Brasilia (AFP) – Brazilian supermarkets are seeing sales increase after a ban on online betting, while football club revenues are falling, representatives of the sectors told a Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday.

Published on: 04/11/2026 - 01:01

Left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva implemented the ban on sports betting and online casinos on October 5, during the campaign that led to his re-election. The government has highlighted the excessive debt of part of the population.

Compared to 2025, "we identified a real growth of 6.5% in food consumption" during the first week following the ban, noted João Galassi, president of the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (Abras).

The money so far spent in betting "is already returning to food, payment of debts and the needs of families", he stressed.

But the betting sector, supported by many of the football clubs it sponsors, has filed several appeals against this measure, examined by the Supreme Court.

Flamengo, Brazil's most popular club, estimates that the ban has led to "a drop in revenue of around 430 million reais per year (70 million euros)", said its vice-president Flávio de Araújo Willeman.

Other football heavyweights in the country, such as Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Botafogo, Fluminense, Gremio and Sao Paulo have also reported a drop in their income.

Some club representatives pointed out that countries which have banned advertising for betting, such as Belgium, Italy or Spain, had given teams a delay of several months. In Brazil, the sector had ten days to adapt.

The ban, introduced by decree, is also being debated in Parliament, which must vote to give it force of law before the end of January. The conservative opposition, however, further increased its majority there during the elections of October 25.

© 2026 AFP

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