Brazil Enforces Fixed-Odds Betting Ban as Apple and Google Remove Apps from Stores

Apple and Google removed betting apps from their digital stores in Brazil on 5 October, as a provisional measure banning fixed-odds betting in the country took effect.

Globo Online tracked 15 betting apps that had been legally operating since the previous week. All were available Monday. None could be found on either app store the following morning.

Searches for betting site names or terms such as “bet” and “casino” returned games that simulate slot machines without financial payouts. On Monday users could still install the apps although deposits and bets had already been blocked. The apps displayed messages referring to the provisional measure.

Balances held on the platforms totalled R$1.33 billion (US$264.9 million) by mid-afternoon on Monday. The deadline for bettors to voluntarily withdraw their balances expired at 11:59 p.m.

Ban Implementation Timeline

The provisional measure prohibits the operation, offering, intermediation, and advertising of fixed-odds betting. It established a timetable for closing the platforms and returning users’ funds.

The government set 5 October at 11:59 p.m. as the deadline for users to voluntarily withdraw their balances. From midnight on 6 October betting websites and apps were required to cease operations. On 7 and 8 October betting companies were required to provide banks with details of the amounts held by each user identified through their CPF. Banks were then expected to return the funds to bettors between 9 and 14 October.

Most betting apps that remained installed redirected users to brasilsembets.com.br. The page provides information on how users could redeem their balances as well as awareness campaigns on the risks of gambling.

ANJL Response to the Provisional Measure

The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) has described the provisional measure as electioneering and legally invalid. It recommended that operators not implement it.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government introduced the measure nine days before the first round of the presidential election following earlier regulation of the betting industry. Lula received fewer votes than expected in the first round while his opponent Flávio Bolsonaro emerged as the leading candidate.

As reported by Yogonet International the enforcement eliminated access to the apps within 24 hours of the deadline.

Reporting: Yogonet International

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