Lula intends to tighten rules for online gambling advertising in Brazil.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that he intends to tighten the rules on advertising by online betting sites in Brazil. The statement was made this Thursday (22) during an interview on the program Sem Censura, on EBC. Asked if he intends to control the advertising of bets , Lula replied: “I intend to.” The president defended that betting platforms should be treated on equal terms with other regulated sectors. “Everyone has to be treated on equal terms. What is illegal in normal life, has to be illegal in any other space,” he stated.
The president revealed that, in his personal opinion, he would favor a complete ban on online betting . "If it were up to me, I would ban them all," he stated. Lula acknowledged that the decision on the matter does not depend exclusively on the Executive Branch. "It doesn't depend on me; I don't own Brazil. Just as I say that Trump doesn't own the world, I don't own Brazil; I am the president of the Republic. I am part of a tripod of institutions that govern the country. I have the National Congress and I have the Judiciary," he said.
Lula highlighted that the government managed to eliminate illegal betting platforms. "We banned more than 90% of all illegal betting in this country," the president stated. He informed that a special secretariat was created within the Ministry of Finance to deal exclusively with the issue. "We have a special secretariat to take care of this. And it's starting right now; we won't create any more until the end of the year, and we'll think about what to do with it," he explained. The president stated that there are still political limitations to advancing more broadly in the sector. He attributed these limitations to the composition of the National Congress.
The Workers' Party (PT) has a minority representation in the legislature. Lula presented specific figures regarding the party's representation. "I only have 70 deputies out of 513. I only have 9 senators out of 81," he stated. This political configuration imposes restrictions on the actions of the Executive branch and demands a broad capacity for dialogue. "The capacity to converse, to dialogue, to get things done is immense," the president acknowledged.
The president explained that if he were to veto measures related to online gambling in their entirety , Congress could overturn the veto. "They will overturn the veto," Lula stated. This possibility demonstrates the need for political negotiation to move forward on the issue. The balance of power in the legislature demands more complex strategies from the government. Lula also highlighted the sector's influence in the National Congress. "It's well known how much influence they have in the National Congress. It's well known how much money they make people spend gambling without any guidance," he said.
Lula argued that, even while allowing some platforms to remain operational, it is necessary to prevent illegal or predatory gambling. “You have to know which betting sites are legitimate and which ones aren't. You can let one or two operate, but what you can't allow is for these so-called 'little tigers' to operate,” the president said. He was referring to games considered problematic. He also noted that Brazilian football currently depends financially on sports betting. “All of football depends on betting ,” he stated.
The president announced that he intends to address the issue during the 2026 election campaign. Lula stated that, "if it depends on the will of the President of the Republic, and I will say this during the campaign, I am in favor of ending all those platforms that are not providing any useful service to this country." The statement indicates that the topic should gain prominence in the political debate throughout the year. The president criticized the volume of resources invested in advertising by the platforms. "They spend a lot of money on television advertising," he said.
Lula linked the rise of online gambling to public health and education issues. “Gambling is an illness, an addiction. You have no idea how addictive it is,” he stated. According to him, properly addressing the issue requires an educational process combined with stricter prohibitions and rules governing the operation of the platforms. “It’s almost an educational process, along with the prohibitions. It’s not an easy thing to do,” he acknowledged. The president highlighted that the problem particularly affects the most vulnerable population. Data mentioned during the interview indicates that 1,3 million young people gamble on betting platforms, with three out of five being poor youth. Four out of five gamblers earn up to three minimum wages, with a large proportion being young Black people.
The president drew a comparison between the current situation and Brazil's tradition of restricting gambling. According to Lula, for centuries the country was against this type of practice. He observed that now the casino has moved into the home, accessible through electronic devices. "This country, for centuries, was against any kind of gambling. We were against casinos," he said.
“The casino has now moved into the living room, to grandma’s phone, which she lends to her grandson, dad’s phone which he lends to his son, and often the son gambles in secret and people don’t know,” said Lula. The statement illustrates the president’s concern about the ease of access to online gambling and the impact of this change on Brazilian families. He also mentioned the jogo do bicho (a type of illegal lottery) as an example of a crime that persists despite being prohibited for decades. “A person who plays jogo do bicho here in Rio de Janeiro, jogo do bicho has been illegal for centuries. But it still works, it doesn’t end,” he compared.
The president linked the problem of gambling to the indebtedness of Brazilian families, which has reached record levels. The government launched the "Desenrola" program as a public policy to facilitate the regularization of families' financial situations, conditioning participation on the prohibition of gambling . Lula defended people's right to incur debt, but responsibly. "I am not against people wanting to take on debt, to buy something that increases their assets. What we need to educate them is that they cannot take on debt beyond what they can afford," he stated. The president recalled that, in December 2008, during the global financial crisis, he encouraged responsible consumption. "It was the first time in history that classes D and E consumed more than the middle class. With great responsibility," he said.
The issue is expected to remain on the government's agenda in the coming months, with new regulatory measures anticipated and debate surrounding the limits of advertising on online betting platforms.