In short
- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a provisional order on Friday that “prohibits all sports betting and online casinos”.
- Punters and bookmakers in Brazil have until 5 October to withdraw existing funds from online betting accounts, and new deposits have been barred.
- Brazil’s main football clubs were paid 1.1bn reais ($212m; £160m) by sports betting firms in 2025, while the industry took in 62.5bn reais, according to Globo.
- The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming, a trade body representing around 75% of the domestic betting sector, said a total ban on fixed-odds betting jeopardised 58-73bn reais in revenue.
- An Atlas and Bloomberg survey published this week found 59.9% of Brazilian adults support banning internet betting.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a provisional order on Friday banning all sports betting and online casinos, just over a week before the first round of the presidential election in which he is seeking a fourth term against Flávio Bolsonaro.
What does Brazil’s online gambling ban cover?
The order signed on Friday “prohibits all sports betting and online casinos”, according to Lula’s announcement. He separately signed a bill establishing criminal offences related to fixed-odds betting, the most common type of online sports betting. The measures must receive congressional approval within 120 days to remain in force.
When do bettors have to withdraw their money?
Punters and bookies have until 5 October to withdraw any existing funds from online betting accounts, while new deposits have been barred. Online betting was legalised in Brazil in 2018, under former president Michel Temer’s administration, and the industry has since been blamed for widespread household income losses caused by addiction. Household finances are also the subject of a separate Brazilian policy debate, where a proposal to correct the income tax table has been finalised.
What did Lula say about the gambling industry?
Lula described the industry as a “cancer” and said: “Either we remove the tumour, or it kills us.” He said online betting had grown “without regulation under Bolsonaro’s management”, and that there were “no restrictions” particularly to prevent children and teenagers from accessing online betting. “We won’t allow betting companies to profit at the expense of Brazilian families’ income and lives,” he said.
At the UN General Assembly earlier in the week, Lula accused the industry of “transforming addiction into profit”. He said he had heard from families who had sold everything in their houses because of gambling addiction.
How have football clubs and betting firms responded?
Grêmio, one of Brazil’s “big twelve” clubs, said before the announcement that sports betting firms had become “one of the main sources of revenue for sports” since they were made legal. A change in the law “will not only be an open door for illegal betting, but a fatal blow to Brazilian football, leading many clubs to insolvency”, it said.
The main Brazilian clubs were paid 1.1bn reais ($212m; £160m) by sports betting firms in 2025, while the industry took in 62.5bn reais in the same period, according to the broadcaster Globo. The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR), a trade body representing around 75% of the domestic betting sector, said a total ban on fixed-odds betting jeopardised the industry and potentially 58-73bn reais in revenue. “The ban also doesn’t eliminate existing demand,” it said, adding that anyone turning to illicit betting would lose “access to protection mechanisms provided in the regulated environment”. The IBJR urged the federal government to strengthen betting regulations instead.
How does the move land in the election campaign?
Flávio Bolsonaro called the gambling crackdown “populist, hypocritical and politically motivated” at a campaign rally in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, according to Reuters. Recent polls have put the 80-year-old Lula almost neck-and-neck with his rival ahead of the first round on 4 October, when Lula is seeking a fourth term. Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is incarcerated.
About 59.9% of Brazilian adults support banning internet betting, an Atlas and Bloomberg survey published this week found.
Frequently asked questions
When does Brazil’s online gambling ban take effect?
New deposits into online betting accounts were barred immediately, and punters and bookies have until 5 October to withdraw existing funds. The provisional order must receive congressional approval within 120 days to remain in force.
Why did Lula ban sports betting and online casinos?
Lula described the industry as a “cancer” and said it had grown “without regulation under Bolsonaro’s management”, with no restrictions to stop children and teenagers from accessing online betting. Flávio Bolsonaro called the measure “populist, hypocritical and politically motivated”.
Who opposes Brazil’s gambling ban?
Brazilian football club Grêmio said a change in the law would be a “fatal blow” to the sport, and the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming, whose members represent around 75% of the domestic betting sector, said the ban jeopardised 58-73bn reais in revenue.
Who is Lula running against in Brazil’s 2026 election?
Lula is seeking a fourth term against Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of incarcerated former president Jair Bolsonaro, with recent polls showing the two almost neck-and-neck.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
