STJ Minister João Otávio de Noronha said Brazil should discuss and regulate gambling rather than send casino demand abroad
The comments add another judicial voice to Brazil’s long-running debate on whether casino gaming should remain prohibited while other betting products operate under specific legal frameworks. For the country’s gaming sector, the intervention is relevant because it links regulation not only to player demand, but also to employment, tourism and the economic activity currently captured by foreign casino destinations.
João Otávio de Noronha, Minister of Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (STJ), defended the regulation of games of chance in Brazil during an interview with TV Migalhas at the XIV Lisbon Forum on Monday, 1 June.
According to the STJ minister, it is not reasonable for Brazilians to leave the country to gamble in casinos abroad, including destinations such as Monaco, Europe or Las Vegas, while the jobs generated by that activity remain outside Brazil. Although he said he is not personally a supporter of gambling practices, Noronha argued that the issue needs to be discussed, especially given the level of public interest in games of chance.
João Otávio de Noronha said: “If there is a great temptation among people to gamble… I do not gamble, but I believe this needed to be discussed and regulated.”
The judge also drew a distinction between different types of gaming, indicating that his remarks should not be read as support for betting products that, in his view, should not be regulated or authorised in the country.
The position is consistent with previous comments by Noronha on the legal treatment of gambling in Brazil. In 2025, during an STJ case involving the enforcement in Brazil of a US$1 million casino debt incurred in Las Vegas, Noronha criticised what he described as the inconsistency of permitting betting while casinos remained prohibited.
Brazil has prohibited casino gambling since 1946, while other verticals, including lotteries, horse racing betting and fixed-odds betting, have been treated under separate legal frameworks. The regulated sports betting and online betting market has developed more recently through Law 14.790/23, while land-based casino legalisation continues to be debated through proposals including PL 2.234/22, which advanced in the Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee in 2024.
The XIV Lisbon Forum is being held from 1 to 3 June under the theme “New International Order, Technology and Sovereignty: Democratic, Economic and Social Challenges.” The event brings together authorities and academics from different fields to debate issues related to artificial intelligence, digital platform regulation, child protection in online environments, public security and the impacts of technology on democracy.
For Brazil’s gambling debate, Noronha’s remarks reinforce a recurring economic and regulatory argument: that demand for casino gaming already exists, but is channelled to foreign jurisdictions where the employment, tax revenue and tourism benefits are captured outside the country. At the same time, his comments also highlight the distinction policymakers are increasingly drawing between different forms of gambling, including land-based casino gaming, online betting and broader games of chance.
The intervention comes as Brazil continues to refine enforcement against illegal betting, advertising controls, player protection, payment oversight and taxation in the regulated betting sector. Whether the casino debate advances further will depend on political support in Congress, the shape of the regulatory model and the ability of lawmakers to address concerns around integrity, consumer protection and social impact.
Image: Superior Tribunal de Justiça STJ from Brasil, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
