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Justice Luis Fux of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in Brazil granted Flamengo the status of an interested party in a legal action seeking to invalidate the federal government’s provisional measure prohibiting fixed-odds betting in Brazil. The request by the Rio de Janeiro club was made on September 30, and the club was admitted to the proceedings.
Flamengo’s decision comes amid uncertainty about other Brazilian football teams joining the STF cases. Palmeiras has also confirmed that it will file an appeal and others are planning to submit individual applications to join as amici curiae. This would enable clubs to advance the arguments and information before the court, but not be the main parties of the cases themselves.
Club Says It Wants to Contribute to the Debate
In a statement, Flamengo said its request was not intended to defend a specific institutional interest but to ensure that the Supreme Court could examine the broader consequences of the legislative change for Brazilian sport.
The club said it wanted to “contribute technically to the debate, based on the concrete perspective of one of the sports institutions directly affected by the measure.” Flamengo also argued that its participation could help the court assess the practical consequences of the betting prohibition across the wider sports ecosystem.
ANJL and IBJR Challenge the Government Measure
The legal proceedings are brought by the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) and the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR), both of which represent companies in the regulated betting industry in Brazil. The organizations are contesting Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026 and are pleading with the STF to place it on hold.
The groups say the move may have unforeseen effects if it is not adopted into law by Congress. The STF has stated that the measure has been challenged in court, and there are concerns that the government was not sufficiently urgent in enacting a provisional measure.
Football Clubs Increase Pressure on STF
Flamengo’s admission brings a first-hand account from one of football’s great institutions to the constitutional discussion. The club’s involvement comes as part of a wider campaign being waged by football teams around Brazil to gauge the wider effects of the ban on football institutions and their business partnerships.
It also follows the clubs’ efforts to have their issues heard via the STF, not just via collective industry representation. The court might be presented with arguments from various sections of Brazil’s sports world, as other teams mull their options for joining the fray in challenging the legality of the betting ban.
Source: BNL Data
