President Lula da Silva reiterates opposition to online gaming in Brazil amid reelection campaign
Lula da Silva stressed that he does not have sole authority to outlaw online gaming.
Brazil.- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has renewed his criticism of the online gambling sector as he continues his reelection campaign. During an appearance on the state broadcaster TV Brasil’s Sem Censura programme, the Workers’ Party leader stressed that the issue was not entirely within his control but said: “If it were up to the president, I would have said this during the campaign. I am in favour of shutting down all those betting sites that are not providing any useful service to this country”.
Lula’s campaign rhetoric has often targeted online betting. He has regularly pointed to gambling as a driver of household debt, a stance popular with the country’s evangelical bloc.
Reflecting on his decision to sign Brazil’s online gambling legislation at the end of December 2023, Lula argued that any veto of the bill passed by Congress would likely have been overturned.
Emphasising the limits of his authority, he said: “It’s not up to me; I don’t own Brazil. Just as I say that [Donald] Trump doesn’t own the world, I don’t own Brazil. I am the President of the Republic. I am part of a tripartite system of institutions that governs the country. There is the National Congress and there is the judiciary.”
Lula claimed the government had succeeded in shutting down more than 90 per cent of illegal betting operations, though he acknowledged that half of the market remains outside regulation. He also addressed advertising rules, insisting that betting platforms should be subject to the same standards as other industries, and he called for stronger consumer protections and financial education, framing gambling as a public health issue. “Gambling is a disease, an addiction,” he warned.
New bills seek ban on gambling ads
Meanwhile, The Mixed Parliamentary Front for the Promotion of Mental Health, a group formed by 20 federal deputies and seven senators from different parties, has presented two bills that aim to ban gambling advertising as well as gambling sponsorship of sports and cultural events. The bills will be processed simultaneously in the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate.
The parliamentarians called the initiative “Brazil Against Bets”. The group’s president, Deputy Pedro Campos (PSB-PE), told Agência Brasil that the Parliamentary Front would like the agenda to be evaluated quickly.
“People are overwhelmed, including by betting advertising in general. Beyond the problem of gambling and people’s illnesses, and family debt, the excessive advertising itself is something that has bothered the population,” said Campos.
In the justification for the bill, the congressman from Pernambuco criticised football commentators who are sponsored by gambling companies and give tips on how to bet. Meanwhile, congresswoman Tabata Amaral also commented on the matter: “We are dealing with something that is making the Brazilian population sick. Very rarely have I seen such an effective and united lobby of resources,” she declared.
The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) and the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR), two of the entities that represent licensed betting companies in the country, have expressed opposition to the proposals. The Brazilian Association of Illegal Gambling (ANJL) warned that such a ban would “represent the greatest and most serious incentive for the operation of illegal platforms”.
The association highlighted that unlicensed platforms, which according to data from the Instituto Esfera represent 52 per cent of the market, “operate without any oversight, offer no consumer protection, do not prevent access by minors, have no policies against indebtedness, and do not contribute to society through tax collection or support for the sports and cultural sectors.”
The Brazilian Institute of Online Gambling (IBJR) stated that advertising is “a legitimate and necessary tool for any regulated sector of the economy – including online betting.” The Institute states that advertising plays a direct role in consumer protection, helping to separate companies committed to responsible gambling from those that “operate clandestinely, without offering guarantees, consumer protection, or returns to society.”
