The decision of Minister André Mendonça, from the Supreme Federal Court (STF), which banned the national operation of sports betting companies authorized by Loterj, has increased pressure on the federal government from these companies. They want the deadline to be reopened so that they can operate while their registration requests are being reviewed, but the Ministry of Finance has rejected the idea.
In 2024, the government opened a period for bets to request licenses to operate in Brazil. The companies that registered were able to operate while their requests were evaluated. Starting from early 2025, only companies with approved licensing could operate.
Technicians from the Ministry of Finance formed a task force to conclude the license request analyses in the last days of December to finish before the end of the year.
The new deadline claimed by the betting companies would allow companies that are trying to rectify license requests to continue operating while waiting for a definitive response.
It often happens that bets are denied authorization for not presenting all necessary documents or for failing to prove the integrity of their shareholders.
Several companies wanted to rely on Loterj's authorization to maintain their activities in Brazil, but André Mendonça's decision blocked this possibility and made the federal government's action prevail.
The case became famous because sports betting has been gaining more and more space in the country. One of the companies that wanted to operate based on the Loterj license was Esportes da Sorte, which sponsors football clubs such as Corinthians, Grêmio, Bahia, and Ceará, and which has now obtained an injunction to continue operating throughout the country and has already made the payment of the federal grant, of R$ 30 million.
Source: GMB / Estadão
