Lula signals a total ban on betting in Brazil as MP decision remains unsigned

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday (23) that the country will “end bets” in Brazil, a line that points to a possible full ban on online betting. For PSPs, acquirers, and banks watching the high-risk stack, the important bit is not the speech itself but the fact that the government still has not signed the provisional measure that would define the scope.

1. Lula made the statement at an event with artists and political leaders at Fundição Progresso in Rio de Janeiro. He repeated the line several times: “This is not a war, it is a decision. We are going to end bets.” He did not spell out the content of the MP or give a date for signing it.
2. The speech came only hours after a meeting at Palácio da Alvorada, where Lula discussed the betting measure with ministers. According to the report cited in the original text, he reportedly concluded that it would be necessary to “cut the evil at the root.” Even so, the MP had not been signed as of the end of the day.
3. Much of Lula’s message was aimed at football clubs, after they published a manifesto last week against the end of betting. He said he had not yet received the document and argued that clubs should have learned to operate as companies after the approval of the SAF law. He also accused teams of needing to learn how to live without “money laundering.”
4. Lula tied the betting issue to debt and gambling harm. He said he met eight people last week who were in debt because of betting, calling it the saddest experience of his life. He cited one man with a R$ 2.2 million debt who sold his father’s house, his own house, and his shop, and a 27-year-old woman who owes R$ 730 mil. He also mentioned suicide attempts and a mother who lost her 26-year-old son because of betting debts.
5. The president also linked the topic to digital platform regulation and mentioned the ECA Digital. His point was that young people are being captured by algorithms so that a small number of players can profit without paying taxes in Brazil. In other words, this is not being framed as a narrow gaming-policy tweak; it is being pushed into the same bucket as platform governance and tax collection.

For market operators, the practical number in the background is the sector’s estimated R$ 9 billion in revenue for 2026. The government’s response to that number may become clearer on Thursday (24), at 9:30, when ministers Dario Durigan (Fazenda) and Bruno Moretti (Planejamento) present the bimonthly revenue and spending report.