Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose government is trying to stop a sports bets craze consuming household incomes, said on Sunday he will ban online betting if regulation does not cure “addiction” by bettors.
Soccer-mad and bet-loving Brazilians have fallen hard for sports betting since it was legalized in 2018 and bank studies show that bets are hitting household incomes, reducing consumer spending and bankrupting families.
“If regulation doesn’t work, I won’t hesitate in putting an end to (betting) definitively,” the told reporters after casting his vote in municipal elections in Sao Paulo.