Candidates disagree on betting in 2026: from a total ban to high taxes.

The leading candidates for the Presidency of the Republic agree on the need to curb the growth of online sports betting in Brazil, but they diverge on the method: proposals range from a total ban to increased taxes, including advertising restrictions and the use of financial control bodies. The issue has gained centrality in the 2026 presidential campaign.

A survey by Globo Online published this Thursday (August 20th) shows that, despite differences in other areas, presidential candidates from different political spectrums cited the social cost of gambling and signaled an intention to tighten the noose around the sector. Since the laws that allow the operation of electronic gambling in Brazil are federal, only the National Congress and the President of the Republic have the power to prohibit it.

Candidates' positions

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), running for re-election, stated on the podcasts Não Inviabilize and As Cunhãs that his team is studying measures to restrict online sports betting. “If it were up to me, we would end the betting,” said the PT member, who also criticized the reach of the platforms on children's devices. Lula stated that the measures are being evaluated jointly with the Ministries of Finance, Planning, and Justice. On Tuesday (August 18th), he summoned ministers to discuss the topic, a month after the Finance Ministry announced new advertising rules for the sector, including warnings about risks and a ban on content that suggests “easy money” or a “sense of urgency.”

Also on that Tuesday, the Prizes and Betting Secretariat (SPA), of the Ministry of Finance, ordered the suspension of websites linked to six companies for non-compliance with regulations. The sector had been regulated and began to be taxed in 2023, when the federal government required the payment of R$ 30 million in concession fees, valid for five years, from companies interested in becoming compliant.

Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), Lula's main opponent, included in his government program submitted to the Electoral Court a proposal to prohibit the use of social program funds for gambling. "Money intended to put food on the table cannot flow to betting houses," says the campaign document. However, this measure has already been in effect since October 2025 for beneficiaries of Bolsa Família and the Continuous Benefit Payment (BPC). The vice-presidential candidate, Alfredo Gaspar (PL), stated on Tuesday (August 18th) that the senator "does not yet have a defined position on a total ban," but defended a review of the regulations. "It will be the size that Brazil needs for us to save Brazilian families," said the federal deputy, who described the current situation as "out of control."

Romeu Zema (Novo), former governor of Minas Gerais, adopts the most radical position among the candidates with significant representation in the polls. The candidate advocates a total ban and stated that vetoing gambling will be his "first act" as president. At an event with women whose relatives were affected by gambling, held in São Paulo on Tuesday (August 18), Zema compared gambling addiction to chemical dependency. "We have a very serious problem in Brazil today, and it seems to me that the authorities have turned a blind eye," he said. His running mate, Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo), has been advocating a similar position for some time.

Renan Santos, candidate for Missão, also promises to end gambling. In the debate promoted by the National Union of Trade and Services Entities (Unecs) on Tuesday (August 18), the activist from the Free Brazil Movement (MBL) classified gambling as "a drug worse than crack". "People think it's a way to supplement their income. I earn my little salary and place my bet, because some influencer appears on Instagram and says that they will get rich doing it," Renan told the event's audience.

Financial control and taxation

Technically tied with Zema and Renan Santos for third place in voting intention polls, Ronaldo Caiado (PSD) ruled out a direct ban and proposed another approach. The former governor of Goiás stated on Tuesday (August 18th), during a service sector event, that he will use the Council for the Control of Financial Activities (Coaf) and the Federal Revenue Service to track the flow of funds from betting and curb advertising that encourages the practice. "It's part of my plan to take initial measures to contain the exhaustive advertising process that is leading people to this practice," he stated. When asked directly about the ban, Caiado avoided answering.

Augusto Cury (Avante) is betting on taxation as a control mechanism. During a debate at Unecs, the candidate proposed applying "very high taxes" to companies operating betting in Brazil. According to him, the increased taxation would act as a disincentive to the practice. "Betting will have to be highly regulated, including with very high taxes, to inhibit this, so that the money that could benefit Brazilian society doesn't go to these companies, which are becoming increasingly billionaires," stated the writer.

Race for governor of São Paulo

The issue is also mobilizing the state election. The two main candidates for governor of São Paulo, Fernando Haddad (PT) and Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos), advocated for a ban on betting, according to Globo Online. On Monday night (August 17th), during an event of the Union of Hospitals, Clinics and Laboratories of the State of São Paulo (SindHosp), Tarcísio stated that "either Brazil ends betting, or betting ends Brazil." The governor estimated that between 20% and 25% of the Brazilian worker's income is committed to betting, while another 30% to 40% is already committed to bank debts, interest, and payroll loans.

Haddad, for his part, defended on Monday morning (August 17th), during a Jovem Pan News interview, "seriously discussing prohibiting this business." The former Minister of Finance acknowledged that prohibition is not within the state's jurisdiction and said that, if elected, he will not license new activities in the sector in São Paulo. "If I were in previous governments, I wouldn't have let gambling prosper. I don't think any game is good, I think they're all bad. Especially electronic games, which have an addiction algorithm," he stated. When questioned about the regulation promoted by the Lula government, Haddad justified that it was necessary to create rules for an activity that was already permitted and to collect taxes on it.