President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he will end betting in Brazil “no matter who it hurts” in episode 77 of the Flow podcast, published on 1 October.
“I’m going to end the bets, no matter who it hurts.”
Lula said this in Portuguese (“Eu vou acabar com as bets, doa a quem doer”).
Lula says regulation failed
Lula said he changed his position after hearing of cases of personal debt caused by betting and after talks with government officials, according to BPMoney.
He told the hosts that regulating the market had not worked:
“They couldn’t control it. They couldn’t regulate it. Every time you regulate, another one appears. It really has to end.”
Globo and MGbet
Lula followed his pledge to end betting with a remark about Globo, according to Brasil de Fato:
“Globo is going to be upset because it owns MGbet, which is Globo’s.”
In Portuguese, he said: “A Globo vai ficar chateada porque ela é dona da MGbet, que é da Globo.” TGE has not verified the ownership claim.
Where the measure stands
The government signed a provisional measure on 25 September that bans the offering, intermediation and advertising of sports betting and online games, according to Agência Brasil. It took effect on publication, and Congress has up to 120 days to vote on it.
Brazil’s Attorney General’s Office (AGU) has since sued 17 licensed operators for R$1 billion. A separate bill seeks a full refund of bettors’ net losses, and the ban dominated the Super CEO panel at SBC Summit Lisbon.
Lula said the fight is not over:
“It’s not over yet, because it’s going to be a war.”
Congress now has the 120-day window to decide whether the measure stands.
Source: Flow Podcast
