Lula hardens stance on betting as gambling emerges as 2026 election issue

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has significantly hardened his position on sports betting, saying he would end online betting in Brazil unless he is convinced that the sector has a social purpose, as gambling increasingly emerges as an issue in the country’s 2026 presidential election.

Speaking on 14 August in an interview with the Não Inviabilize and As Cunhãs podcasts, Lula said: “If nobody shows me a social reason for these bets to continue, we have to end them.”

Lula acknowledged that such a move would face resistance in Congress, referring to the existence of a “betting caucus” (bancada das bets) and saying the government would have to confront the issue because society should not be destabilised by something that could be controlled.

The comments represent a sharper position than Lula’s criticism of betting earlier this month. On 13 August the president warned about the financial consequences of gambling-related debt at a Ministry of Labour event, arguing that people can become trapped trying to recover money lost on previous bets.

Lula is not alone among presidential candidates in taking a tougher position on betting.

Romeu Zema, the Novo candidate, went further on 18 August, saying his first act as president would be to end online betting.

Speaking at an event in São Paulo with people affected by gambling addiction and their families, Zema described online betting as a “plague.”

Zema’s comments came shortly after the publication of a survey showing majority support for a nationwide betting ban.

Meanwhile  Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula’s main right-wing challenger, proposes preventing federal social-programme funds from being used for betting and launching campaigns against gambling-related indebtedness. However, with restrictions on Bolsa Família and BPC beneficiaries already in force, the proposal largely restates an existing government measure. It nevertheless signals that Bolsonaro is likely to take a tougher line on gambling if elected.

Tarcísio de Freitas, has also used the issue to attack Lula’s government. Speaking to Jovem Pan News on 19 August, the São Paulo governor criticised the regulation of betting under Lula, linking the sector to household indebtedness and saying betting had been regulated under Lula’s government. He is officially running for re-election as the Governor of São Paulo in 2026.

With Lula and Bolsonaro currently emerging as the leading candidates, and other contenders including Romeu Zema taking explicit positions against betting, the issue could become an increasingly important dividing line in the campaign. Recent polling puts Lula ahead of Bolsonaro in the first round, while several runoff scenarios show the two in a much closer contest.