Betting in Brazil: what can the measures adopted by Lula teach Mozambique?

Ronélio Zandamela"

A reflection on the expansion of gambling and its consequences. Games are an ancient recreational activity, present in societies since ancient times. Throughout history, they have taken different forms and performed diverse functions, from entertainment and socialization to education and the development of cognitive skills. Traditional games such as the well-known "Name and Land," riddles, races, and sports have been and continue to be part of the lives of many families and communities. The problem, therefore, is not the existence of the games themselves. The issue arises when gambling ceases to be a recreational activity and becomes a mechanism for addiction, debt, and the destruction of individual and family assets. Over time, casinos and other forms of gambling emerged, in which monetary values and assets are put at risk in the expectation of making a profit. In extreme situations, essential assets such as cars, jewelry, homes, and other family property have been compromised. Technological evolution, however, has profoundly altered this reality. Today, it is no longer necessary to travel to a square, a casino, or gather around a table to gamble. A simple mobile phone with internet access can become a gateway to betting platforms available twenty-four hours a day. At first glance, this seems to be a natural consequence of technological transformation. Technology has facilitated access to knowledge, communication, education, and entertainment. However, it has also facilitated access to activities that, when used without control, can produce serious economic, social, and psychological consequences. When gaming stops being entertainment. In recent years, betting houses have expanded to different parts of the world, and Mozambique has not been left out of this phenomenon. The problem became particularly visible with the expansion of sports betting and online gaming, promoted through digital advertising, social media, public figures, artists, influencers, and other agents with a great capacity to reach young people. This situation warrants reflection because, for many people, especially young people, gambling begins with seemingly insignificant amounts. Two, five, or ten meticais may seem like little. The problem is that the psychological logic of gambling doesn't end with the first amount wagered. When there's a gain, the perception arises that it's possible to earn more. When there's a loss, the temptation to recover the lost money arises. And, progressively, what began as entertainment can transform into a compulsive search for the next gain. It is at this point that the promise of easy money becomes dangerous. The dream of rapid multiplication Let's take as an example the so-called "Aviator," which became well-known among users of betting platforms. The logic seems simple: bet two meticais and wait for the multiplier to increase. If it reaches twice the multiplier, the bettor can, under certain conditions, double the amount. If it reaches ten times the multiplier, they can multiply it by ten. It is precisely this apparent simplicity that can fuel the illusion that getting rich through gambling is easy. Let's imagine a worker who receives a salary of 10,000 meticais and decides to bet that amount. If, by chance, they manage to get a multiplier of ten, they could imagine that they transformed 10,000 into 100,000 meticais in a few minutes. But there's another side to the equation. If you lose, you could lose the 10,000 meticais in a few seconds. And here lies one of the biggest psychological traps of betting: an exceptional win can create the expectation that the same result will be repeated, while a loss can generate the need to immediately recover what was lost. When does the loss exceed the monetary value? This is where the debate needs to move beyond the economic dimension. When a father loses the salary intended for feeding his children, the consequence is no longer just financial. When a student commits their tuition money to this task, it's no longer a simple individual choice. When a worker uses resources that should be given to their family or the institution where they work, the problem no longer affects only the gambler. When a person incurs debt to continue gambling, the gamble begins to involve family, friends, financial institutions, and society itself. The Brazilian precedent It is in this context that Brazil offers Mozambique an experience that deserves to be studied. On September 25, 2026, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Provisional Measure No. 1,394, which prohibits, in Brazilian territory, the operation, offering, intermediation, and advertising of fixed-odds betting, both in physical and virtual environments. The measure covers betting on sporting events and online games, although it does not eliminate other lottery modalities authorized by law. The decision was accompanied by a specific schedule: Bettors have until 11:59 PM on October 5th to voluntarily withdraw any existing funds. From October 6th onwards, betting websites and applications will be taken offline. Remaining balances must be reported by the companies to financial institutions and returned to bettors between October 9th and 14th, according to the official schedule. Furthermore, a bill was presented proposing prison sentences for certain conduct related to the exploitation, promotion, recruitment of bettors, and financial facilitation of fixed-odds betting. The proposal foresees, for example, imprisonment of four to six years for the exploitation of these bets and two to four years for certain forms of promotion and facilitation. It is important, however, to distinguish between the two instruments: the Provisional Measure produces immediate effects under the terms provided for in Brazilian legislation, while the new criminal classifications are contained in a draft law and should not be presented as penalties already in force. Why did Brazil make such a strong decision? The justification presented by the Brazilian government is related, among other factors, to the protection of public health and families, indebtedness, and the harm associated with compulsive gambling behavior. The Brazilian Ministry of Health states that the phenomenon goes beyond the economic dimension and has become a growing public health concern. In presenting the measure, Lula compared the rise of digital gambling to addiction experiences associated with crack cocaine and stated that technology has made access to gambling permanent, since the "casino" can reach directly onto your mobile phone. The Brazilian President stated that gambling resembled a "cancer" and that it would be necessary to remove the "tumor" before it produced even more serious consequences. And what can Mozambique learn from us? This is the issue I consider most important. Mozambique doesn't necessarily need to copy Brazil. Above all, it needs to learn from Brazil. If gambling is reaching more and more young people; if advertising reaches citizens through their mobile phones; if public figures help to normalize this activity; if there are people who are compromising salaries and family resources; if there are individuals who are seeking in gambling an alternative to unemployment and economic difficulties; then there is sufficient material for a serious public discussion. The Brazilian experience also shows that the fight against illegal gambling should not be limited to shutting down platforms. It is necessary to think about what happens next. An effective public policy needs to consider the oversight of the illegal market, the control of payment methods, advertising, the protection of minors, the prevention of addiction, support for affected individuals, and financial literacy. Mozambique cannot wait for the problem to worsen. The greatest danger would be waiting until the consequences become serious enough to then seek solutions. Public policies should not be developed only after a crisis. They should also anticipate risks. The growth of digital betting presents Mozambique with an important choice: to passively observe the expansion of the phenomenon or to initiate a serious reflection on its limits, impacts, and control mechanisms. This is not about demonizing technology or condemning all citizens who gamble. It's about recognizing that there is a difference between entertainment and addiction, between advertising and enticement, between individual freedom and exploitation of economic vulnerability. Brazil has made a decision that deserves to be followed, studied, and evaluated. For Mozambique, the main lesson may not only lie in the ban on betting, but in the ability to recognize an emerging problem, place it at the center of public debate, and adopt protective measures when social risks justify intervention. We shouldn't wait for "The Aviator" to transform a family's salary in seconds to realize something is wrong; we shouldn't wait for a young person to drop out of school because they lost their tuition fees to understand that the problem goes beyond the simple act of gambling; we shouldn't wait for a family to lose their home, their business, or their stability to recognize that prevention would have been less painful than repair. Mozambique still has the opportunity to act prudently. You can study the Brazilian experience, evaluate its results, listen to experts, involve financial institutions, telephone operators, families, young people, educational institutions, health professionals, the media, and the sector operators themselves. You can establish stricter advertising and oversight mechanisms. You can, if the data shows a need, adopt more restrictive measures. The essential thing is not to wait until the problem becomes irreversible. The question should no longer be simply how much money is involved in betting. The fundamental question is: how much does it cost Mozambican society what is lost when a bet ceases to be a game and begins to control the lives of those who play? Perhaps it is time for Mozambique to start answering this question before reality forces us to do so too late.

2025/12/3