Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) is preparing a public hearing on the betting ban and Justice Luiz Fux will expand the list of participants without reopening the debate on gambling-related social harm.
On November 1, Fux released the updated schedule for the public hearing of ADI 8027, scheduled for November 3, at 10 am.
Justice Fux accepts AGU request
Brazil’s Attorney General’s Office (AGU) asked the court to broaden the participation in during the public hearing. The main reason was that the original list did not adequately represent different perspectives.
Justice Fux partially accepted the request and added six new participants:
1. Ministry of Justice and Public Security
2. Ministry of Health
3. Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (ABRAS)
4. Grêmio football club
5. National Federation of Professional Football Athletes (FENAPAF)
6. Brazilian Paralympic Committee
The total number of participants increased from 28 to 34.
Fux refuses gambling harm debate repeat
The AGU wanted another discussion about the social consequences of betting, including gambling addiction, mental health and consumer protection. The rapporteur Fux said the STF had already examined these issues during a public hearing in November 2024. He added that the harmful effects of gambling are widely recognized by the Supreme Federal Court. Fux recalled that, on November 11 and 12, 2024, he conducted a public hearing on ADIs 7.721 and 7.723 regarding Law 14.790/2023, in which the topic was extensively discussed.
Instead, the discussion of November 3 will be focused entirely on the consequences of Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, particularly its legal and financial implications.
Final Court decision on the betting Bban
The hearing is about the complaints made by the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) against Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, which banned fixed-odds betting and stated that licensing would cease for various operators.
The industry argues that the measure creates issues of legal certainty and concerns over current licences and contracts.
Fux also mentioned his position on the matter back in August 2026, when he stated that there is no constitutionally protected right with respect to controlled gambling.
The hearing is not concluding whether gambling prohibition in Brazil is constitutional but rather an opportunity for various authorities, gambling associations, sports organizations and other interested parties to express their views on the matter. Fux has widened the scope of the hearing but stated that it will be concerned only with the legality and consequences of the ban put in place by the government.
