Brazil considers tightening betting with provisional measure
The federal government of Brazil is considering tightening the regulation of the fixed-odds betting market through a provisional measure. According to the newspaper Estadão, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been discussing the issue with leaders of the National Congress, with the goal of reducing the impact of betting on society.
For the president's allies, this instrument would be the fastest way to generate effects before the end of the electoral period. Within the government itself, however, there are nuances: one faction argues that measures should target only online casino games, and some even propose banning that category. The possibility of a crackdown gained strength in the Palácio do Planalto after a meeting convened by Lula that brought together representatives from the health, culture, religion, commerce, civil society, and consumer protection sectors to debate the effect of online gambling on the economy and the population's health.
This meeting drew strong criticism from the legal gambling sector. Various entities representing iGaming companies demanded to participate in the debate and questioned that, in their view, only those opposed to betting were heard. In parallel, according to Estadão sources, a current within the government is evaluating taking the discussion about the prohibition of online games to the Supreme Federal Court, which is already analyzing legal actions capable of modifying the status of fixed-odds betting and other games of chance. For now, Lula has not decided whether or not to expand restrictions on the industry.
The discussion is part of an increasingly critical stance by the Lula government towards online betting, which in recent months has combined new advertising restrictions, access blocking mechanisms for vulnerable groups, and announcements of future measures on platform design, always within the official decision to maintain a regulated market rather than outright banning it.
Tags: Brazilian government, Provisional measure on betting, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Fixed-odds betting regulation