Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has signed a provisional executive order banning fixed-odds sports betting and online casinos, a move announced just over a week before the first round of the country's presidential election. The order, which took immediate effect, ends the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of betting platforms. Users have until 5 October to withdraw existing funds, while new deposits are barred. The measures will require congressional approval within 120 days to remain in force.
Lula, a left-wing politician seeking a fourth presidential term, framed the ban in stark public health terms. "It's like cancer," he told journalists in São Paulo. "You take out the tumour, or the tumour will kill us." He also raised the issue at the United Nations General Assembly earlier in the week, accusing the industry of "transforming addiction into profit" and "destroying homes." His government separately drafted legislation to establish criminal offences related to fixed-odds betting, including promoting such platforms and using personal data to solicit gamblers.
Online sports betting was legalised in Brazil in 2018 under then-president Michel Temer, and expanded rapidly in the years that followed. Most other forms of gambling, such as casinos and slot machines, remain illegal in the country. A 2025 study by the nonprofit Institute of Studies for Health Policies estimated that betting costs Brazilian society 38.8 billion reais (around £5.6bn) annually, contributing to rising rates of suicide and depression. Brazil's central bank previously estimated that Brazilians spend around 30 billion reais on bets each month — a figure that included welfare recipients of the Bolsa Família programme, who were blocked from betting platforms last year. Business analysts put annual revenues from sports betting alone at more than $4 billion, making Brazil one of the world's largest markets.
The ban has drawn sharp political and commercial opposition. Flávio Bolsonaro — Lula's main electoral rival and son of the jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro — called the crackdown "populist, hypocritical and politically motivated," accusing Lula of deploying an "electoral measure" timed for maximum effect. Major Brazilian football clubs, for whom betting firms have become a significant revenue source — paying the top clubs a combined 1.1 billion reais in 2025 — warned that sponsorships could end immediately, with some claiming the ban could drive clubs into insolvency. The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming, representing around 75% of the domestic betting sector, urged stronger regulation rather than an outright ban, warning that prohibition risks pushing gamblers toward unregulated illegal platforms.
Despite industry and political pushback, public opinion appears broadly supportive: a survey by Atlas and Bloomberg found that around 60% of Brazilian adults back a ban on internet betting. The timing, however, ensures the issue will remain central to the election campaign, with Lula and Bolsonaro running what polls describe as a close race.