Casa de Apostas back in Brazil? What the court ruling means

Last updated: 5 Nov 2026, 07:56 CET: first published

A federal appeals judge in Brazil has provisionally restored the betting licence of CDA Gaming, the company behind Casa de Apostas, Betsul and Jogo Online, setting aside for this company the licence cancellation in MP 1.394/2026. The decision applies only to CDA Gaming. It was taken by a single judge, it is provisional, and it can be reversed. For every other operator, the ban under the provisional measure (MP) stays in place.

Judge Adriana Pileggi of the Regional Federal Court of the 3rd Region (TRF3), the federal appeals court for São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul, granted CDA Gaming interim appellate relief (*tutela recursal*) on 3 November, according to Lei em Campo and NEXT.io. Fala Canedo gives the case number as Agravo de Instrumento nº 5034200-15.2026.4.03.0000.

What the decision does

According to the reports:

• It provisionally restores CDA Gaming's fixed-odds authorisation, granted under Portaria SPA/MF nº 255/2025 and valid until 31 December 2029. CDA Gaming says it paid R$30 million for it. MP 1.394 had extinguished licences on 25 October.
• It sets aside, for CDA Gaming, the effects of articles 4 and 7 of the MP and of Ofício 1256/2026 from the digital rights secretariat, which was used to take operators' domains offline, Fala Canedo and NEXT.io report.
• It orders CDA Gaming's domains and its operational, financial and payment services to be restored.
• It runs until the company's underlying case (*mandado de segurança*) is decided, or until another court decision, Lei em Campo reports. The company stays subject to regulatory requirements and supervision.

The first-instance court, the 26th Federal Civil Court of São Paulo, had refused CDA Gaming's injunction. NEXT.io reports that the relief still has to be confirmed by the TRF3's 3rd Panel.

The judge's reasoning

As quoted by NEXT.io in English, Judge Pileggi wrote that ending licences at such short notice "causes enormous harm to licence holders" and disregards "the constitutional principles of legal certainty, reasonableness and proportionality". She questioned whether the MP met the constitutional requirements of relevance and urgency (Article 62 of the Federal Constitution). She noted that the MP gives operators no refund of the licence fee and no compensation, which she called "a genuine confiscation" (*verdadeiro confisco*), and described the R$200,000 daily fine for non-compliance as excessive.

This is one judge's interim view in one company's case. It is not a ruling that the MP is unconstitutional; that question is before the Supreme Federal Court (STF), which has held a hearing but not decided.

Why it may not last

Brazil has seen this before. Stake won a partial injunction from a first-instance court on 8 October, and the TRF3's president suspended it the next day, on 9 October; we covered the injunction and its suspension. NEXT.io reports that federal authorities, including the betting regulator SPA and the Central Bank, have been summoned to respond in CDA Gaming's case, and that the government is expected to appeal or seek a suspension. We are not predicting the outcome.

What it means for players in Brazil

• Only CDA Gaming's brands are covered. Casa de Apostas, Betsul and Jogo Online fall under the decision. No other licensed operator is allowed to reopen because of it.
• Site status: NEXT.io reported on 4 November that the Casa de Apostas casino lobby was live with an age gate and the SPA authorisation banner, that the sportsbook was not yet live, and that Betsul was still offline. We could not confirm the current status from Brazil, so check the operator's own site and notices.
• Balances: as a fallback, CDA Gaming had asked the court at least to keep the systems for refunding users and sending data to regulators running, BNLData reports; the court granted its main request, to resume operations, instead. If you had a balance with CDA Gaming's brands, keep records and follow the operator's notices. For other operators, the existing refund route applies; see how balance refunds work after the ban and what the 25 October licence cut-off means.
• This can change fast. Given the Stake precedent, the decision could be suspended at short notice. A reopened site is not a sign that the ban is over.

For the political track, see the 97 amendments tabled in Congress. More news is in the news hub.

What is still unclear

• Whether the government has appealed or asked for a suspension.
• When the TRF3's 3rd Panel will review the decision.
• When Betsul and the Casa de Apostas sportsbook will be back, if at all.
• The full decision text: we have not read it; this report relies on the legal and trade press below.

18+. If gambling stops feeling like entertainment, use the limits and self-exclusion tools available where you play and local support services.

Updates

• 5 Nov 2026: first published.