TLDR President Lula banned online betting on September 25, just nine days before Brazil’s first round of elections. Several candidates who backed betting restrictions lost or finished far behind in states from Rio de Janeiro to Rio Grande do Sul. In Rio de Janeiro, Douglas Ruas beat Eduardo Paes 50.88% to 44.16% after a recount, reversing pre-election polls. Polls showed strong support for the ban, but most voters said it would not change how they vote. Lula has not spoken publicly about the ban since the first round, ahead of the October 25 runoff against Flávio Bolsonaro.
Candidates who campaigned against online betting in Brazil did not see clear gains in the first round of the country’s elections. Several supporters of betting restrictions lost or finished far behind in states from Rio de Janeiro to Rio Grande do Sul.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva banned online betting on September 25 by signing Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026. The move came just nine days before the vote.
Candidates in several states picked up the issue in the final week of campaigning. However, the results showed no clear link between backing the ban and winning votes.
Rio de Janeiro Race Flips After Recount
In Rio de Janeiro, PSD candidate Eduardo Paes promised to shut down the state lottery company, Loterj. He also blamed the Bolsonaro government for creating a “betting paradise.”
A Datafolha poll before the election gave Paes 46% of valid votes and Douglas Ruas of the PL 38%. Those rankings were reversed in the first count.
Ruas gained further after the Electoral Court ruled Anthony Garotinho’s candidacy invalid and annulled his 274,411 votes. After the recount, Ruas had 50.88% and Paes had 44.16%.
Paes’s ally, federal deputy Pedro Paulo (PSD), also failed to win a Senate seat.