Brazil betting ban triggers 3,500 layoffs, ANJL survey finds

According to a partial survey by the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL), more than 3,500 workers in Brazil's betting sector have lost their jobs following the introduction of Provisional Measure 1.394, which prohibited licensed sportsbooks from operating. The association said this amounts to 23% of the sector's workforce. The figures come from data supplied by betting operators and were released on the previous Wednesday.

The survey also found that 4,167 employees have been placed on collective furlough. Within 90 days, the association expects the number of layoffs to climb to 5,600, equal to 37% of the sector's workers. The survey tracks layoffs and contract terminations recorded since 25 September, when Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced the measure.

ANJL president Plínio Lemos Jorge said the survey was needed to measure the effect of the measure on workers and companies that depend on the activity. He said the sector includes payment processors, marketing, compliance, agencies, affiliates and specialised media outlets, and that each of these families is watching a member lose a job because of a decision he described as unconstitutional and not yet judged by the Supreme Federal Court.

The ANJL and the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming responded to Lula's provisional measure by taking a lawsuit to the Supreme Federal Court that seeks to have the ban overturned. A decision is pending on the preliminary injunction asking for the measure to be suspended, particularly in the cases assigned to Justice Luiz Fux. Lemos Jorge warned that if the ruling is delayed, some of the 4,167 furloughed employees could end up permanently laid off, and he said this makes it more urgent to review the request to suspend the measure.