Global gambling market updates, October 26, 2026: Indonesian police charge TikTok virtual-football betting streamer; Brazil's betting ban still awaits Congress after Lula's re-election

Asia

1. Indonesia: Central Java police charge TikTok streamer over virtual-football score betting

The Cyber Crime Directorate of Central Java Regional Police arrested a man identified as MR, 27, at his home in Kaliwungu district, Kudus regency, on Thursday, October 22, according to the Indonesian National Police and ANTARA.

Police allege that MR ran a TikTok account that broadcast football matches played on a PlayStation console. Viewers predicted the scores and placed bets by transferring money to a bank account he used. Police said he took a 5% commission on each bet and earned about IDR 25 million (about US$1,600) over roughly two months.

Officers seized two mobile phones, a computer, a camera, a PlayStation and a bank account holding IDR 25 million. MR has been charged under Article 426 of the Criminal Code (KUHP), the gambling article of the code that took effect this year. Senior Superintendent Wahyu Nugroho Setyawan, the directorate's head, said investigators are still examining how the betting worked and where the money went. The allegations against MR have not been tested in court.

Next: police have not yet said how many people placed bets or how much was staked in total. Background on Article 426 is in AskSpinner's explainer on the new Criminal Code.

Latin America

2. Brazil (Update): Lula re-elected; MP 1.394 still awaits its congressional committee and an STF ruling

What's new since our October 25 update: the presidential runoff result, and the status of the measure in Congress as of October 26.

Election: Lula (PT) won the October 25 runoff against Flávio Bolsonaro (PL). With more than 98.2% of polling stations counted, he had 51.75% of valid votes, Agência Brasil reported. The Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies both confirmed his re-election. Lula's government issued MP 1.394 on September 25.

Congress: as of October 26, the National Congress page for MPV 1394/2026 still shows "awaiting installation of the committee". It lists 100 proposed amendments. Under the Constitution and Congress Resolution 1/2002, urgency rules apply from November 9 and the vote deadline is November 23.

STF: industry associations have challenged the measure at the Supreme Federal Court. As of 09:00 Beijing time on October 26 (22:00 Brasília time on October 25), the court had not published a decision.

Enforcement structure: Decree 13.128 of September 28 sets the rules for the inter-agency committee created by the measure to fight illegal betting operations and advertising. The committee is coordinated by the Presidency's Chief of Staff office (Casa Civil). Its members include the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), the Federal Revenue Service, the Central Bank, COAF, the Federal Police, Anatel and the data protection authority ANPD. It is tasked with keeping a unified register of domains, apps and bank or payment accounts, and with setting protocols for blocking sites, stopping payment flows and removing advertising. It must also publish a report every six months.

What to watch

Brazil: any STF decision on the challenges to MP 1.394, and whether the joint committee is installed before urgency rules start on November 9 (vote deadline November 23).

Chile: the Senate Economy Committee's deadline for the government to file amendments to the online betting bill (Bulletin 14.838-03) is 12:00 Chile time on October 26 (23:00 Beijing time). Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz has been summoned to the committee on October 27.

Peru: MINCETUR's public consultation on amendments to the remote gaming regulation (Ministerial Resolution 382-2026-MINCETUR) runs for 15 calendar days from October 22.

Indonesia: whether Central Java police release more detail on the number of bettors and the total amount staked in the Kudus TikTok case.