Lula defends the end of online betting operations if they do not have a registered business name in the country.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) defended, this Friday (August 14th), the closure of online betting platforms in Brazil if the sector does not present a social justification for continuing to operate in the country. In the same statement, the president revealed that he is aware of the existence of a "betting lobby" in the National Congress.
The statement exposes a concrete dilemma for bettors and regulators; experts warn that a possible ban could expand the already significant share of the illegal market, estimated at between 38% and 44% of the total, according to a study by LCA Consultores and the Locomotiva Institute released this week. Illegal operators attract users precisely because they do not comply with the obligations of the regulated market, such as simplified registration, absence of limits and warnings, and the offer of aggressive bonuses, which places them outside the consumer protection mechanisms established by the federal regulatory body.
Lula made the statements during an interview with Déia Freitas, from the channel Não Inviabilize, and the podcast As Cunhãs. The president was direct in presenting his central argument. "If no one shows me a social reason for these bets to continue, we have to put an end to them," he stated.
Resistance in Congress
The president acknowledged in advance that any offensive against the sector will encounter resistance in the legislature. By mentioning the "betting lobby," Lula made it clear that he considers the confrontation an inevitable political dispute. "I know there's a betting lobby in Congress. But it's a fight we're going to have to wage because society cannot be destabilized over something we can control," he declared.
The position presented by the president combines two main points: questioning the continued existence of online betting in the country and the assessment that any initiative to restrict or shut down the activity will necessarily involve a debate in the National Congress.
In his released statements, Lula did not detail what concrete measures the government could adopt, nor did he present a timeline for any potential action against the sector.
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