Brazil finance ministry defines joint liability of financial and payment institutions in illegal betting

Brazil’s Finance Ministry signed Portaria MF 1.766 on June 17, 2026, setting out when financial and payment institutions become jointly liable for taxes owed on fixed-odds betting run without authorization. The ordinance was published in the Diário Oficial da União on June 18.

What the ordinance says

• Legal basis: it regulates the joint third-party liability in article 6 of Complementary Law 224 of December 26, 2025, and article 17 of Decree 12.808 of December 29, 2025.
• Who can be liable: financial institutions, payment institutions and payment initiators that, after a formal notice, permit or process transactions aimed at fixed-odds betting with companies that are not authorized in Brazil.
• The trigger is a notice: according to the Ministry of Finance, the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting and the Federal Revenue Service notify the institution jointly, and the notice identifies the unauthorized company.
• The deadline: after the notice, the institution has 24 hours to adopt measures that prevent new transactions.

As written, the liability attaches to continued processing after a notice. We report only what the ordinance’s text and the Ministry’s announcement state, and do not repeat the penalty and guidance details in earlier coverage.

What it means for players

The liability sits with the institutions, not with players. The practical effect is on payments: once a notice names an unauthorized site, a bank or payment app has 24 hours to stop new transactions to it, so deposits to that site may start failing. Only companies authorized in Brazil can lawfully offer these bets. Our guide to the Brazilian grey market explains what unauthorized operators look like and why a working payment method does not show that a site is licensed.

Sources and update record

• Portaria MF nº 1.766, de 17 de junho de 2026, published in the Diário Oficial da União on June 18, 2026 (text as reproduced by Taxes Brasil).
• Ministry of Finance: Governo Federal regulamenta responsabilidade tributária solidária de instituições que viabilizam operações de bets não autorizadas, June 2026.
• iGaming Business: Brazil defines joint liability for illegal betting, June 19, 2026 (original report).

Updated October 1, 2026 to replace generalised commentary with the ordinance’s legal basis, the notice trigger and the 24-hour deadline, and to add a player-facing note.