The Brazil betting ban has cost more than 3,500 direct jobs, about 23% of the licensed betting workforce, according to a preliminary survey published on 7 October 2026 by the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL). A further 4,167 employees are on collective leave.
The survey counts dismissals and contract terminations since 25 September, when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Provisional Measure (MP) 1,394/2026. It relies on data that betting companies sent to the ANJL by 7 October, so the association describes the figures as partial.
ANJL job loss figures
The ANJL projects that dismissals will reach 5,600 within 90 days, or 37% of the sector’s workforce. Some of the workers now on collective leave could be dismissed if the ban stays in force, according to the association.
We need real numbers to measure the effects of the measure on workers.
Plínio Lemos Jorge, President, National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL), in a statement (translated from Portuguese)
Lemos Jorge said the losses reach beyond operators to payment providers, marketing agencies, compliance specialists, affiliates and trade media, as reported by G3 Newswire. He called the MP an “unconstitutional decision” that the Supreme Federal Court (STF) has yet to rule on.
What the Brazil betting ban covers
The text of MP 1,394/2026 prohibits the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting, both sports bets and online games, including by operators based abroad that serve people in Brazil. Other lottery types authorised by law are excluded.
Players had until 5 October to withdraw balances, and platforms had to go offline from 6 October, according to Agência Brasil. The MP bars banks and payment institutions from processing betting transactions except for refunds, bans betting advertising and sponsorship in any medium aimed at Brazil, and ends all federal authorisations 30 days after publication with no refund of the licence fee.
Legal challenges
The ANJL and the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) asked the STF on 28 September to suspend the MP, with Justice Luiz Fux as rapporteur. The Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters (Abert) has also asked the STF to suspend it. The Attorney General’s Office (AGU) requested 72 hours to respond before any decision.
In Congress, lawmakers have filed 58 amendments to the MP, four of which were withdrawn. The licensed market the ban closes is covered in TGE’s report on Brazil’s first regulated year, and earlier sector cuts in iGaming layoffs 2026.
Next steps
Federal betting authorisations lapse on 25 October under the MP’s 30-day deadline. Fux has yet to rule on the ANJL and IBJR suspension requests. Congress must vote on the MP by 23 November, according to the National Congress page for the measure, or it loses force.
Source: National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL)
