Play’n GO, a world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has released a public statement in response to the Brazilian government’s provisional executive order banning online betting and gaming in the country.
The provisional measure, MP 1.394, imposes an immediate, nationwide ban on the operation, advertising, and intermediation of fixed-odds sports betting and online gaming across all physical and virtual channels, encompassing offshore platforms serving Brazilian players. While other legal lotteries remain exempt, new player deposits were halted upon the decree’s publication.
Operators are required to facilitate player withdrawals until 23:59 on October 5, after which all affected betting sites and applications must go offline. Concurrently, the government has submitted a separate bill to Congress proposing prison sentences of two to six years for five new betting-related criminal offenses.
However, the ban’s permanence is not guaranteed. As a provisional measure, it must be ratified by Congress within 120 days to become permanent law. Furthermore, betting-sector associations filed an injunction with the Supreme Federal Court on September 28, arguing the decree causes irreversible industry harm—a move that could present a faster avenue for overturning the ban.
“The situation in Brazil is a reminder that sustainable growth and public trust are not optional extras, they’re fundamental to the long-term success of any regulated gambling market.”
“When regulators and policymakers lose confidence that gambling is being offered responsibly, the consequence is often more than tighter regulation. The real risk is that consumers drift away from licensed operators altogether, weakening channelisation, undermining player protection, and making it harder for regulated markets to deliver on the objectives they were created to achieve.”
