Brazilian betting operators to display anti-ban messages at Brasileirão matches on Friday and Saturday

Licensed betting operators in Brazil will use pitch-side advertising boards at this week’s Brasileirão matches to push back against Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, which bans legal betting in the country. For PSPs and partners in high-risk verticals, the point is simple: when regulation swings from licensing to prohibition, it does not just hit operators — it rewires sponsorships, merchant planning, and payment flows.

1. Companies affiliated with the Associação Nacional de Jogos e Loterias (ANJL) and the Instituto Brasileiro de Jogo Responsável (IBJR) will give up advertising space on boards around the field during matches on Friday (2) and Saturday (3) to show the messages “Proibir não é proteger” (“Ban does not mean protection”), “A proibição não acaba com as apostas” (“The ban does not end betting”), and “Acaba com a proteção de quem aposta” (“It ends the protection of those who bet”).
2. The campaign is tied to Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, issued by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, which bans licensed betting in Brazil. It also references a manifesto published on 25 September under the slogan “Proibir não é Proteger,” arguing that prohibition does not eliminate betting activity in the country, only the protections around it.
3. The messages will run during São Paulo vs. Santos on Friday and Atlético-MG vs. Bragantino on Saturday. The clubs are among those affected by the federal government’s decision, which the industry says will hit existing contracts, future-season planning, sponsorship negotiations and renewals, and investment predictability in sport.
4. Plínio Lemos Jorge, president of ANJL, said that maintaining a regulated environment with clear rules and legal certainty is essential for clubs, companies, and other actors in the sports value chain to plan long-term investments. Carlos Lima, president of IBJR, said the debate also concerns the predictability of a market built on authorisations granted by the state.
5. The manifesto, signed by ANJL and IBJR together with licensed operators in Brazil, says prohibition does not stop betting but removes protection for bettors. The Ministry of Finance said 31 million people were active on legal platforms and that the vast majority bet recreationally and responsibly. Since the MP was issued last Friday, the manifesto says, the illegal market has taken over Brazil.

The document also warns about the growth of the clandestine market, which it says is exploited by organised crime to carry out digital fraud against the most vulnerable part of the population. According to data from Legitbet, the official monitoring platform of ANJL, the excerpt provided ends mid-sentence after “between 22 and 28 of seven…”.