Senator Girão urges sports betting ban in Brazil amid warning of soccer threat

Brazilian Senator Eduardo Girão has once again voiced his criticism of online sports betting during a speech in the Federal Senate on Friday (May 16), warning of the growing influence of betting companies on soccer in the country. He called for a total ban on advertising by online betting platforms and pointed out that their close financial ties with soccer clubs and institutions like the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) are creating serious social and ethical problems.

Senador @EduGiraoOficial defende proibição de bets e diz que Supremo não deve interferir na CBF https://t.co/oc21mnxvAy pic.twitter.com/PLUfagDxKp

— Senado Federal (@SenadoFederal) May 19, 2025

“We need to stop this humanitarian tragedy that is betting,” Girão said in a statement cited by Agência Senado (translated into English). “Only a few win: tycoons. And who loses? Millions. In my view, it should be ended.”

Girão said the rapid growth of the betting industry is fueling a rise in gambling addiction and leaving more families in debt across the country. He also mentioned that he’s already put forward a bill to ban sports betting in Brazil completely.

“I have a bill to end it, to once again ban sports betting. The damage has already been done, the signs are clear,” the senator said. “And there are still people with zero responsibility toward the Brazilian population, with zero social commitment, thinking of bringing to a vote in this Chamber, in the coming weeks, the legalization of casinos and bingo halls.”

The senator also pointed out how much influence betting companies now have over soccer, even mentioning that the CBF is sponsored by these platforms. He warned that the sport is becoming too financially dependent on betting money, and that this could seriously damage its integrity.

“The CBF, facing so many allegations, is under scrutiny right now,” he said. But it seems a resolution is near, provided there’s no further interference from the Supreme Court. A resolution that might allow us to hope again that Brazilian football gets back on track.”

As an example of pushback against the betting industry’s influence, Girão praised Flamengo coach Filipe Luís for reportedly turning down offers to appear in ads for betting platforms, even though he coaches a team that’s sponsored by one.

He later called the Bets CPI (Parliamentary Inquiry Commission) a “circus” on X. He wrote: “Its leadership, instead of maintaining proper decorum, played around, joked, and even took selfies with influencer witnesses from the world of gambling, rather than treating seriously an issue that is dragging millions of Brazilians into mental illness and financial ruin.”

NÃO ERA ESSE GOV Q DEFENDERIA OS MAIS POBRES? AINDA BEM Q TEMOS FELIPE LUÍS

A CPI das BETS virou circo de vez quando seu comando, em vez de manter a liturgia, brincou, jogou e tirou até selfie com os depoentes-influencers de JOGOS DE AZAR em vez de tratar c/ seriedade um… pic.twitter.com/Xb7AQubbhz

— Eduardo Girão (@EduGiraoOficial) May 17, 2025

The senator criticized the direction of the CPI, saying it has avoided addressing the most serious issues at hand. “The CPI refuses to summon the ‘big fish’ involved in this story and won’t even vote on requests to investigate the alleged extortion of 40 MILLION REAIS by a lobbyist acting on behalf of a prominent member of the commission,” he said.

“I’ve submitted four important motions on this, but ‘curiously,’ ever since I filed them, there hasn’t been a quorum to vote… and the CPI is expected to wrap up in just a few weeks!”

Girão also weighed in on the current leadership crisis at the CBF, saying it should be handled internally without involvement from the Supreme Federal Court (STF). In his view, having the courts step in on soccer matters is inappropriate and does more harm than good.

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