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Brazil’s new Novo Desenrola debt renegotiation program has brought renewed attention to the use of Pix credit for online betting deposits, after the provisional measure creating the program barred “credit operations directly linked to the transfer of funds for placing bets.”
The program was launched by the federal government in May. Article 16 of the measure seeks to close a payment loophole that allows bettors to use credit-linked Pix transfers to place money on betting sites, reports BNL Data. However, the text does not specifically mention Pix credit because the product is not regulated by the Central Bank or the government.
The restriction comes as 80.4% of Brazilian families are in debt, according to the Indebtedness and Default Survey by the CNC, the National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services, and Tourism. It is the highest level recorded since the survey’s historical series began in 2010.
Pix credit works by linking credit tools to a Pix transfer. In one model, the bank processes a credit card payment, charges service fees, and sends the amount to the recipient through Pix. In another, the bank grants a personal loan with interest and transfers the loan proceeds to the commercial establishment.
Lawyers in the financial and betting sectors interpret Article 16 as banning Pix credit for betting deposits. They say the product amounts to a postpaid payment method because the consumer pays after the transaction.
Since January 2025, Brazil’s betting rules have prohibited legalized operators from accepting “any postpaid payment methods,” including credit cards, under Ordinance 615 of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting, or SPA.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva confirmed the blocking of betting payments involving Desenrola beneficiaries on April 30, saying, “It’s not fair that women have to work even harder to pay off their husbands’ gambling debts.”
A survey by FSP of the apps of the ten financial institutions with the most customers in Brazil found that Bradesco and Banco do Brasil still offered credit card payment options until May 15. Bradesco said it operates under current regulations. Banco do Brasil said it follows applicable rules and offers credit lines based on its customer profile analysis.
Some institutions, including Nubank and PicPay, block Pix credit transfers when the recipient CNPJ matches a licensed betting operator and issue warnings about the risks.
The Treasury lists 85 licensed operators. Betting companies say they cannot identify whether a Pix payment came from a credit transaction because it reaches the platform as a standard Pix transfer.
The Treasury said financial and payment institutions must comply with rules on credit instruments linked to Pix transactions. The Central Bank confirmed that the credit operation occurs within the banking system before reaching the final recipient, but officials said oversight procedures have not yet been defined.
Current rules allow penalties against betting operators that violate postpaid payment restrictions, including license suspension and fines of up to R$ 2 billion. However, the SPA cannot punish banks.
“The SPA still needs to issue a decree that should give it the power to punish the suppliers of betting operators, not just the operators themselves. That leaves a certain vacuum,” said lawyer José Francisco Manssur, who helped draft the betting law while serving in Lula’s government.