BRASILIA (AFP) - Sales of supermarkets in Brazil have seen a rise in the wake of an online betting ban, while revenues for soccer clubs have declined, representatives of the supermarket and soccer sectors said during a Supreme Court hearing Tuesday.

Published on: 04/11/2026 - 07:55

Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva imposed a ban on sports betting and online casinos on October 5, during the election campaign that led to his re-election. The government justified this decision by pointing to the worsening excessive indebtedness among a sector of the population.

The president of the Brazilian Supermarket Association, João Galassi, explained that an “actual growth of 6.5% in food consumption” was observed during the first week following the implementation of the ban.

Galassi stressed that the money that was previously spent on betting "began to be directed toward purchasing food, paying off debts, and meeting the needs of families."

But the betting sector, which is supported by many football clubs sponsored by companies in this sector, has filed several appeals against this measure, and the Supreme Court is currently considering them.

Flavio de Araujo Willeman, vice president of Flamengo, the most popular club in Brazil, said that the ban caused “a decrease in revenues of about 430 million Brazilian reals annually (equivalent to 70 million euros).”

Other major clubs in the country, such as Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Botafogo, Fluminense, Gremio and Sao Paulo, also reported a decline in their revenues.

Some club representatives pointed out that other countries that banned betting advertisements, such as Belgium, Italy and Spain, gave clubs a period of several months to correct their situation, while the sector in Brazil was given only ten days to adapt to the decision.

The ban, which was imposed by decree, is also subject to discussion in Parliament, which must vote to give it the force of law before the end of next January.

However, the conservative opposition strengthened its majority there during the elections that took place on October 25.

© 2026 AFP

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