Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced a ban on online gambling, just days before an election in which he is seeking a fourth term as the country's leader. Lula, who is running against Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of the incarcerated former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, signed a provisional order on Friday that "prohibits all sports betting and online casinos".
Context
The online gambling industry in Brazil was legalized in 2018 and has since been blamed for widespread household income losses due to addiction. Lula described the industry as a "cancer" in his announcement, adding, "either we remove the tumour, or it kills us". This move comes just over a week before the first round of voting in Brazil's presidential election.
Developments
Recent polls have the 80-year-old leader almost neck-and-neck with Flávio Bolsonaro. The new measures must receive congressional approval within 120 days to remain in force. Lula acknowledged that online betting was created under the former President Michel Temer's administration but that it "grew without regulation under Bolsonaro's management". He stated that there were "no restrictions" particularly for preventing children and adolescents from accessing online betting.
