TLDR
- Brazil’s federal government created the National Policy for Prevention and Combating of Sports Results Manipulation (PNPEMR) through an interministerial ordinance issued March 25, 2026
- Four ministries are involved: Sports, Finance, Justice, and Public Security, showing a coordinated government-wide effort
- Betting operators must now have systems to detect suspicious betting patterns and report them to authorities in real time
- The Brazilian Federal Police gained direct authority to investigate sports fraud cases, especially those crossing state or international borders
- A new multi-stakeholder Steering Committee will be created under the Ministry of Sports to oversee the policy’s implementation
Brazil has taken a major step toward cleaning up its sports betting market. The federal government published Interministerial Ordinance No. 1 on March 25, 2026, creating a new national policy to fight match fixing.
The policy is called the National Policy for the Prevention and Combating of Sports Results Manipulation, or PNPEMR. It was jointly issued by four ministries: Sports, Finance, Justice, and Public Security.
Brazil’s sports betting market has been growing rapidly. The new framework is designed to increase control and legal certainty across the industry.
New Rules for Betting Operators
Under the new policy, the Ministry of Finance will oversee the regulated fixed-odds betting market. This gives one central body clear responsibility for market supervision.
Betting operators now face new compliance requirements. They must have systems in place that can detect suspicious betting patterns as they happen.
When potential match-fixing activity is flagged, operators are required to report it to authorities in real time. This puts a direct obligation on companies to act as a first line of defense.
The framework is built on four pillars. These are regulation, prevention, monitoring, and enforcement.
The regulation pillar focuses on standardized procedures for reporting suspicious activities. Prevention aims to promote international best practices and a culture of fair play.
Monitoring involves continuous market oversight through data sharing with both national and international integrity bodies. The enforcement pillar calls for coordinated law enforcement action against criminal networks.
Federal Police Gain New Investigative Powers
The Ministry of Justice and the Brazilian Federal Police will play a central role in enforcing the policy. The ordinance gives the Federal Police direct authority to investigate sports fraud cases.
This is especially relevant for cases with interstate or international connections. Cross-border match-fixing schemes have been a growing concern worldwide.
The government plans to use advanced technology to support investigations. Intelligence systems will be deployed to detect irregular financial flows and suspicious betting activities.
These tools are aimed at addressing sophisticated fraud schemes that operate in digital betting environments. The use of technology reflects the complexity of modern match-fixing operations.
To manage the rollout of the policy, the Ministry of Sports will establish a Steering Committee. This body will be dedicated to overseeing the implementation of the PNPEMR.
The committee will include representatives from sports organizations, law enforcement agencies, and licensed betting operators. One of its key duties will be approving the official Action Plan for the policy.
The collaborative structure brings together public and private sector participants. This is meant to ensure alignment across the different groups involved in sports integrity.
The PNPEMR aims to bring Brazil in line with global standards on sports integrity. Several other countries have adopted similar multi-agency approaches to fighting match fixing in recent years.
The Steering Committee’s formation and the approval of the official Action Plan are the next steps in the policy’s rollout under the Ministry of Sports.
