Brazil Seeks to Limit Betting on Cards, Fouls, and Corner Kicks

Brazil.- 29th August 2026 www.zonadeazar.com The Chamber of Deputies could move forward with the debate on a proposal that seeks to restrict some of the sports betting markets considered most vulnerable to manipulation. Federal Deputy Marcos Braz (PSDB-RJ) submitted a request to include Bill 2,842/2023 on the plenary agenda, which prohibits betting on individual actions occurring during a sporting event.

The initiative, originally introduced by Representatives Ricardo Ayres (Republicanos-TO) and Daniel Agrobom (PL-GO), specifically targets markets such as yellow and red cards, fouls, and corner kicks. The rationale behind the proposal is that these events may depend on the behavior of a single participant and, therefore, pose a greater risk of deliberate interference than the overall outcome of a match.

The bill would, however, allow bets related to the match outcome and the number of goals. The proposal has been under consideration in the Chamber since 2023 and is currently before the Sports Committee, with Marcos Braz serving as rapporteur.

The debate gained greater prominence in Brazil and other markets following investigations into so-called spot-fixing: the manipulation of specific moments in a match that do not necessarily alter the final result but can generate profits in specific betting markets.

The discussion, however, presents a significant dilemma for integrity policy. Representatives from the betting industry and the government itself warned during a public hearing held in 2025 that eliminating these markets from regulated platforms could shift part of the demand toward illegal operators. In that scenario, betting would continue to take place, but outside the formal monitoring systems that allow for the identification of unusual movements and potentially suspicious patterns.

The proposal thus brings to the table a central debate for Brazilian sports integrity: whether the best strategy to combat manipulation is to ban the most vulnerable markets or to keep them within the regulated market, under strict mechanisms for oversight, information sharing, and the detection of suspicious bets.

Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com