Poker Writer
Reports say that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) is planning to draft a presidential decree on gambling. Signs do not appear positive, as it seems Brazil may be set to roll back regulations that cleared the way for its online gambling market in 2025. By the middle of May, Lula is expected to make his full thoughts on gambling known.
The decree is expected to include reforms and protections. A presidential decree in Brazil is an instrument used to execute existing federal laws. They are unilateral administrative acts and bypass the conventional legislative route. Lula’s use of one for online gambling shows that the topic is one that he is adamant about.
He discussed the negatives of gambling on Brazilian families as part of an International Women’s Day video on Sunday.
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Lula’s Turning Against Gambling
In 2023, Lula gave final approval to regulated online gaming and sports betting in Brazil. But in recent years, his view has been changing. The general presidential election comes again in October of this year, and Lula is campaigning partially on an anti-gambling stance.
The 80-year-old president expressed his desire to shut down all bookmakers in Brazil earlier this month. His coming decree is reportedly not that extreme but will greatly limit betting in Brazil.
Brazil launched its regulated betting and online gambling market on New Year’s Day 2025. Gambling operators were very excited to get into the massive, gambling-hungry nation of more than 200 million people.
Now, Lula says the implementation of regulated gambling has contributed to growing debt among Brazilians. The central bank of Brazil released data in January 2026 that household debt service reached 29% of income for the average household. That was a record high in the time since official records began in 2011. While most of the debt increase appears to be due to rising housing and mortgage costs, there has still been a significant link to betting, as Lula noted in his Women’s Day address:
It makes no sense to allow gambling to enter people’s homes, putting families into debt through a cellphone.
How Does the Decree Affect Online Poker in Brazil?
Online poker is very popular in Brazil. It is one of the largest markets worldwide for online players, boasting as many as 10 million active players.
Some online poker sites service Brazilian players exclusively. Many Brazilian players also play live poker, both domestically and by traveling internationally to compete in worldwide events.
But will Lula’s new decree deal a blow to the bustling online poker market? Right now, poker does not fall under the gambling regulations as it is considered a game of skill. No specific regulation applies. A decree changing how gambling regulation works in the country would leave poker untouched.
However, poker may not get off the hook. Under the Ministry of Finance overhaul, poker now finds itself grouped with online casino for tax purposes. That taxation code could lead to regulatory changes that negatively affect poker. The key will be whether the regulator continues to see a poker player as a strategic skill player or as just another gambler.
Image credit: World Economic Forum/Flickr (license)
