Online Poker Stays Open in Brazil Despite New Gambling Ban
Online poker is staying open to players in Brazil even as the country's new ban on fixed-odds gambling took effect this week, with PokerStars and GGPoker both confirming they are still serving the market.
Brazil's new restrictions came into force on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, shutting down licensed online sports betting and other fixed-odds gambling products nationwide. Poker was never part of that measure because Brazilian law treats it as a game of skill rather than gambling, leaving peer-to-peer poker rooms outside the ban's scope. PokerStars confirmed the distinction directly to its players:
"We want to reassure you that PokerStars’ peer-to-peer poker offering is not covered by the measure, as it is played between players and is distinct from the fixed-odds betting products covered by the restrictions," the operator said, according to Pokerfuse.
GGPoker has continued operating in Brazil as well, with no gaming-related access issues reported at that site since the measure took effect.
PokerStars Flags Access Issues
Not everything has been seamless. PokerStars said some Brazilian players have had trouble reaching its platform since the new rules began, and that it is investigating whether internet service providers are blocking or throttling access as a side effect of the wider crackdown.
"We are investigating these access issues, including whether internet service provider restrictions are affecting PokerStars poker, and are working to resolve this as quickly as possible," the operator said, advising affected players to check their own network settings in the meantime.
PokerStars was clear on one point: player funds are not at risk. The operator said it is monitoring its payment services following the new measures and will update players on any changes affecting deposits or withdrawals.
The carve-out for poker comes as Brazilian regulators and lawmakers keep tightening the rules around fixed-odds betting more broadly, including a separate proposal to ban fixed-odds products within 180 days that is working its way through the legislature.
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What The Ban Actually Covers
The underlying rules, Provisional Measure No. 1.394/2026, prohibit the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting throughout Brazil, a category that takes in licensed sports betting and online casino-style games but, per the operators' own reading of the text, stops short of player-versus-player poker.
That distinction matters for a market Brazilian regulators had only recently brought under a formal licensing regime, and it leaves poker rooms as one of the few real-money online products still operating normally for Brazilian players while the wider fixed-odds industry works out how to respond to the shutdown.
International operators with a Brazilian licence are now weighing how much of their local business, if any, can keep running legally, while poker rooms that never needed that licence in the first place carry on largely unaffected.
