Brazil's Lula bans online gambling days before presidential election
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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a provisional order on Friday banning all sports betting and online casinos. The ban comes just over a week before the first round of Brazil's presidential election, where Lula faces Flávio Bolsonaro. The measure requires congressional approval within 120 days to remain in force.
Key Facts
- Lula signed the provisional order on Friday, prohibiting all sports betting and online casinos in Brazil.
- The ban requires congressional approval within 120 days to remain in force.
- A survey by Atlas and Bloomberg found 59.9% of Brazilian adults support banning internet betting.
- Flávio Bolsonaro called the gambling crackdown "populist, hypocritical and politically motivated" at a Rio de Janeiro rally.
The Ban
Lula signed a provisional order on Friday that "prohibits all sports betting and online casinos". The online gambling industry was legalised in Brazil in 2018 and has since been blamed for widespread household income losses due to addiction. Lula described the industry as a "cancer", saying, "Either we remove the tumour, or it kills us." The new measures must receive congressional approval within 120 days to remain in force.
Election Context
The move comes just over a week before the first round of voting in Brazil's presidential election. Recent polls show the 80-year-old leader almost neck-and-neck with Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Flávio Bolsonaro called the gambling crackdown "populist, hypocritical and politically motivated" during a campaign rally in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. Earlier this week, at the United Nations General Assembly, Lula accused the industry of "transforming addiction into profit".
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