Brazil bans bets, gives players until 23:59 on 5 October to withdraw funds before sites and apps are blocked

The federal government has announced a ban on bets in Brazil, including online virtual games such as jogo do tigrinho. For high-risk operators and their payment partners, the practical issue is not the headline ban itself but the unwind: deadlines for withdrawals, bank reporting, and refund handling are all set within a tight October window.

1. Players have until 23:59 on Monday, 5 October, to withdraw balances held on authorised betting platforms before the total block kicks in. At 0:00 on 6 October, betting sites and apps are to be taken offline, with the block enforced by app stores, internet providers, and CGI.br, the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee.
2. The government set a step-by-step shutdown calendar. Between 7 and 8 October, companies must inform banks of the amounts held by each bettor, identified by CPF. Between 9 and 14 October, financial institutions are to return the funds in full. From 14 October, Caixa Econômica Federal will step in to mediate refunds where there is an impediment.
3. If a customer does not withdraw funds by the deadline, the money is to be returned by the banks working with the betting operators between 9 and 14 October. The withdrawal process applies only to bets authorised by the government. Anyone trying to access platforms after the block will be redirected to a page with instructions on withdrawals and refund guarantees.
4. Advertising is also being shut down fast. From the publication of the provisional measure, new betting ads are banned, and operators have until 23:59 on 5 October to remove physical and digital advertising and marketing materials, including brand placements tied to sponsorship contracts.
5. The sport that has taken the biggest share of betting money in Brazil will feel the squeeze too. In football, betting companies paid R$ 1.1 billion to the country’s main clubs in 2025, equal to 36% of those teams’ marketing revenue, according to the text.

For PSPs, acquiring banks, and payout processors, the key detail is that this is not just a marketing restriction. It is a coordinated shutdown with bank-level reporting, CPF-based reconciliation, and a fallback role for Caixa Econômica Federal. In other words: funds movement, not slogans, is the core of the story.

The government also sent a bill to Congress on Friday, 2 October, to create five new crimes reinforcing the ban set out in the provisional measure, according to Justice Minister Wellington César Lima e Silva. Operating fixed-odds betting would carry a prison sentence of 4 to 6 years plus a fine, even if the activity is authorised by foreign authorities. The same penalties would apply to anyone who offers, registers, intermediates, makes available, or administers betting channels and venues. If approved, the bill would increase the punishment by one third.