Brazil betting operators could resume on October 26 under alleged political deal

According to the report by Brasil de Fato, betting operators have an agreement with presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, to restart operations in the country if he wins the runoff on October 26. The report cites a single unnamed source described as linked to BetMGM. The alleged agreement has not been independently confirmed and the report provides no supporting documents. Agreement is unconfirmed The same report mentiones that other operator had contacts within the party helping facilitate discussions and that Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux was aware of the arrangement. Flávio Bolsonaro’s press office had not responded by the time of publication. Also, Bolsanaro told Globo’s chairman on October 16, that there is an agreement to bring betting back and that it already reached the Congress. Anyway, there are no real confirmations that operators will resume on October 26, reports Sporting News Brasil. Provisional Measure deadline ends soon Originally, the date of Provisional Measure 1,394 was set for initial 30-day period that ends on October 25. It also prohibits new authorizations and invalidates pending applications. The shutdown process began earlier. Operators were required to stop accepting deposits on September 25 and take their websites and applications offline within 10 days. Government and congress still face key decisions If Flávio Bolsonaro wins the election, he will not get to take over right away. He is expected to assume office on January 5th, 2027. Until that happens, President Lula’s administration will continue to execute laws with the help of Prizes and Betting Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance. The record of Congress updated on October 21 shows that there has been no installation of a joint committee that would review the provisional measure. The lawmakers submitted 99 amendments by October 13th, with five of them being withdrawn. The provisional measure is expected to freeze the work of Congress from November 9. Its initial period of use is 60 days and it will end on November 23. In case of not being extended, the provisional measure will freeze the work of Congress for more than 60 days. Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux is the rapporteur for challenges to the 2023 betting law and three new cases contesting the provisional measure, including one filed by the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL). As of October 22, Fux had not issued a ruling. O Estado de S. Paulo reported that a decision was expected only after the presidential runoff. Meanwhile, the Senate’s e-Cidadania consultation on the measure had recorded 491,694 votes in favor and 81,240 against as of October 22. The reported October 26 restart therefore remains unconfirmed. Any return to the Brazilian betting market would depend on the applicable legal framework and decisions by the relevant authorities, not solely on the runoff result.