President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday (23) that he will end Brazil's licensed online betting industry, known locally as "bets", and that football clubs will have to find other sources of funding. "This is not a war, it is a decision," he said at a campaign event with artists in Rio de Janeiro, less than two weeks before the first round of Brazil's presidential election.
According to G1, the statement answered pressure from club executives who oppose restrictions on the sector. "In the name of good politics, in the name of Brazilian society, we will end this, and let the teams learn to live without money laundering. That is it. It will be this way. And it will be good for the youth," Lula said. Folha de S.Paulo records another line from the same event: "We will end the bets, and let the teams learn to become businessmen's teams." The paper says the president was referring to the SAF law, which allows clubs to leave the member-owned model and adopt a corporate structure.
"My concern is that part of today's youth is tied to algorithms. And if we do not fight this fight, the algorithms will win. I have no problem saying it. I will have the immense pleasure of ending the bets."
Decision expected by provisional decree
Earlier on Wednesday, Lula met ministers at the Palácio da Alvorada to discuss restrictions on betting. The meeting included Finance Minister Dario Durigan, Civil House chief Miriam Belchior, Budget and Planning Minister Bruno Moretti, Justice and Public Security Minister Wellington César, Communications Secretary Sidônio Palmeira and Central Bank President Gabriel Galípolo. Government members told G1 the meeting ended without a conclusion. Lula has already decided he wants to announce the end of the bets, but his team is split between a total ban and lighter measures, such as blocking advertising and banning online casino games like "Jogo do Tigrinho". The announcement is expected through a Medida Provisória, a presidential decree with the force of law that Congress must later approve, and executive agencies are already organizing internally on the assumption that it can be published at any moment.
Club pressure and legal risk
Last week, some of the country's leading clubs released a joint manifesto defending the regulated betting market and warning of "the end of Brazilian football" if restrictions move ahead. The note says investment by licensed betting companies "has become one of the main sources of revenue for the sport" and that the money also reaches smaller teams and lower divisions.
Folha reports the obstacles cited by presidential aides. The regulated market began operating in 2025 with 85 licensed companies, each paying a R$ 30 million licensing fee, and a ban now would open a legal battle, with the risk that the federal government would have to compensate the platforms. Allies of the president cite betting as one cause of household debt: a study by Comsefaz, the national committee of state finance secretaries, found that Brazilian families lost R$ 62.5 billion to the bets in 2025.
The next step is the publication of the provisional decree. Aides heard by Folha see a measure as imminent, barring an unexpected change in the president's stance, but are unsure of its scope. The issue has moved to the center of Lula's reelection campaign: on Friday (18) in Guarulhos and Saturday (19) in Florianópolis, he had already said he wants to end the bets in the country.