Lula canceled campaign trip with Boulos to try to resolve 'epidemic of online betting'.
Desperate for resources, wherever they may come from, to guarantee fiscal adjustment, the economic team ended up causing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a headache that not even a ton of painkillers will be able to alleviate in the short time he will spend in Brazil, between his arrival from his trip to New York and his departure for Mexico next Sunday. Besides the wildfires that are destroying Brazilian flora and fauna, the other problem is the online betting market that has driven Brazilians crazy, leading them to spend between R$ 18 and 21 billion per month on online betting and gambling sites, according to a study by the Central Bank, reveals Estadão.
Earlier in the week, it was speculated that Lula would come to São Paulo, where he would participate in an event with candidate Guilherme Boulos (PSOL). The cancellation of the visit led many PT members to speculate that Lula would not travel because his constant presence in São Paulo was causing jealousy among PT candidates from other states. Anyone who knows Lula even slightly knows that PT intrigues usually stay far away from him and that, on more than one occasion, he has said that Boulos is the "candidate of PSOL, PT, etc."
Therefore, by the end of the week, Lula and the Finance Minister, Fernando Haddad, who was part of the delegation, will have to find a formula very quickly to restrict gambling for 24 million Brazilians. The situation is considered more than alarming, especially because it is consuming the resources of five million beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família program who, according to the Central Bank, have already sent R$ 3 billion to betting sites via Pix (a Brazilian instant payment system). Among the measures already announced by the Finance Ministry to contain what Haddad calls "an electronic betting pandemic" is the suspension of operations of betting sites that have not yet requested authorization to operate in the country. The minister also promises to thoroughly review the regulation of electronic betting. Within the government, there is already talk of treating the issue of betting like the tobacco industry, restricting advertising in the sector.
Boulos downplays Lula's absence from campaign events scheduled for the weekend.
The losses from gambling are expected to consume the days Lula will spend in the country. Appeals from associations and entities of all kinds have reached the Presidential Palace demanding regulations for sports betting sites and others. This is because, as the president of the Central Bank, Roberto Campos Neto, said a few days ago, such rapid growth in the number of bets and the average value of the transfer ticket to betting houses was unexpected.
A few days ago, Pope Francis attended the event “Planting a Flag Against Dehumanization,” at the 10th World Meeting of Popular Movements (EMMP) in Rome. In his speech, Francis addressed the themes of social justice and denounced what he called the “culture of the winner,” through online betting, misuse of social networks, and organized crime. “I am very saddened to see that some football matches and sports stars promote betting platforms. This is not a game, it is an addiction. It is putting their hands in people's pockets, especially those of workers and the poor,” said the Pope.
