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September 20, 2026
Lula’s Betting Crackdown Pits Public Health Against Football’s Bottom Line
Lula casts a tougher line on online betting as a safeguard against addiction and debt, while football clubs argue the industry has become financially embedded in the sport. A social-media critic, meanwhile, frames the president’s stance as politically inconsistent.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has renewed his call to shut down online betting platforms in Brazil, presenting the issue less as a question of tax revenue than of household harm. His position puts him at odds with leading football clubs, which say betting sponsorships and commercial deals now form an important part of the sport’s finances.
Speaking after clubs warned that new restrictions could bring financial losses and regulatory uncertainty, Lula dismissed the argument that betting companies are essential to football’s survival. “We have to end the lack of shame in football,” he said, arguing that Brazilian clubs and the national team won major titles long before betting firms became prominent sponsors.1 He also cited accounts of people who had accumulated substantial debts, describing online gambling as an addiction rather than ordinary entertainment.
The president’s argument is that potential social costs outweigh lost revenue. “The government is not worried if it loses tax,” Lula said. “We can lose the tax; what I cannot lose is the lives of poor people gambling.”2 He has said he will consult the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank before deciding on further measures. The federal government has already imposed advertising rules and blocked some social-benefit recipients from accessing betting platforms, according to the account of his latest remarks.2
Football clubs, by contrast, contend that betting companies have become a significant revenue source through shirt sponsorships and advertising. Their concern is not a defense of addiction, but the risk that sudden rule changes could destabilize contracts and club budgets.1
A separate criticism has come from the political right. Allan dos Santos reposted a message accusing Lula and the Workers’ Party of having supported the earlier liberalisation of gambling, calling his current opposition a “farce.”
3 That accusation challenges Lula’s political consistency, whereas the clubs’ response focuses on the practical financial consequences of a ban.