Global gambling market updates, October 25, 2026: Brazil's betting authorisations lapse, Dominican regulator opens 30-day declaration window

Latin America

1. Brazil: fixed-odds betting authorisations reach their legal end date

Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, published on September 25, provides in Article 4 that concessions, permits and authorisations for fixed-odds betting granted under Law 14.790/2023 "will be extinguished at the end of a period of thirty days" from publication. On that count, the deadline falls on October 25. Operators remain bound by the obligations and prohibitions of the transition period. The sole paragraph of Article 4 says the extinction is based on public interest and gives operators no right to a full or partial refund of the licence fee (outorga) paid under Law 14.790. Article 2 applies the same 30-day deadline to authorisations issued by states and the Federal District.

The Ministry of Finance's Prizes and Betting Secretariat (SPA) publishes a list of companies authorised up to the measure's entry into force. Its latest update, dated October 9, contains 85 authorisations. Industry figures quoted by iGaming Business Brasil on October 24 put the number of brands at about 190, with each authorisation having cost R$30 million in fees. The Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR), an industry association, estimates total fees paid at about R$2.6 billion.

Two pending decisions could still change the picture. At the Supreme Federal Court (STF), several direct actions of unconstitutionality (ADIs) against the measure are with Justice Luiz Fux, and he had not issued an injunction as of the latest reports. Brazilian media have said a decision could come after the presidential runoff on October 25; the court has not confirmed this. In Congress, the joint committee that must examine the measure had not been formally installed as of October 24, although around 100 amendments have been filed. The measure starts blocking the agenda of the chamber where it sits from November 9.

The fiscal context is also on record. The Federal Revenue Service's collection data, reported by Poder360 and Valor Econômico on October 22, show about R$11.1 billion in federal taxes from lotteries and fixed-odds betting in January–September 2026, up around 55% on the same period of 2025 and above the R$9.95 billion collected in all of 2025. September alone brought in about R$1.2 billion. The figure includes lotteries as well as betting, and October will be the first month affected by the ban.

What it means: once the authorisations lapse, the regulated licence base that existed under Law 14.790 is formally gone. Whether that holds now depends on an STF ruling and on whether Congress converts, amends or lets the measure expire. Background on how the 30-day count was set is in AskSpinner's earlier explainer on Article 4.

2. Dominican Republic: new gaming directorate gives lottery shops 30 days to declare

The Directorate General of Games of Chance (DGJA), created by Law 86-26 and attached to the Ministry of Finance, began operating on October 13 under interim director Teófilo "Quico" Tabar and issued two resolutions:

• Resolution 01-2026 prohibits opening new lottery shops (bancas), agencies or points of sale, as well as placing machines in prohibited locations.
• Resolution 02-2026 gives operators a non-extendable period of 30 calendar days to file sworn declarations for outlets installed after the deadline or without authorisation, or for several gaming types run from the same premises. It states that a declaration "does not grant rights or automatic regularisation". Unauthorised establishments face closure and sanctions. The resolution also sends the database of regularised operators to the tax agency (DGII) on a provisional and conditional basis, and creates a technical commission of the DGII, the DGJA, the national lottery-shop federation (Fenabanca) and the sports betting sector to clean up tax data pending since 2023.

On October 23 the DGJA issued a communiqué granting an "extraordinary" 30-day period for shops, sports betting outlets and other gaming venues left outside the National Regularisation Plan to declare themselves voluntarily, Diario Libre reported. The newspaper noted that the communiqué gives neither an exact end date nor the consequences of missing it. The relevant penalties are in Law 86-26: Article 162 provides for one to two years in prison and fines of three to six public-sector minimum salaries for operating games of chance without a licence. Article 190 gives existing legal establishments 12 months to join a Single Registry System.

What it means: the new regulator is starting with a census of the retail lottery network, not with new licences. The resolution texts have been reported but not yet located in the official gazette, so it is not yet clear whether the October 23 window is the same as the period in Resolution 02-2026 or a new one.

Africa

3. Kenya: High Court pauses Gambling Control Act petitions pending allocation by the Principal Judge

The written ruling in Wati v Attorney General [2026] KEHC 16214 (KLR), delivered by Justice R.E. Aburili of the Constitutional and Human Rights Division on October 21, is now published. It covers three petitions:

• E533 of 2026: filed by David Biketi Wati. It asks the court to declare around 60 sections of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 unconstitutional and to nullify the Gambling Control (Licensing) Regulations, 2026.
• E611 of 2026: filed by the Nairobi City County Government.
• E612 of 2026: filed by Sharks Code Limited, Daka Chapaa Limited and Dunamiss Entertainment Limited.

The ruling records that on August 9, Justice G. Mutai granted an interim conservatory order suspending the challenged sections of the Act and the commencement of the regulations. A contempt application is also pending.

The judge noted that related cases are spread across courts:

• Judicial review case HCJR E251 of 2026, in which Justice W. Musyoka narrowed an earlier stay so that it covers only the increased fees and capital requirements in the regulations. Judgment in that case, set for October 2, was not delivered because of a joinder application.
• A similar petition in the Kiambu High Court.
• Another judicial review matter before Justice T.W. Ouya.

To avoid conflicting decisions, the judge referred all three files to the Principal Judge of the High Court. The Principal Judge will give administrative directions on whether the Constitutional Division, the Judicial Review Division or Kiambu should hear the challenges. Proceedings in the three petitions are temporarily stayed until then. The ruling does not separately address the status of the interim orders.

What it means: the legal challenges to Kenya's 2025 gambling law are set to be consolidated before one court, which may slow a final answer on the licensing regime. Operators should check the status of each interim order case by case rather than assume a single position.

Asia

4. Indonesia: Medan raid targets cashier cell tied to Cambodian gambling network

North Sumatra Police's cyber crimes directorate detained five cashiers at unit 2220 of the Grand Jati Junction apartments in Medan, the Jakarta Post reported. According to directorate head Senior Commissioner Bayu Wicaksono, the five had previously worked in Cambodia. A manager identified only as Wendi, who remains at large, asked them to return and run a site called "Depo Bos", which processed deposits and withdrawals from October 8 until the raid days later. Police said the cashiers were paid Rp10 million a month plus bonuses and had signed up 30 players. They have been charged under Article 426(1) of the 2023 Criminal Code, which carries up to nine years in prison. Police say the investigation into the wider Cambodian network continues. In the same report, Central Java police described October 9–10 raids on togel lottery operations in Semarang, Demak and Grobogan, with bank balances of about Rp2.46 billion frozen.

What it means: this is a small cell, but it shows staff who worked for Cambodian operators being sent home to run local payment desks. The charges rest on the gambling provision of the new Criminal Code, which AskSpinner explained in an earlier article.

What to watch

• Brazil: any STF decision by Justice Fux on the ADIs against MP 1.394 after the October 25 runoff; installation of the joint committee; the measure starts blocking the agenda on November 9.
• Chile: amendments to the online betting bill (Bulletin 14.838-03) are due at the Senate Economy Committee by noon on October 26, and Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz is scheduled to appear on October 27.
• Kenya: the Principal Judge's allocation of the Gambling Control Act petitions, and the delayed judgment in HCJR E251.
• Dominican Republic: publication of DGJA Resolutions 01-2026 and 02-2026 and a confirmed end date for the declaration window.
• Peru: comments on MINCETUR's draft changes to remote gambling rules close around November 5.