Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he is prepared to ban online betting entirely unless shown evidence of social benefit. He made the statement on 14 August in an interview with the Não Inviabilize and As Cunhãs podcasts.
'If nobody shows me the social foundation for continuing these bets, we should end them,' Lula said. He acknowledged such a move would face resistance in Congress, where a betting lobby operates, but argued authorities must address the problem before society destabilises over something that can be controlled. A day earlier, on 13 August, Lula had criticised betting at a Labour Ministry event, warning of debt traps.
Betting is emerging as a dividing line ahead of the 2026 presidential election. Novo party candidate Romeu Zema went further on 18 August, promising to ban online betting by executive order on his first day in office and calling it 'a plague'. The statement followed polling showing majority Brazilian support for a ban.
Lula's main right-wing opponent Flávio Bolsonaro proposed banning the use of federal welfare funds for betting and launching a campaign against gambling debt. Restrictions for Bolsa Família and BPC recipients are already in force, so the proposal largely mirrors the current measure but signals a hardline stance. São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, running for a second term, attacked Lula's government on 19 August over betting regulation, linking the sector to rising household debt.
Recent polling places Lula ahead of Bolsonaro in the first round, but the gap narrows in a runoff.
