Flávio Bolsonaro calls Lula’s Brazil betting crackdown “electoral fraud” as government seeks to ban online bets

Flávio Bolsonaro says Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is using a new betting ban for political gain, after the government announced a Provisional Measure (MP) on Friday (25) and sent a separate bill to Congress. For PSPs and operators, the key detail is simple: Brazil’s betting framework is now being pushed in two directions at once — tighter enforcement on one side, and legislative uncertainty on the other.

1. In a campaign video posted on social media, Flávio said Lula was acting opportunistically and described the MP as “electoral fraud” and a “fake solution.” His argument is that the measure lasts only four months, so if it expires after the elections, “bets can come back at full force.”
2. Flávio Bolsonaro said that if he is elected, he will not allow “online casino, nor Tigrinho” during his term. He did not mention bets in that line, even though the political attack was centered on the betting sector.
3. The government’s MP takes effect immediately because provisional measures carry the force of law, but Congress must vote on them within 120 days. If lawmakers do not approve it in time, it loses validity.
4. Lula also sent Congress a bill that would create prison sentences for anyone who explores, operates, or promotes so-called bets. Unlike the MP, that bill has to pass both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate before it can take effect.
5. Flávio Bolsonaro also accused Lula of using tax revenue from betting companies to cover government deficits, saying the government has already collected more than R$ 20 billion since betting was regulated. He added that Lula should have opposed bets from the start and said that if he were “minimally concerned,” he would not have authorized bets to operate two years ago.

The regulatory backdrop matters here. Brazil’s betting legislation was approved only in 2023 under Lula, after the framework had first been discussed during Jair Bolsonaro’s government. The original proposal covered sports betting, but the version approved at the end of 2023 was expanded in the Chamber of Deputies to include online games such as virtual casinos.