STJ minister calls for legalization of land-based casinos in Brazil
The discussion about the legalization of land-based casinos in Brazil gained a high-profile voice within the Judiciary. The Minister of the Superior Court of Justice, João Otávio de Noronha, once again expressed his support for the regulation of land-based gambling in the country and used the same intervention to question the path taken with online sports betting.
The statements were made during an interview at the XIV Lisbon Forum, where the magistrate suggested that Brazil should seriously address the debate on land-based gambling. For Noronha, maintaining the historical prohibition while lotteries and bets coexist represents a contradiction within the Brazilian legal system itself that Congress cannot continue to postpone.
The economic argument was central to his presentation. The minister recalled that thousands of Brazilians travel every year to destinations such as Las Vegas and Monaco to gamble in integrated casinos, which implies a transfer of resources and employment abroad. "It's time to face this problem. We cannot continue with the hypocrisy that casinos are prohibited while lotteries and betting operate freely," the magistrate stated.
Noronha clarified that he does not gamble and that his perspective is strictly regulatory. In his opinion, the legalization of land-based casinos would allow retaining part of the consumption that is currently transferred abroad and open a front for the creation of formal employment around integrated tourist complexes. The initiative coincides with several projects pending in the Brazilian Congress that aim to enable resorts, bingo halls, and other activities that legislation still keeps outside the legal framework.
The minister made an explicit distinction with online platforms. While he defends the opening of land-based gambling, he maintained that he does not agree with the regulation of bets under the current regime. "I don't think sports betting should have been regulated or authorized in the country. What I advocate for is gambling that has control," he explained, a stance that aligns with sectors of the Judiciary that view the expansion of digital sportsbooks with concern.
These statements are not isolated. In May 2025, during a ruling in which the STJ allowed the execution in Brazil of a million-dollar debt incurred by a Brazilian in a Las Vegas casino, Noronha had already raised the inconsistency of the legal treatment. The sum of pronouncements from the high court fuels a conversation that sooner or later the Legislative will have to resolve, in one of the markets with the greatest projection within the iGaming industry in Latin America.
Tags: Brazil, Brasilia, Brazil gambling regulation, Brazil land-based casinos, STJ Brazil, Brazil sports betting, LatAm casino legalization