March 9 (UPI) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced in a YouTube video he will push for a ban on digital casinos to curb online gambling addiction and protect families from debt linked to Internet betting.
The announcement came during a message marking International Women’s Day, in which Lula linked the growth of digital betting to economic and social impacts that he said affect women in particular.
“Another drama hitting Brazilian households is gambling addiction. Although most addicts are men, the bill falls on women: money for food, rent, school and children disappearing on a cellphone screen,” Lula said.
The president questioned how digital betting platforms have expanded rapidly through mobile phones and apps, even though physical casinos have been banned in Brazil for decades.
“It makes no sense to allow gambling to enter people’s homes, putting families into debt through a cellphone,” Lula said, calling for coordination among the government, Congress and the judiciary to restrict these platforms.
In addition to addressing the impact of digital betting, Lula focused much of his message on gender violence and inequalities faced by women in Brazil.
“In Brazil, every six hours a man kills a woman,” the president said, confirming new measures under the National Pact Brazil Against Femicide. The steps include operations to arrest more than 2,000 aggressors, the use of electronic monitoring for offenders under restraining orders and the strengthening of police stations specialized in violence against women.
The president also highlighted recent legislative progress, including the approval of a law that guarantees equal pay for men and women performing the same job, though he acknowledged that labor and social gaps remain.
Lula said many women face a double burden between work and home and reiterated his support for labor changes that would reduce the workweek from six days to five days, with two days of rest.
According to the first official report on the regulated market presented by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting of the Ministry of Finance, regulated platforms registered 25 million unique bettors in 2025, identified through their taxpayer identification number.
When considering active accounts across multiple operators, the figure exceeds 87 million active accounts and more than 100 million registrations in total.
Gross gaming revenue reached approximately $6.6 billion during the first year of regulation, with sustained growth throughout 2025.
Other studies measure participation differently. A survey by PoderData found that 36% of Brazilians age 16 and older, equivalent to about 56 million people, have participated in online betting, up from 24% in 2024.
Beyond the social impact, Brazilian authorities have warned about the risk of money laundering and illegal financial operations linked to the betting market.
Carlos Renato de Resende, general coordinator for money laundering monitoring at the Ministry of Finance, said combating the illegal market requires cooperation among operators, technology platforms and payment providers.
“We need to join forces. Illegal activities generate profits, move money from trafficking and smuggling and encourage money laundering. The more collaboration we have, the faster we can close doors and hold people accountable,” he said.
As part of regulatory efforts and the fight against the illegal market, the Brazilian government has an agreement in place with the telecommunications agency Anatel to block illegal betting websites. So far, about 25 web addresses have been disabled.
Authorities said the regulatory agenda for 2026 and 2027 will include greater transparency in sector data, a review of rules on financial blocking of illegal operators and new regulations for technology providers linked to the betting market.
About the Author
