REGULATORY NEWS. WEEK № 40

🇧🇷 Brazil Tightens Market Controls After Online Betting Ban as Illegal Segment Expands Rapidly

On September 25, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026, banning the organization, offering, intermediation, and advertising of fixed-odds betting in Brazil, including sports betting and online casinos. The measure entered into force immediately upon publication, but Congress must approve it within 120 days; otherwise, it will expire. Existing licenses will cease to be valid after a transition period, while operators will be required to stop accepting funds, return remaining player balances, and wind down advertising and sponsorship activities. Read more

🇬🇪 Georgia Fully Launches International iGaming Licensing Regime for Operations Outside the Domestic Market

Following legislative changes introduced in summer 2026, Georgia has completed the rollout of a separate international licensing regime for online casinos, slots, and sports betting. These licenses are issued for five years and are intended specifically for serving foreign markets; Georgian citizens are not permitted to gamble under this model. Georgia’s Revenue Service officially confirms the introduction of new international permit categories and an annual licensing fee of GEL 100,000 for each type of activity. In addition, Georgia International Strategic Group, which promotes the regime, states that operators are subject to a 5% tax on gross gaming revenue, zero tax on reinvested profits, a 1% regulatory monitoring fee, remote incorporation without a mandatory physical office, as well as access to corporate banking services and gambling-related payments using MCC 7995. Read more

🇧🇬 Bulgaria Proposes Capping Payment Intermediaries’ Revenue from Gambling Transactions at 1.5%

Bulgaria has opened for consultation an unusual mechanism targeting banks, payment institutions, and electronic money issuers that process gambling account deposits and prize payouts. If the total fee charged for such a transaction exceeds 1.5% of its value, the intermediary would be allowed to retain only the amount up to the 1.5% threshold, while the excess would have to be transferred to the state budget. This means the proposal is not exactly a direct ban on charging fees above 1.5%: companies could still impose a higher fee, but they would receive no economic benefit from the portion above the limit. Monthly reporting and separate accounting for such transactions are also proposed for monitoring purposes. The public consultation will remain open until October 23. Read more