Flávio Bolsonaro challenges betting ban ahead of Presidential run-off in Brazil
Flávio Bolsonaro has criticised Brazil's ban on sports betting and online casino games, arguing it harms legal certainty for regulated businesses as he campaigns for the October 25 presidential run-off against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Brazilian senator and presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has criticised the government's ban on sports betting and online casino games, saying it undermines legal certainty for regulated businesses. Speaking in Brasília on October 7, the Liberal Party candidate said President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's move affected betting companies and football clubs.
Bolsonaro argued enforcement should target unlicensed operators, not regulated companies that had paid to enter the market. He declined to say whether he would vote for or against the provisional measure imposing the ban. He had already criticised the timing on September 25, the day it was announced, calling it electoral deception nine days before the first round. He said he would prohibit online casinos if elected, but allow sports betting.
Bolsonaro and Lula will meet in a run-off on October 25 after neither won an outright majority on October 4. Bolsonaro took 47.03% of valid votes and Lula 45.16%. Online betting was legalised under Law 13.756/2018, sanctioned by then-president Michel Temer, but regulation was left unfinished under Jair Bolsonaro. Law 14.790/2023, signed in December 2023, advanced regulation under Lula.
