Brazil’s federal government plans tighter rules for online betting platforms to curb compulsive play

The federal government is preparing a new order for sports betting platforms that goes beyond the July 2026 advertising rules and reaches directly into the user experience. For PSPs, acquirers, and operators, the headline issue is simple: Brazil is moving from marketing controls to product-level controls.

1. The order was drafted by the Secretariat of Sports Betting (SPA), part of the Ministry of Finance, and is expected to be published by the start of next week, according to sources familiar with the discussions cited by Folha de S.Paulo. The text has already been defined and is now awaiting final technical review by the Ministry of Finance before publication.
2. One of the key rules would require a minimum five-second interval between one bet and the next. The stated aim is to give the bettor a moment to reflect before placing another wager, especially after a loss, when the urge to “recover” money can worsen indebtedness. The same package would also ban autoplay, which lets users schedule automatic bets without taking individual action each time.
3. Platforms would also be barred from using timers or countdowns that pressure users into making rushed decisions, and from pre-selecting amounts on deposit or betting screens. Festive sound effects, such as coin-clinking audio, would be prohibited as well; the government says these effects are common in slot machines and are used to encourage continued play.
4. Another restriction targets attempts to keep money on the platform. Promotions, ads, and pop-ups designed to discourage withdrawals would be banned. The government would also prohibit leaderboards showing the biggest winners and the publication of tutorials or statistics suggesting that outcomes depend on skill or analysis.
5. The sector was briefed at a meeting with representative associations on Tuesday (4/8), and the companies involved were said to have criticized the measures privately while waiting for the formal rules before speaking publicly. The text was prepared with input from the Consumer Protection Secretariat (Senacon), the National Secretariat for Digital Rights (Sedigi), the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency (Secom), and the SPA itself.

For high-risk operators and their payment partners, the practical point is that Brazil is not just regulating acquisition channels and ads anymore. It is now moving into deposit flows, withdrawal friction, and in-app mechanics — the parts of the product that can affect conversion, retention, and cash-out behavior just as much as any PSP rulebook.