Zona de Azar Brazil – Brazil: Lula Says He Will “End” Sports Betting if Regulation Fails

Brazil.- October 8, 2024 www.zonadeazar.com This Sunday, October 6, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made important and strong statements about sports betting in Brazil. According to Lula, if the regulation fails, the president stated that he intends to “end” sports betting in Brazil.

Lula also mentioned that it’s necessary to study the sector’s benefits to society. According to the president, people are “sick” from the excess of betting in the country, hence the need for regulation.

“We are regulating [betting], and in October we will eliminate at least 2,000 betting sites in this country, and then we will know what benefits regulation will guarantee. We are confident that this is being done seriously. If the regulation doesn’t work, I will have no doubts about ending it permanently,” said the president.

Lula also stated that he will not allow sports betting to become an addiction. However, he admitted that ending betting in Brazil is practically unfeasible.

“I know people who lost their homes, I know people who lost their cars, I know people who spent their entire salary on a Friday and Saturday. This is not gambling addiction; it’s an illness that we also need to treat from a health perspective. And speaking of regulations, they should be fully ready next week. Let’s see the result. If it doesn’t work, we will end it,” he added. “You will never stop the Brazilian people from betting. In this country, cockfighting is banned, and you know there are cockfights. Gambling is illegal here, and everyone knows they can buy bread and even get a betting slip with the bread paper. I don’t want to stop people from betting because people worldwide like to bet,” the president said.

The president concluded his speech by commenting on the use of Bolsa Família for betting.

Finally, Lula, who was in São Bernardo with the First Lady, Janja, along with ministers Alexandre Padilha (Institutional Relations) and Luiz Marinho (Labor), and the mayoral candidate of São Paulo he supports, Luiz Fernando (PT), commented on the use of Bolsa Família for betting. For the president, it is unacceptable for beneficiaries of the program to use social assistance resources for gambling.

“It’s very possible that someone is doing this, but it’s important to remember that it’s usually women who receive Bolsa Família, and it’s unlikely that a woman would spend her child’s money betting on something else. Women don’t exchange a sure thing for a risky bet, they don’t swap 10 reais with the prospect of winning 100 reais,” Lula concluded.

Edited by: @_fonta
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