Brazil: Ex-President questions if legalizing gambling may have been a bad decision

Michel Temer has acknowledged that the regulation of sports betting may have contributed to social harms.

In a TV interview, former Brazilian President Michel Temer admitted that the law enabling sports betting in Brazil may have created unintended social consequences.

Temer, who sanctioned the 2018 provisional measure that eventually paved the way for regulated betting, reflected that while the move provided an immediate fiscal solution, it may also have deepened social problems such as debt and the misuse of Government benefits.

He explained that his original goal was to advance a wider gambling legalization package, focused on casinos in select regions, but opted for sports betting as a “middle-ground” measure at the end of his administration. 

At the time, the Government sought new sources of revenue to support public accounts.

Temer highlighted the current situation in which many Brazilians, particularly from low-income backgrounds, spend a substantial share of their income on betting platforms. 

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Reports have pointed to cases of players using resources from social welfare programmes, worsening family indebtedness.

“Today I see many reports of people, especially some from impoverished communities, who allocate a large part of what they earn to betting,” Temer said, while noting that reversing course on policy is politically difficult.

His remarks reflect growing scrutiny of the betting market in Brazil, where legislators and regulators are addressing the social costs of gambling.

Carlos Mendez

Writer

Odds tell a story long before the result does. When bettors learn to read that story properly, betting becomes a matter of discipline and value rather than emotion or guesswork.

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