Brazil Allows Betting Withdrawal APIs to Accelerate Player Refunds
Brazil.- 9 October 2026 | www.zonadeazar.com Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting, SPA, has authorised former regulated betting operators to use their existing withdrawal mechanisms and APIs to return outstanding customer balances.
The guidance was issued on the evening of 7 October, as the deadline expired for companies to secure the necessary liquidity and report outstanding balances to banks, payment institutions and the regulator.
Circular Letter No. 1711/2026
The authorisation was set out in Circular Letter SEI No. 1711/2026/MF.
The document was electronically signed at 7:12pm by SPA Deputy Secretary Fabio Macorin.
It applies to fixed-odds betting operators that had been authorised before Provisional Measure 1.394/2026.
Existing Withdrawal APIs Can Be Used
The SPA has allowed companies to use the same technology integrations previously used to process customer withdrawals.
The aim is to make use of existing infrastructure and enable refunds to be completed more safely and efficiently.
Change From Original Process
The Provisional Measure had originally assigned responsibility for returning funds to financial institutions or payment providers maintaining operators’ transactional accounts.
The latest guidance now also allows the operators’ existing withdrawal infrastructure to support the restitution process.
Reporting Obligations Remain
The authorisation does not remove operators’ regulatory obligations.
Companies must still report:
- Individual outstanding balances.
- Each bettor’s CPF identifier.
- Refund amounts.
- Relevant account information.
- Funds transferred to financial institutions.
Funds Covered by the Refund Process
Restitution extends beyond cash remaining in player accounts.
It also includes:
- Deposited balances.
- Open bets whose outcomes had not been determined.
- Wagers voided because platforms were shut down.
- Winnings from bets settled within the permitted period.
Open bets without a final result must be returned in full and without deductions.
Market Closed From 6 October
Licensed websites and apps stopped operating from 6 October.
The deadline for customers to withdraw balances voluntarily had expired at 11:59pm on 5 October.
R$1.325 Billion Still Outstanding
The Government reported that approximately R$1.325 billion remained to be returned following the shutdown.
The balances were linked to around 26.5 million bettors.
Banks Have Until 14 October
The official timetable continues to give banks and payment institutions from 9 to 14 October to complete transfers.
The use of operator APIs is intended to complement that process and reduce potential operational bottlenecks.
Funds That Cannot Be Returned
Where a financial institution cannot return a balance to a customer within the deadline, it must report the reason to the SPA.
Those funds must then be transferred to a dedicated account at Caixa Econômica Federal.
Caixa will subsequently be responsible for attempting to complete the refund.
Operator Liability Remains
The refund process does not remove operator responsibility for discrepancies or money that was not properly made available.
The SPA may seek explanations or take further action where obligations have not been met.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
The Provisional Measure establishes penalties for companies that fail to meet required deadlines.
Breaches relating to reporting and availability of funds can lead to daily fines of up to R$200,000.
Next Steps or Impact
The immediate priority is to complete outstanding customer refunds by 14 October.
Allowing existing withdrawal APIs provides an additional route to accelerate the process using infrastructure that had already operated before the regulated market was shut down.
The adjustment also highlights the operational complexity of winding down the sector while millions of customers continue waiting for funds held with formerly authorised betting platforms.
Editó: @fonta
