Lula says Globo resents betting ban as broadcaster holds BetMGM stake

President Lula said at a campaign event in Ipatinga, Minas Gerais, on 16 October that Globo was displeased because he had ended betting and the broadcaster "had the bet". The remarks followed a lunch between Flávio Bolsonaro and the group's leadership on the day of the candidate's confirmation hearing. Lula also said the broadcaster was under suspicion regarding his candidacy, according to the report.

Globo responded that the meeting was institutional in character and that Lula would also have been received had he asked. Grupo Globo is a partner of MGM Resorts in Boa Lion, a joint venture that operates BetMGM in Brazil under a licence from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets since February 2025, according to the report.

It was reported that Band and SBT also maintain partnerships with betting operators, and that their affiliates and relay stations across the country lost sponsorships and advertising revenue. Football clubs lost their main sponsors, and protests by Flamengo and Fluminense at the Fla-Flu match showed that supporters and club officials did not accept the measure silently, the report said. It also cited the thousands of direct employees of operators and service providers in the chain, and the millions of recreational bettors who lost the protection of the regulated market and were pushed towards illegal sites, according to the report.

The report said the sector, the clubs and the specialist press had warned of the economic and political cost of the measure before the provisional measure was issued. It said the government knew before editing the MP who would be affected by the ban.