Association denounces to the Supreme Court that the Ministry of Finance exceeded limits in blocking bets for social beneficiaries.
The Brazilian Association for Economic Freedom (ABLE) sent a statement to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) denouncing that new regulations from the Ministry of Finance (MF) regarding betting are unduly affecting people without social benefits. The document was filed this Monday (December 1st) and addressed to Minister Luiz Fux, rapporteur of Direct Actions of Unconstitutionality (ADIs) 7.721/DF and 7.723/DF.
The organization claims that Ordinance SPA/MF No. 2.217/2025 and Normative Instructions SPA/MF Nos. 22/2025 and 24/2025, which came into effect yesterday, impose limitations that exceed what was determined in the Supreme Court's preliminary injunction. According to the association, the restrictions affect not only direct beneficiaries of social programs, but also their dependent family members registered in official databases.
It is worth noting that, on November 10th, ABLE had already filed an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Federal Court (STF ) in the same Direct Actions of Unconstitutionality (ADIs), highlighting the urgency of the matter given the imminent deadline set by Normative Instruction SPA/MF No. 24/2025, which establishes December 1st, 2025 as the deadline for betting operators to implement blocking mechanisms.
Impacts of the new rules
ABLE presented documents that, according to the organization, prove that the restrictions are affecting people who do not receive any social benefits, but are listed as family dependents in government registries.
In the document sent to the Supreme Federal Court (STF), the association requests an urgent analysis of the content previously presented in Documents 356 of ADI 7721 and 74 of ADI 7723, reinforcing its request in light of the entry into force of the new rules.
Considering the Union's recent statement in ADI 7721, ABLE requests that the Supreme Court recognize the "undue excess implemented in complying with the preliminary injunction" and order the Union to adopt immediate measures to comply with the decision within its strict limits: preventing the use of social program funds for fixed-odds betting without, however, excluding the beneficiary from the regulated environment.
The president of ABLE, Luciano Benetti Timm, signed the statement. The Administrative Ombudsman's Office of the Supreme Federal Court has not yet commented on the allegations presented by the association.
This case represents a new development in the debate on the regulation of the betting market in Brazil and the limits of state intervention in this sector, particularly when it involves specific groups such as beneficiaries of social assistance programs and people linked to them.
It is important to contextualize that, in a monocratic decision published on November 13th, Minister Luiz Fux granted a partial injunction in ADIs 7721 (proposed by the National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism – CNC) and 7723 (proposed by the Solidarity Party). The decision determined the immediate application of measures that prevent participation in fixed-odds betting with resources originating from social and welfare programs such as Bolsa Família, the Continuous Benefit Payment, and similar programs, until the conclusion of the merit judgment of the aforementioned actions.
ABLE argues that the Union should refrain from requiring betting operators to implement mechanisms to veto or block the registration, access, or participation of beneficiaries based on their personal status, and that any future restrictive measures should strictly adhere to monitoring the origin of the funds used in betting.
