Lula doubts Congress will overturn Brazil’s betting ban

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he doubted Congress would overturn his government’s prohibition of fixed-odds betting, as Provisional Measure 1,394/2026 formally entered the legislative process.

Speaking on the Flow Podcast on 1 October, Lula said: “I doubt Congress will have the courage to end it. I doubt it.” He was responding to presenter Igor Coelho, who suggested Congress could reject the measure.

The president also addressed the timing of the prohibition, which was issued on 25 September, nine days before Brazil’s first-round presidential election.

Asked why he had not acted earlier, Lula said he had previously been unaware of the seriousness of the problem. “I suspected it, but I had no idea,” he said, referring to the impact of betting on people who had accumulated debt.

He added that the election was a factor in his decision to act when he did, saying that if he had not ended betting and failed to win the election, he “would never have ended it”.

MP 1,394 prohibits the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting in Brazil, covering bets on real sporting events and virtual online games. The prohibition also applies to operators based abroad that offer bets to people located in Brazil.

A joint committee of deputies and senators has been designated to examine the measure and must issue an opinion before it proceeds to votes in the Chamber of Deputies and Senate. The MP’s initial congressional deliberation period ends on 23 November, while lawmakers may submit amendments until 23:59 on 13 October. It will enter the urgency regime on 9 November and may be extended once for a further 60 days if Congress has not completed its consideration.

The measure has already received amendments, with the parliamentary record showing the first submitted on 29 September.

The ban remains in force while Congress considers the measure. Existing authorisations are due to expire 30 days after publication, while operators must return outstanding balances and prizes to customers. Websites and applications are scheduled to become inaccessible from 6 October.

Lula acknowledged that prohibition would not eliminate illegal betting, saying new platforms could emerge. The government has separately begun measures to block illegal operators and advertising as it moves to enforce the new restrictions.