Guilherme Boulos, Brazil’s Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, has intensified criticism of the betting sector, accusing operators of financing harmful online activity while calling for a full ban on betting platforms in the country.
Speaking during the “Bom Dia, Ministro” program, Boulos claimed that betting companies were funding “a large number” of social media profiles used to attack the Government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
"Bom Dia, Ministro" is a live, one-hour interview program featuring federal ministers from the Brazilian Government, designed to discuss key public policies, actions, and government projects.
“Betting has become an epidemic in Brazil. I won't generalize, but there was a Federal Police investigation where we found profiles financed by operators to attack the Lula Government,” said Boulos.
The Minister also argued that the current regulatory framework approved under Lula’s administration failed to resolve problems linked to online gambling.
“My position is that betting should be banned in Brazil,” Boulos said. “Several betting companies are involved with money laundering.”
Boulos further criticized the sector’s tax structure, arguing that operators successfully lobbied Congress to maintain lower tax rates than those applied to workers.
“They are corroding Brazilian families and household budgets, transforming workers’ free time into addiction,” he stated.
The comments come amid growing political pressure surrounding online gambling in Brazil, particularly ahead of the country’s next presidential election cycle. According to current governmental actions, combating betting addiction has increasingly become part of the Government’s public messaging on household indebtedness and consumer protection.
Officials have also recently linked betting activity to rising household debt levels, arguing that restrictions on betting access could help prevent financially vulnerable consumers from worsening their situation.
Brazil’s Federal Police recently created Base Apostas, a specialised unit focused on match-fixing, betting fraud and gambling-related financial crimes
