Brazil could join this list: the countries where online betting is prohibited

On September 25, President Lula da Silva signed a provisional measure to ban online betting in Brazil, targeting fixed-odds digital platforms, their advertising, and commercial agreements with football clubs, media outlets, and influencers. The measure is already in force, but it still needs to be ratified by Congress within 120 days. For PSPs, that means Brazil has moved from “political debate” to “payment flow risk” in a market that is still very much in play.

1. Brazil is not yet a final ban, but it is close enough to matter. The provisional measure entered into force immediately, yet it is not effective until Congress ratifies it within 120 days. The debate landed just ahead of the October 4 elections, and an AtlasIntel poll said 75% of the population supports the move.
2. The broader pattern is familiar: bans do not erase demand, they push it underground. The source notes that in several countries, prohibition has led to mass website blocks, raids, arrests, and seizures rather than the disappearance of the market.
3. China prohibits all forms of gambling, with the exception of state welfare and sports lotteries, and even those are not authorized for online sale. In other words, there is no legal online betting market to speak of.
4. India joined the list recently, banning in August 2025 all forms of online betting and gaming involving real money. Thailand’s restrictions date back to the Gambling Act of 1935, and online betting remains illegal there.
5. Several other jurisdictions have tightened or restated their prohibitions in recent years: Cambodia banned online gambling in 2019; Nepal reinforced an existing ban in March 2026 by ordering blocks on online betting platforms and apps; Indonesia continues in 2026 to block platforms and target their payment mechanisms; Bangladesh’s Gambling Prevention Act of 2026, effective from July 1, expressly criminalizes participation in online betting; Brunei’s telecom authority classifies online gambling as illegal under the Common Gaming Houses Act; Malaysia’s Court of Appeal confirmed in 2023 that such activity is an offense under the Common Gaming Houses Act of 1953; Oman’s Cybercrime Law of 2026 explicitly penalizes the use of websites, electronic platforms, or computer systems for gambling; Kuwait’s Interior Ministry has warned that both operating these platforms and participating in them can be punished by law.
6. Laos has stepped up operations against illegal platforms and betting centers in recent years. Kosovo adopted one of the region’s broadest prohibitions in 2019, with a law ordering the closure and ban of all gambling activities in its territory. The source text also begins to list Myanmar, where the line is cut off.

For high-risk PSPs, the important detail is not just whether a country bans online betting, but how it enforces the ban: ad restrictions, merchant shutdowns, website blocking, payment-chain enforcement, and criminal liability for operators or participants. That is the difference between a legal grey zone and a rapidly frozen line of business.