Flávio Bolsonaro called Flamengo president after Lula’s betting ban in Brazil

Flávio Bolsonaro, the PL presidential candidate, called Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, president of Flamengo, one day after Lula’s government issued a provisional measure banning betting in Brazil. For clubs and betting operators, the point is not just the politics: the conversation signals that the sector’s regulatory status is now part of the election campaign.

1. According to Folha de S.Paulo, citing three people linked to football and Flávio’s campaign who spoke anonymously, Bolsonaro told Bap that if he is elected he will seek a solution for football clubs and betting companies. Those sources said he did not commit to restoring authorization for betting firms to operate again.
2. The call took place before the first round of the election, while Flávio was gaining in the polls against Lula. In the first round, the PL candidate finished ahead of the sitting president: 47.03% of the vote to Lula’s 45.16%, according to official data.
3. Flávio Bolsonaro has not made clear whether he would support the return of online betting if he wins the second round. During the campaign, he linked Lula to jogo do tigrinho, an online casino format, said he voted against regulation of the sector, and at the same time drew a line between virtual casinos and sports betting. He also criticized the ban as having been made with “a pen that attacked legal certainty, attacked clubs, various companies” in the sector.
4. The senator also made public gestures toward the betting and football ecosystem. The day after the government ban, he posted an unofficial poll on X suggesting Flamengo supporters backed him more than Lula, and the same day as the call with Bap. A few days later, in a post on Instagram, he encouraged Santos president Marcelo Teixeira to vote for him.
5. Flamengo has been one of the most active opponents of the measure. The club joined the action at the Supreme Federal Court (STF), which is reviewing the validity of Lula’s provisional measure and is being reported by minister Luiz Fux. Flamengo’s press office said the club does not support any candidate: “Flamengo does not discuss and will not declare support for any of the candidates.”

For high-risk PSPs and betting operators, the key detail is that the Brazilian betting ban is now being discussed not only in court, but in campaign messaging and direct talks with major clubs. That is usually where regulatory risk starts to become commercial risk.