Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a provisional ban on online sports betting ahead of the Oct. 4 election. Deposits are barred immediately; sites, apps and legal sponsorships are due to end Oct. 6. Congress must approve it to become law.
Finance Minister Dario Durigan said the government had tried to regulate the industry but now considered it a public-health issue. He said more than 60 billion reais ($11 billion) had flowed from families to legal betting firms. The government said 85 licenses had been granted at 30 million reais ($5.7 million) each, with no refunds.
The National Association of Games and Lotteries and eight other industry groups warned the ban could drive gamblers to illegal platforms and cost jobs and tax revenue; the sector paid 9.95 billion reais ($1.73 billion) in federal taxes in 2025. Flamengo called the move a “heavy blow” to Brazilian sports, warning it could affect professional football, youth academies, women’s soccer, Olympic sports and championships. Betting sites are the main shirt sponsors at 13 of 20 first-division clubs. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula’s election rival, called it “populist, hypocritical and election-driven.”
