Lula insists on banning betting and clashes with clubs and channels
Corinthians, Flamengo, Santos, Grêmio, and Internacional won international titles when there were no online sportsbooks in Brazil. With this argument, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva responded in Guarulhos to the clubs warning him about the cost of closing the regulated market, summarizing it with one idea: football will continue to exist even if sportsbooks disappear.
The next day, addressing activists in Florianópolis, he was even more direct. He said he wants to end betting, that the issue has been under discussion within the Government for about two months, and that, if it were solely up to him, the decision would already be made. Before taking the step, he clarified, he will consult the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank. He again linked the activity to household debt and added another objective: to pursue money laundering, corruption, and other maneuvers associated with the business. The loss of revenue, in his opinion, should not hinder a measure if the Executive concludes that the social harm is greater.
What is missing is precisely the measure. Dario Durigan had said on September 18 that work was underway to tighten the rules but that nothing had been resolved. In a subsequent statement, he went a step further: even if the sector pays taxes, that does not save it if the Executive concludes that the harm to people is greater. He also confirmed that a provisional measure is being analyzed and that the internal discussion is between closing everything at once or starting only with online casinos. The Ministry of Finance estimates that a closure would cost the treasury around R$12 billion (US$2.333 billion) in revenue.
Within the ruling party, two interpretations coexist. One argues against proceeding, because these revenues are crucial for the 2027 accounts, which are already projected to be tight, and because such a shift would damage the Executive's reputation and legal predictability. The other looks at the polls: with a close presidential election in October, a tough decision could win votes, especially among the evangelical electorate, which holds significant sway and flatly rejects regulated betting.
Football has already taken a stand. Clubs, federations, and sports entities issued a manifesto against the prohibition with signatures from Flamengo, Corinthians, Palmeiras, São Paulo, Santos, Fluminense, Botafogo, Vasco, Cruzeiro, and Atlético-MG. The document admits that the growth of gambling generates social costs but proposes more regulation, more oversight, more prevention, and better user protection tools as a solution. Their warning is twofold: authorized companies are currently a significant source of income for clubs, and removing them from the map would push bettors towards the clandestine circuit.
The front that opened in recent days is that of television. According to O Dia, the country's three major networks have their own businesses in the sector: BetMGM has Globo as a partner, Bet do Milhão is linked to SBT, and BandBet is an operation of Band itself. For them, a prohibition would not only mean a drop in advertising revenue but also a blow to their own business units. That is why they began to move in Brasília, seeking to reach Congress, and, according to the same source, they alerted owners of affiliates who also hold legislative seats that the measure could be challenged in court as unconstitutional. Their underlying argument aligns with that of the clubs: closing the authorized market does not eliminate demand; it diverts it to operators that no one controls.
Brazil has a federally licensed fixed-odds betting market since January 1, 2025, supervised by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets. The Government has not yet presented the text of the provisional measure, and the decision between a total closure or a focused cut on online casinos and advertising comes in the midst of the campaign, just weeks before the first round.
Tags: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil betting ban, Brazilian clubs' manifesto, Provisional measure on betting