President Lula has shifted strongly into "early project mode" as the Senate weighs new securities for social networks platforms. Leonardo Biazzi and Elisa Marcante report on how the exceptional regulations of the Bets routine are being reframed through a broader lens of 'civic tasks'... political bargaining is anticipated in an election year.

The PT government has threatened to take a 'tougher instructions' on gaming as a brand-new round of finger-wagging starts in Brazilian politics over the governance of an unsettled online market.

On Monday (9 February), speaking at a healthcare and education top in São Paulo, President Inácio 'Lula' da Silva when again delivered a speech critical of the 'Bets' regulatory regime for online wagering.

Though introduced under his tenure in 2025, President Lula proclaims that he has actually been among the greatest challengers of online betting, maintaining that he holds "extremely serious issues" about the sector.

In early campaign mode, as he prepares to combat for a 4th governmental term, Lula told audiences: "We will take a really serious action versus the 'bets'. They are taking cash from the bad individuals of this nation."

Lula makes 'BBB' position clear

The rhetoric lines up with the PT government's populist slogan of "BBB Tax - billionaires, banks and bets" - a message that will be passed on to citizens ahead of Brazil's General Election on 4 October.

There is no uncertainty in the President's stance, with the market now firmly in his sights. Lula was critical of all gambling activities, stating: "I learned to be against gambling. I protested casinos and the unlawful numbers game since the church taught me that I needed to oppose gambling.

"What is taking place today is that the gambling establishment has gone inside people's homes. It remains in the living room, in your children's hands."

The President washing his celebration's hands of betting liabilities will surprise nobody. Yet anxieties stay amongst licensees, who now face fresh curveballs over how Brazil means to settle the impressive affairs of its still-maturing online gambling regime.

Political interventions continued today as Brasília signalled that betting will when again sit at the centre of a more comprehensive cultural and regulative debate.

Brazil considers social networks constraints

On the exact same day as Lula's remarks, Bloomberg reported that the federal government is preparing a presidential decree intended at reinforcing child defenses in online environments.

Citing a draft text, Bloomberg laid out propositions that would require app stores and digital platforms to carry out robust age-verification systems to avoid minors from accessing gaming, porn and other age-restricted content.

The mandate could see Brazil end up being the first South American nation to introduce particular digital access limitations extending beyond simple self-declared age checks. The Senate is expected to take a look at proposals for a government-backed confirmation structure, alongside data-protection safeguards developed to resolve personal privacy issues.

The timing is substantial. By connecting betting to wider concerns around youth exposure and digital harm, the PT federal government seems positioning betting within a more comprehensive civic and social-protection story.

Brazil now joins a growing list of countries weighing more stringent controls on social networks platforms. Australia has actually already implemented a restriction on under-16 access to particular platforms, while Spain and a number of European states are analyzing similar constraints.

President Lula has long been crucial of Silicon Valley innovation companies, and several PT figures have openly attacked X (formerly Twitter), implicating the platform of intentionally spreading out misinformation in Brazil.

Trade-off on betting ads

Elsewhere, advancements are accelerating in Brasília. In 2026, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies should settle the final terms of a particular costs attending to gaming advertising - a concern that has quickly intensified from regulative fine-tuning to the possibility of a nationwide prohibition.

Proceedings have actually already gathered pace. The Senate's Science and Technology Committee (CCT) has actually authorized a costs offering for an across the country ban on betting marketing and sponsorships, backed by rapporteur Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF).

The proposition amends the framework of Law No. 14,790/ 2023 and now advances to the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) before a possible plenary vote.

Industry stakeholders, consisting of the Instituto Brasileiro de Jogo Responsável (IBJR) trade body, have alerted that a blanket ban risks destabilising the managed market just as it tries to develop.

Yet the gambling advertising decree remains in its infancy, without any political bloc in Congress or the Senate openly stating which costs they mean to support.

Keeping cards close to the chest is an awaited technique in an election year. The governance of betting divides opinion not just in between the PT government and the Bolsonaro family-led Liberal Party, however within celebration ranks themselves.