Flamengo has been admitted as an interested party in the Supreme Federal Court challenge to Brazil’s federal prohibition on fixed-odds betting, giving the football club a formal route to submit arguments and information without becoming a principal litigant.
Justice Luiz Fux granted the club’s request on Sept. 30, the same day Flamengo filed it. The club said it was seeking to help the court assess the legislative change’s practical consequences for the whole sports ecosystem, rather than defend a particular institutional interest.
Flamengo said it wanted to contribute technically from the perspective of a sporting institution directly affected by the measure. Its admission brings a first-hand football-sector view into the constitutional dispute over Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026.
As reported on Sept. 28, betting companies and trade groups had been preparing a coordinated Supreme Court challenge after the measure took effect. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the provisional measure on Sept. 26, immediately barring betting sites from operating in Brazil.
The underlying proceedings were brought by the National Association of Games and Lotteries and the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming, which represent companies in the regulated betting industry. They have asked Fux to suspend the measure in full until Congress decides the issue or the court rules on the related constitutional actions; alternatively, they sought at least a six-month extension of its deadlines.
The trade bodies contend that the government did not demonstrate the constitutional urgency required for a provisional measure. They also argue that abruptly ending authorisations issued under the regulated system, which the federal government had structured and overseen since January 2025, would undermine legal certainty and create irreversible damage.
Their filing cited Secretariat of Prizes and Bets data showing betting-market financial volume fell 42% between October 2025 and June 2026. The groups also warned that prohibition could shift customers to illegal platforms, which they estimated already accounted for 41% to 51% of the market.
Flamengo’s move placed it ahead of other clubs considering intervention. Palmeiras said it intended to make a similar application, while other Brazilian teams were preparing individual requests after clubs concluded that multiple amici curiae submissions would attract more visibility than a joint filing.
