Flávio Bolsonaro says ban on betting is an attack on legal certainty.
Senator and presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) stated this Wednesday (7), in Brasília, that the prohibition of sports betting and online games by the Lula (PT) government is an attack on legal security. The statement was given in a press conference after a meeting with leaders of the Progressive Union federation, formed by PP and União Brasil.
According to the candidate, Provisional Measure 1.394, issued on September 25th, nine days before the first round of voting, was politically motivated and produced the opposite result to what was expected. "He took a populist measure just days before the election, as if that would translate into votes for him. The effect was the opposite. He attacked legal certainty, he attacked clubs, and various companies," he said.
Flávio criticized the treatment given to operators that met the legal requirements to operate in the country. “The government took money from these companies that paid dearly to enter the market, to be regulated. And on the other hand, the guy just signs it with a stroke of the pen,” he stated. As an example of the effects on other sectors, he cited sporting goods stores, which, according to him, would have to discard stocks of club shirts with betting company logos.
The senator argued that the fight should focus on the black market. "Illegal betting needs to be truly curbed; it's not being monitored by the current government," he stated. He also pointed out the weakness of the instrument chosen by the government: "Since it's a provisional measure, it could expire in four months. It could cease to exist, and the illegal betting could return."
"Tiger's Dad"
The candidate again blamed the government for including online gambling in the law passed in 2023 and repeated the label he has been using against his opponent. “I voted against betting in Congress; it was the PT (Workers' Party) that voted in favor. It was the PT, it was the government, that pushed to keep Tigrinho (a popular Brazilian gambling game) and online casinos in the text. So, Lula is Tigrinho's father,” he said.
Flávio stated that it is necessary to make an "honest and responsible" distinction between the modalities, but he did not detail what his proposal for the sector would be in case of victory, nor did he say how he would vote on the provisional measure. According to him, the issue should be discussed by Congress.
According to Folha de S.Paulo, allies of the candidate report that he has been approached by football clubs to discuss the matter.
STF
The validity of the provisional measure is being challenged in the Supreme Federal Court by ANJL (National Association of Games and Lotteries) and IBJR (Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming), which consider the ban by provisional measure unconstitutional. The rapporteur is Minister Luiz Fux. The Attorney General's Office defends maintaining the prohibition.
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