Brazil's central bank blocks payments to banned betting operators
New rules stop bank transfers and Pix payments to fixed-odds betting sites as Brazil enforces its nationwide prohibition.
Brazil's Central Bank has ordered banks and payment institutions to stop processing transactions linked to fixed-odds betting, following the federal government's prohibition of the sector. The move closes off a major funding channel for operators that have continued to seek Brazilian customers despite the ban.
The new rules apply to payment institutions and financial entities handling transfers to betting operators across the country, according to Casino News Daily. They implement provisions tied to Provisional Measure 1,394, published on 25 September.
What the payment block covers
One measure stops the processing and settlement of bank slips, known as boletos, directed to betting companies. Participating institutions must prevent invoices intended for banned operators from going through.
The restrictions also extend to Pix, Brazil's instant payment system. Transfers to betting websites that have been blocked within the country are now prohibited under the updated framework.
An exception remains in place for transactions needed solely to reimburse customers. The provisional measure requires betting websites and apps to become unavailable 10 days after publication, with open bets cancelled and stakes returned in full.
A reversal of the regulated model
The current restrictions replace the regulated framework that had operated nationally since January 2025. Under that system, bettors had to fund accounts held in their own names, operators were required to return payments from unregistered accounts, and credit-funded betting was banned.
That licensed market has now been dismantled by the government's prohibition, with financial oversight becoming a central enforcement tool rather than a consumer protection measure.
Why financial tracking matters
Banking law specialist Bruno Medeiros Durão, founder of DAP Advocacia, said the shift gives authorities a new way to follow money tied to betting operations rather than simply targeting web addresses.
When public authorities begin tracking financial flows, oversight shifts from merely looking at the betting site's web address to investigating how money enters, circulates through, and leaves the operation.Bruno Medeiros Durão, banking law specialist and founder of DAP Advocacia
Durão said this approach can help identify accounts, intermediaries and structures that operators may use to get around the restrictions. A separate electronic system, required under the provisional measure, is meant to let financial institutions reject and return transfers linked to illegal betting in real time. That system has not yet been established through a Central Bank resolution.
The scale of the crackdown
The payment restrictions sit alongside a wider enforcement push. By 29 September, the Ministries of Justice and Finance had requested the removal of 5,209 domains linked to the betting sector, and telecoms regulator Anatel had ordered 2,387 of those blocked.
The sums involved were previously substantial. A Central Bank study published in September 2024 estimated that betting and gambling companies received between R$18 billion and R$21 billion a month through Pix during 2024, including R$20.8 billion in August alone involving roughly 24 million people. The latest measures aim to cut off that infrastructure while leaving a route open for customers to recover their money. Casino Courant has previously examined how Brazil's betting ban: how the industry helped trigger its own shutdown.
Frequently asked questions
Can Brazilians still deposit money to betting sites?
No. Under the new Central Bank rules, banks and payment firms must block bank slips and Pix transfers to prohibited betting operators, with the only exception being refunds to customers.
What happens to money already staked with banned operators?
Open bets must be cancelled and bettors are entitled to a full refund of their stakes, without deductions, under the government's provisional measure.
Why did Brazil ban fixed-odds betting after regulating it in 2025?
Brazil had run a licensed betting market since January 2025, but the federal government later moved to prohibit the sector through Provisional Measure 1,394, prompting the Central Bank to cut off related payments.
This report is based on Casino News Daily, checked and rewritten by the Casino Courant desk. Spotted an error? Tell us.
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