Tarcísio de Freitas argues for an end to online gambling in Brazil.

The governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, advocated for the end of online sports betting platforms in Brazil. The statement was made during the "Health Dialogues" debate, held at the Union of Hospitals, Clinics and Laboratories of São Paulo (SindHosp).

The statement positions Tarcísio, a candidate for re-election in the state, alongside other nationally prominent politicians who have adopted a critical discourse towards the betting sector, a move interpreted as a strategy to connect with conservative voters.

"Either Brazil ends gambling, or gambling ends Brazil. We have to understand that this is a health problem," the governor stated during the event.

Betting as a public health problem

For Tarcísio, the phenomenon of online gambling has ceased to be a matter of entertainment and has begun to demand a response from the State in the area of ​​health. He drew a parallel with the fight against smoking and argued that gambling addiction should be treated as a disease, with the provision of specialized care by the public authorities.

“We were effective in weaning people off tobacco. And so the question is: will we be able to be effective in weaning people off drugs? The challenges are the same now. Perhaps the challenges now are greater than the challenges of tobacco were in the past,” said the governor.

The politician also linked the growth of gambling to the population's indebtedness. According to him, 20% of Brazilians' income is committed to gambling, although he did not indicate the source of this data.

National treatment program

Tarcísio advocated for the creation of a national program dedicated to treating gambling addiction. In his proposal, the program should be robust, accessible, and digitized.

Brazil is among the world's largest online betting markets, driven by the expansion of digital platforms in recent years.