Lula leaves the bets ban out of his Globo interview as MP 1,394/2026 faces 99 amendments in Congress

For weeks, banning bets was one of Lula’s campaign talking points. In a 40-minute interview on Globo, he did not mention it once — a useful reminder for anyone in payments that policy slogans and actual regulatory momentum are often two different things.

1. On the Flow Podcast, Lula said, “I will end bets, no matter the cost,” and added, “Globo will be upset.” But on Thursday night, 15, in front of Globo and one of the campaign’s largest audiences, the issue simply disappeared from the conversation.
2. In the interview conducted by Renata Lo Prete, Lula answered questions about rejection of his government, relations with Congress, the United States, public security, the STF, the Master case, Bolsa Família, and fiscal policy. When asked about family debt, he said Desenrola “did not solve” the problem and presented the program’s third edition. Bets were not mentioned at all.
3. The omission matters because the debt-and-bets link was the original justification for the provisional measure issued on 25 September. On Globo, family debt went back to being a story about interest rates, banks, and Serasa, not wagering platforms.
4. Lula used his final minute to talk about the end of the 6x1 work schedule and the promise of zero fares on weekend transport, both of which had not even come up in the interview. The bets ban, which had appeared on campaign screens and in election ads, was not on the list.
5. The political reading is plain enough: the measure did not deliver what the campaign expected. It was announced when Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro were tied. Lula finished the 1st round behind, and the Datafolha released on the same day as the interview showed Flávio with 51% of valid votes versus 49% for the PT candidate. Campaign members had already flagged the measure as one of the 1st-round mistakes, while clubs, organized fan groups, and broadcasters remain mobilized against the MP.

Meanwhile, MP 1,394/2026 has already attracted 99 amendments in Congress, most of them aimed at making it more flexible. At the STF, rapporteur Luiz Fux is considering leaving the decision until after the 2nd round. With nine days left before the election, the government that turned the ban into a slogan is now choosing not to talk about it.