Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said during a live broadcast on Thursday that betting would not return if he won another term. Provisional Measure 1,394 must be approved by Congress by 25 November to remain in force, with a possible 60-day extension, according to the report.
Operators and suppliers face uncertainty while Congress considers whether to keep the measure prohibiting betting in force.
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Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) reported that Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the 25 October presidential runoff with 51.75% of valid votes, with 99.75% counted by 9:12pm Brasília time. The result leaves in place a government that supports Provisional Measure 1,394, which bans betting; Congress must vote on the measure within 120 days of publication or it lapses.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won Brazil's presidential runoff, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) reported, taking 51.75% of valid votes against Flávio Bolsonaro's 48.25% with 99.75% of votes counted as of 9:12pm Brasília time on 25 October. The result keeps in office a government that supports Provisional Measure 1,394, which bans betting.
Regulus Partners said Lula’s re-election on 25 October leaves Brazil’s gambling sector in uncertainty, with four possible policy outcomes. The analysts put a 5% chance on a court challenge to the provisional measure succeeding and an 80% likelihood on the measure lapsing while licences also lapse; they said provincial licensing could offer a possible route forward.
Brazil's gambling sector faces uncertainty after President Lula's re-election on 25 October, according to Regulus Partners. The research firm said the result reduced the prospect that the Provisional Measure banning online gambling in Brazil would be reversed, and set out four possible policy paths.
An analysis by Magno José argues that Brazil should revisit the measure interrupting authorised betting companies’ operations after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election. The columnist says the decision warrants renewed dialogue with licensed operators and industry bodies, and discusses possible challenges before the Supreme Federal Court and Congress. He also warns that bettors could move to unauthorised platforms.
Brazil's betting market has entered a new political scenario after voters returned Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the presidency, yet the challenges accumulated in recent weeks remain unresolved, according to an analysis by Magno José, editor of BNLData, published on Sunday 25 October. In the column, José maintains that Lula's electoral victory does not do away with the need to reconsider the decision to ban sports betting. The author's view is that the measure went ahead without adequate dialogue with licensed companies or with organisations that represent the sector.
BNLData reported on 9 October that President Lula renewed his criticism of betting, saying it harmed poor people. The remarks followed a Datafolha poll showing Flávio Bolsonaro with 52% of valid votes.
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva renewed his criticism of betting houses on 8 October, saying they had become a misfortune for poor people, according to a report. The remarks came on the same day the first Datafolha poll of the second round indicated that the prohibition of the sector, issued nine days before the first round, had not changed the electoral picture or the government's approval rating.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did not mention the online betting ban in two public appearances after the first-round vote, according to press reports. The report said the ban featured in his final campaign advertisement, while party figures believed it had hurt his performance; no poll has established a causal link to the election result. The measure remains in force, and the government is defending it before the Supreme Federal Court.