gazette on Nov. 11.

The extension keeps every licensed sportsbook and online casino in Brazil closed. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the measure on Sept. 25, and its first 60 days would have ended on Nov. 23, according to the Congress tracking page.

The ban has the force of law but becomes permanent only if both chambers approve it in time. Flamengo, the soccer club, estimated sponsorship losses of R$430 million ($77 million) a year at a Supreme Court hearing on Nov. 3, according to CNN Brasil.

Recess Pushes the Deadline to March 4

Congress's year-end break pauses the clock. Gilberto Guerzoni, a Senate legislative adviser, told Rádio Senado that lawmakers break on Dec. 22 and return on Feb. 2 with a newly elected legislature. The Senate broadcaster puts the new expiry at March 4, 2027.

The text has drawn 99 amendments. On Nov. 9 it reached urgency status, a stage that blocks other floor votes until it is dealt with.

No vote can happen yet. A joint committee of deputies and senators must report on the measure first, and it has not been set up, according to CNN Brasil and InfoMoney.

Courts and Senators Keep the Fight Open

Operators are also fighting in court. Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux has frozen every lower-court challenge to the ban until the full court rules, after hearing operators, clubs and the government at a public hearing on Nov. 3. He cited the risk of conflicting rulings, according to CNN Brasil.

Licensed betting sites have been offline since Oct. 6, under the government's shutdown schedule.

In the Senate, the economic affairs committee plans a public hearing on the ban's economic and social impact, requested by Senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo. No date has been set. The next step to watch is the joint committee's first meeting, since the ban expires on March 4 unless both chambers approve it first.

Treat gambling as entertainment you pay for. 18+, and if it stops feeling like entertainment, help exists at BeGambleAware and GamCare.