Justice allows the operation of bets accredited in Rio throughout the country

The Federal Court of the Federal District authorized this Tuesday (1st) online betting houses accredited by the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (Loterj) to operate throughout the country. The preliminary decision suspends the effects of three decrees from the Ministry of Finance, which restricted the activity of these companies to the state.

In practice, bets that have been operating in the state since April 2023 will be able to continue operating without the risk of being blocked, even if they are not accredited with the Union.

The judge on duty at the 8th Federal Civil Court, Antônio Cláudio Macedo da Silva, considered that the ordinances “exceed federal competence, invading the regulatory competence of the states”.

“The restrictions imposed on advertising, especially at national events, are illogical and disproportionate, as people domiciled in Rio
de Janeiro could be in transit across the country,” he said.

“Therefore, the ordinances directly violate the rights of Loterj and its operators, making a previously authorized activity unfeasible and contradicting federal and constitutional legislation,” added the judge.

Government prepares betting regulations

The decision by the DF Court comes amid discussion in the Lula government about the control of online betting in Brazil. Earlier, the Secretary of Prizes and Bets, Regis Dudena, stated that the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) will provide the “necessary judicial response” to the federal judge’s injunction.

“AGU is looking and will provide the necessary legal response. We have no major concerns about this topic. It’s a very circumscribed case,” Dudena told reporters.

This Monday (30), the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, stated that up to 600 irregular online betting pages and applications will be blocked by the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel).