Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that, if it were up to him, online betting companies would be shut down.
During a livestream on Sunday, he said he had met with “eight victims of online betting”. To reinforce his criticism of the sector and in an attempt to win over conservative voters, he pointed out that one gambler had made 1,400 instant fund transfers (Pix) to a betting site. Lula criticised the Central Bank for failing to detect such a high volume of transactions to a single company.
However, that responsibility does not lie with the Central Bank. It is the role of the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets to monitor and regulate the sector. Betting companies submit detailed daily reports on bettors’ financial transactions with the sites. A specific module within Brazil’s betting management system detects recurring transfers.
“Today I met a young man who made 1,400 Pix transfers in three months, and the Central Bank didn’t detect that this was an excessive number of transfers to the same company?” Lula said.
“Are we remaining passive while society drowns in debt? Are we remaining passive while society is driven to madness – because this is an illness? People lose their minds; they contemplate suicide or abandoning their homes. So, we are going to take serious action.”
BRL2 billion debt
During the livestream, the president stated that he had spoken with a woman who said her 26-year-old son had taken his own life because of online betting. He also mentioned hearing from a bettor who had racked up BRL2 million ($388,410) in debt in just three months of wagering.
Lula said he intends to discuss the matter with his team and analyse potential measures to consider the social impact of online betting.
What the president does not acknowledge is that the government relies on revenue from the sector. In just the first seven months of 2026, BRL8.747 billion generated by sports betting has already flowed into public coffers. The Federal Revenue Service estimates the total could reach BRL16 billion by the end of the year. In 2025, nearly BRL9 billion was collected from sportsbooks.
The burning question is where such funds will come from if Lula shuts down the betting industry. Yet, no one points out to him that players will simply migrate to the illegal market. Betting will continue to exist, but without formal tax revenue, oversight or player protections.
It will be up to the government to effectively curb the illegal market so the regulated sector continues to generate taxes and jobs while upholding responsible gambling practices. By riding the wave of criticism against betting companies, the government is diverting attention from the true cause of household indebtedness.
巴西总统路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦表示，如果由他决定，在线博彩公司将被关闭。
在周日的直播中，他表示自己会见了“八名在线博彩的受害者”。为了加强对该行业的批评并试图赢得保守派选民的支持，他指出一名赌徒向一家博彩网站进行了1400次即时转账（Pix）。卢拉批评中央银行未能发现向单一公司如此高频的转账交易。
然而，这一责任并不在于中央银行。监测和监管该行业是奖金与博彩秘书处的职责。博彩公司每日提交赌客与网站之间金融交易的详细报告。巴西博彩管理系统中的一个特定模块会检测重复性转账。
“今天我见到一个年轻人，他在三个月内进行了1400次Pix转账，而中央银行竟然没有发现这是向同一公司进行的过多转账？”卢拉说。
“当社会陷入债务泥潭时，我们难道要袖手旁观吗？当社会被逼向疯狂——因为这是一种疾病——我们难道要袖手旁观吗？人们失去理智，他们考虑自杀或抛弃家庭。所以，我们将采取严肃的行动。”
20亿雷亚尔债务
在直播中，总统表示他曾与一位女士交谈，该女士称她26岁的儿子因在线博彩而自杀。他还提到听说一名赌徒在短短三个月的投注中累积了200万雷亚尔（约388,410美元）的债务。
卢拉表示，他打算与团队讨论此事，并分析可能的措施以考量在线博彩的社会影响。
总统没有承认的是，政府依赖该行业的收入。仅在2026年前七个月，体育博彩产生的87.47亿雷亚尔就已流入公共金库。联邦税务局估计，到年底总额可能达到160亿雷亚尔。2025年，从体育博彩公司征收了近90亿雷亚尔。
关键问题是，如果卢拉关闭博彩行业，这些资金将从何而来。然而，没有人向他指出，玩家只会转向非法市场。博彩将继续存在，但没有正式的税收、监管或玩家保护。
政府需要有效遏制非法市场，以便受监管的行业在坚持负责任博彩实践的同时继续产生税收和就业机会。通过顺应批评博彩公司的浪潮，政府正在将注意力从家庭负债的真正原因上转移开。