Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced the Novo Desenrola Brasil debt renegotiation programme on 30 April, with access due to begin on 4 May. Participants will be automatically blocked from online betting platforms for one year, Lula said; the programme is to be detailed at an event on 4 May.
Betting platforms will need to block programme participants from accessing their services for one year.
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Senator Flávio Bolsonaro blamed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government for debt affecting more than 80 million Brazilians, according to his social media post and remarks on 10 April. He said 20% of those in debt could not pay basic bills and criticised the regulation of online betting, claiming some indebted people expected to make money through betting sites.
Brazil’s federal government established the Novo Desenrola Brasil programme through Provisional Measure 1,355, published in an extra edition of the Official Gazette on 4 May. Under the measure, people renegotiating eligible debts must agree to a 12-month block from fixed-odds betting platforms, with the Finance Ministry to set technical procedures for operators.
Brazilian media reports said the leadership of the Workers’ Party (PT) decided to include ending online betting among President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election campaign themes. The reports linked the decision to internal polling and a government assessment that existing sector oversight was insufficient. Government and advisers reportedly favoured a provisional measure, which would take effect upon publication, while officials remained divided over the scope of possible restrictions.
A newspaper editorial published on 8 November called on Brazil's Supreme Federal Court to uphold Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, which ended regulated online betting. The editorial cited R$144 billion allegedly diverted from retail to betting over two years; a commentary challenging that figure put regulated-market gross gaming revenue at R$56.97 billion over 18 months, using Ministry of Finance figures for 2025 and the first half of 2026.
Brazilian Finance Minister Dario Durigan said on 5 November that suspending betting would reduce projected Selective Tax revenue and require an adjustment to 2027 budget planning. The government collected R$15.3bn in sector taxes between January 2025 and September 2026, according to figures presented by the Federal Revenue Service. Congress must review the provisional measure within 120 days, with the deadline extending to 5 March 2027; otherwise, the measure will expire.
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva decided on 25 September to ban sports betting and online gaming, and this will reduce projected Selective Tax revenue next year. Finance Minister Dario Durigan announced this at a press conference on Thursday.