Apple and Google removed betting apps from their Brazilian digital stores on October 6, following the implementation of a provisional measure banning fixed-odds betting in the country. The move came after 15 betting apps that had operated legally the previous week disappeared from both stores, according to Globo Online.
Betting Apps Disappear From Stores
Globo Online tracked 15 betting apps and found that all remained available on October 5, but none appeared in searches on either platform the following morning. Searches for betting brands and terms such as “bet” and “casino” instead returned simulated slot games without cash payouts and card games.
Users could still install the apps on October 5, although the platforms had already blocked deposits and betting activity. Some apps displayed messages explaining the restrictions and confirming that users could no longer deposit funds.
Government Sets Refund Timeline
By the afternoon of October 5, users held approximately R$1.33 billion (US$264.9 million) in balances across the platforms. The government allowed the apps to remain available until the withdrawal deadline at 11:59 p.m. that day, giving users time to reclaim their funds.
Under the measure, betting websites and apps had to stop operating from midnight on October 6. Operators then had to submit user balance details to banks on October 7 and 8, using each customer’s CPF taxpayer identification number. Banks were expected to return the funds between October 9 and 14.
Most apps that remained installed on iPhones and Android devices redirected users to brasilsembets.com.br, a government website intended to explain the refund process and provide information about gambling risks.
Industry Group Challenges the Ban
The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) criticised the provisional measure as politically motivated and legally invalid. The association also advised its members against implementing the restrictions.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government introduced the measure nine days before Brazil’s first-round presidential election, following the earlier regulation of the betting industry. The timing has drawn political scrutiny, particularly after Lula received fewer votes than expected and opposition candidate Flávio Bolsonaro emerged as the leading candidate.
The ban marks a major shift in Brazil’s regulated betting market, while legal challenges and the process of returning user balances remain key developments to watch.
