Flávio Bolsonaro (of the Liberal Party, PL) and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (of the Workers’ Party, PT) will go head-to-head in the second round of Brazil’s presidential election. The two candidates received the most votes in the first round, held this Sunday (Oct. 4), as per data from the Superior Electoral Court.

Flávio Bolsonaro finished the vote count in first place, with 47.03 percent of the valid votes, equivalent to 56,103,033 votes. Lula came in second, with 45.16 percent, or 53,870,724 votes.

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As of 11:21 p.m., 99.99 percent of the ballots had been tallied.

The presidential election is decided in a runoff when no candidate obtains more than half of the valid votes in the first round. The runoff is scheduled for October 25.

Flávio Bolsonaro

At a press conference following the announcement of the results, the presidential hopeful said the outcome showed that “Brazil wants change.”

“That’s my take on what happened today. I was very happy with the results across all regions. Nearly 56 million Brazilians – men and women alike – cast their vote of confidence in change. I was very happy with the number of Brazilians who went to the polls, did not stay home, and wanted this change,” he declared.

“I am happy about the real possibility that, in three weeks, Brazil will give a definitive answer that it wants a modern government, with fewer ministries. A government that will appoint at least four justices to the Supreme Court, who will not try to interfere in elections,” he added.

“I am the only candidate who has committed to ending re-election. I only need one term to put the Brazilian people at the center of my government, so that I can solve Brazil’s real problems. I want the opportunity to take care of Brazil, to take care of the Brazilian people.”

Lula

Brazil’s president and candidate for re-election gave a speech around 9:40 p.m. in an auditorium at the Renaissance Hotel, near Paulista Avenue in São Paulo.

Lula thanked voters for their support and said he had expected to win in the first round. He noted that the result was unexpected but that now, in the runoff, he would have the opportunity to show the public who the best candidate is.

“We’ve just learned a lesson about democracy in Brazil through the Brazilian people’s vote,” he said right at the start of his speech. “I’ll admit to you that I was convinced I was going to win the election in the first round. But I’ve thought that before,” he said. “But we have the second round, and the second round is the moment of truth. It’s time for us to show the true picture of Brazil today and the Brazil we want. So starting tomorrow, we’ll begin a new campaign,” he added.

Lula criticized his opponent, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, and said that in the runoff election, it will be possible to shed more light on the PL candidate’s background.

“On the other side, we have nothing but uncertainty, with a background marked by a shadowy past. There is nothing that points to a promising future for Brazilian society. There is no background on the father, no background on the son, and we don’t know if there will be any background on other relatives. It’s a shadowy background, with shadowy connections, with extremely serious suspicions, involving ties to militias, organized crime, and the murders in Rio de Janeiro,” he said.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday (Sep. 28) signed into law a bill establishing permanent national guidelines for the development of women’s soccer in Brazil. Law No. 15,522 sets forth a series of responsibilities for the country, the Brazilian Soccer Confederation (CBF), and soccer clubs.

“We want women to gain a foothold in every sector of the labor market, every political activity, every professional field, and every sporting activity. There is no reason for women to be treated as inferior,” Lula stated.

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The law stipulates that clubs that train young athletes must also maintain a women’s team, and it guarantees sports organizations that develop women’s soccer the same rights and benefits granted to entities that promote men’s soccer.

The Ministry of Sports will be responsible for encouraging girls’ participation in soccer, strengthening youth competitions across all age groups, and supporting the creation and maintenance of professional and youth teams.

The ministry should also work with clubs and CBF to develop protocols for preventing and combating racism, discrimination, prejudice, and violence against women. These protective measures cover women athletes, referees, coaches, fans, administrators, physical education professionals, and other women involved in soccer.

The ministry will also encourage partnerships between schools, universities, and clubs to identify and develop new talent in women’s soccer. It will also support the training and employability of women in other aspects of the game, such as refereeing, coaching, and sports administration, among other roles.

The new law also amends the Law on Public Limited Soccer Companies (SAF). Now, a club that wishes to become an SAF must develop both women’s and men’s soccer, or women’s soccer only.

“The change provides legal backing for the development of professional athletes by business structures dedicated exclusively to women’s soccer,” the Brazilian government explains.

The Executive Branch submitted the bill to the National Congress in September 2025. On September 2 of this year, the bill completed its legislative process after being approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate, and was sent to the president for approval.

World Cup

The law was enacted in connection with the organization of the upcoming Women’s World Cup, which will take place in Brazil in 2027. The text of the law also calls for the development of a plan outlining the social, athletic, and financial legacy that the tournament is expected to leave behind.

The 2027 Women’s World Cup will be held from June 24 to July 25, 2027, in Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and São Paulo.

The Brazilian government announced on Friday (Sep. 25) a provisional measure prohibiting the operation, offering, brokering, and advertising of online betting and gaming platforms in Brazil, commonly known as “bets.”

As of the measure’s publication, platforms are barred from accepting new bets. It establishes a transition period for authorized companies to wind down their operations.

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Bettors will have until 11:59 p.m. on October 5 to voluntarily withdraw the funds available on the platforms. Those who do not withdraw their funds during this period will have their remaining balances refunded through the banks that process payments for the betting companies between October 9 and 14.

Betting websites and apps must be taken offline starting October 6. On October 7 and 8, the companies must provide banks with the amounts held in bettors’ accounts, linked to their respective taxpayer identification number. Financial institutions will issue full refunds of the balances.

If any issues arise with the refunds, Caixa Econômica Federal may facilitate payments to bettors starting October 14.

Enforcement

The Brazilian government plans to step up enforcement against illegal platforms and investigations into financial transactions related to gambling. The strategy includes identifying and taking down illegal websites, freezing bank accounts improperly used for gambling, and sharing information among government agencies.

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Federal Police will receive additional resources to support enforcement efforts.

After signing the provisional measure banning betting operations in the country, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said online betting sites are a “cancer” that must be eliminated.

“I took a tough and drastic measure that was necessary. This is like a cancer. Either we remove the tumor, or this tumor will kill us,” he stated.

Lula also compared online gambling addiction to crack cocaine use, noting that families are being destroyed and people are taking on unpayable debts because of the condition, also known as pathological gambling.

The president said he decided to ban online gambling in Brazil after consulting with his economic team, civil society organizations, and citizens. He pointed out he had spoken with businesspeople, homemakers, and even staff members at the Alvorada presidential palace, the president’s official residence, as well as with a woman who had attempted suicide three times and another whose son died by suicide after accumulating gambling debts.

“We won’t allow you to be exploited by credit card companies or betting sites and spend money meant for milk, your child’s bread, meals, and the things your wife needs at home. We’re trying to free the poorest people in this country from killing themselves over the prospect of winning,” Lula declared.

Soccer

Regarding complaints from soccer clubs sponsored by betting companies, Lula emphasized that Brazilian teams have won world championships without betting sponsorship, and that the Brazilian national team won the World Cup five times before betting companies entered the Brazilian market.

The president added he had been informed that betting sponsorship of soccer clubs accounts for between 6 percent and 7 percent of a team’s budget.

“What’s unacceptable is for a team not to realize that its fans already support the club, go to the stadium, and buy jerseys for their wives and children. Not only does the poor bettor contribute everything he has, but does the team also want to pay off its debts with the fans’ hard-earned money?” he added.

Impacts

Studies have shown the negative effects of this type of betting on household budgets and bettors’ mental health.

Gambling caused a BRL 62.5 billion shortfall in household budgets in 2025 alone, according to the National Committee of Finance Secretaries (Comsefaz). One in five students (20.4%) in the final years of elementary and high school said they had placed online bets. This proportion rises to nearly half (49.7%) among students in the 12th grade.

According to the Ministry of Health, the harms associated with gambling generate a social cost of BRL 38.8 billion per year. The estimate includes BRL 3 billion for the medical treatment of depression, BRL 10.4 billion for the loss of quality of life associated with depression, BRL 17 billion related to additional deaths from suicide, and BRL 30.6 billion in health-related costs.

In addition, the government estimates that BRL 8.2 billion is associated with homelessness, unemployment insurance payments, and incarceration.

Mental health professionals have been calling for urgent action to address the online gambling market. According to them, people with gambling addictions may exhibit signs such as social withdrawal, increased alcohol consumption, or significant changes in behavior.

Gambling addiction can develop through physiological processes in the brain and body. When a person gambles, the brain may release dopamine in anticipation of a win, which can act as a form of reward. This process can influence brain regions involved in decision-making and behavior. The brain may then become conditioned by this intermittent reinforcement.

The financial reward, however, does not correspond proportionally to the chemical reward.

“A huge relief.” That’s how Kaio*, 42, described his reaction upon hearing the news last Friday (Sep. 25) that online gambling companies, or “bets,” had been banned in Brazil. He says he is trying to rebuild his life after losing his car, his home, and his job because of gambling debts.

Today, Kaio lives alone in a dormitory in a small town in Goiás state. There, he sleeps on the floor every night. Fearing for his safety because of debts he incurred with loan sharks, he chose to distance himself from his family and stay away. He acknowledges that, over the past six years, his gambling addiction has turned his life upside down.

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For this reason, he decided to seek help at a Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS), where he began attending therapy groups and seeing doctors earlier this year. He takes three medications a day.

Agência Brasil has been reporting on the issue since the first warnings about rising gambling addiction and its impact on household finances.

Regulation

Although online betting was authorized in 2018, it was not regulated until December 2023. In other words, betting platforms operated with virtually no regulatory framework for at least five years.

It was only after regulations were introduced that rules were established requiring operators to display messages discouraging gambling and warning of its harmful effects.

Vulnerabilities

Psychiatrist Katia Branco, supervisor of the Pro-Amiti Group, which treats and studies impulse control disorders at Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo, explains that vulnerable individuals are the group most susceptible to gambling addiction and have been exposed to misinformation and misleading advertising from all sides.

According to her, people have been bombarded with ads that foster the false notion that gambling can serve as a source of supplemental income. “These are people who want quick returns and are led to believe they can achieve this through betting. This has become truly dangerous.”

Billions in losses

Brazilian households lost BRL 62.5 billion to betting from October 2024 to March 2026 - the difference between the amount wagered and the winnings paid out. This amounts to an average loss of BRL 4.7 billion per month over the period.

Unenforced regulations

The law regulating betting required, for example, that companies block access to users identified as compulsive gamblers. But according to attorney Júlio Leone, this never happened. On the contrary, companies sent countless bonuses and advertisements to bettors. “That’s where bettors loses all their money,” the attorney told Agência Brasil in August.

Kaio confirms that this was exactly what was happening. “My cellphone wouldn’t stop receiving messages.”

People of all ages fell victim to violations by the platforms, including teenagers.

Survey data indicate that 20.4 percent of students in the final years of elementary school and high school said they had placed online bets in the past year. The survey was conducted at the request of the Joint Parliamentary Front for Education by Equidade.info, an initiative that produces data for research. It covered 1,912 students from 191 schools across the country.

Among the most striking findings was that some students had started gambling as early as age 11. At least 9.5 percent of students in this age group reported having gambled before.

Psychologist Mariana Kehl, a member of the Brazilian Psychological Society, explains that young people are more vulnerable to such temptations because their brains are still developing.

Experts explain that the brain regions linked to pleasure and dopamine are highly active during adolescence, while the areas responsible for impulse control and risk assessment do not fully mature until a person’s early 20s.

“Adolescents intensely experience the pleasure of winning a bet, but they do not yet have the capacity to control the impulse to place the next bet,” she says.

Suicide risks

Health care professionals have observed that gamblers of all ages exhibit signs of hopelessness, feeling trapped, social withdrawal, increased alcohol use, or significant behavioral changes.

According to psychiatrist Branco, statements about death or no longer wanting to live should be taken seriously and warrant seeking help.

“Suicidal ideation should be addressed more openly, both in the doctor’s office and in therapy groups. With proper management, we can reduce the risk and try to help patients,” Branco notes.

The specialist points out patients were extremely anxious because of the losses caused by gambling. “Some have thoughts of death, and in the most severe cases, they already experience suicidal ideation because of the financial losses they have suffered,” she explains.

Seeking help is essential

Neurosurgeon Orlando Maia says that people with gambling addiction may come to see gambling as part of their daily lives as they seek the reward it provides. He explains that people often do not recognize the problem on their own. “They need family members or friends who can help.”

Psychologist Claudia Feres, who works at a Psychosocial Support Center in the Federal District, recommends that people with gambling addiction and their families seek professional help. “People come to us who have had suicidal thoughts and have, for example, attempted to take their own lives. It’s a desperate cry for help, as if they were saying they need to end their lives right then and there.”

One of the problems, experts say, is that online gambling was easily accessible and available practically 24 hours a day.

“It’s a casino in your pocket,” said Luiz Carlos*, 71, a member of Gamblers Anonymous. “Thank God I don’t gamble anymore, because if I did, I’d be lost. In my day, we had to leave the house to gamble. Today, you don’t have to anymore,” he told Rádio Nacional in an interview days before the government banned betting platforms amid public health concerns.

In August, as health problems linked to gambling addiction increased, Brazil’s national public health system, the SUS, expanded the number of monthly telephone counseling sessions for people experiencing problems related to online gambling.

Following Friday’s announcement of the betting ban, the Ministry of Health announced it would step up efforts to reach out to people with gambling problems, offering support and treatment when necessary. According to Minister Alexandre Padilha, the ministry will implement active outreach policies based on data shared by the Ministries of Finance and Public Security and the Federal Revenue Service.

*Fictitious names were used at the request of the interviewees.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva once again defended countries’ sovereignty, specifically citing the situations in Latin America and Brazil, where, he stated, attempts have been made to exert foreign influence over national political processes.

He said that the problems facing Latin America and the Caribbean stem from the region’s proximity to major powers.

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“In Latin America and the Caribbean, geographical proximity to the world’s greatest military power is inescapable, especially in the context of resurgent hegemonic ambitions. Brazil wouldn’t fit in anyone’s backyard,” he said during a speech at the opening ceremony of the 81st UN General Assembly on Tuesday (Sep. 22) in New York.

“We are once again witnessing foreign interference in electoral processes. The division of the world into spheres of influence and neocolonial encroachments on strategic resources are anachronistic acts,” he noted, citing recent events in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Cuba.

The region, he went on to declare, has come a long way toward consolidating democratic regimes following periods of dictatorship and authoritarianism. In this context, he advocated for greater regional integration and respect for the self-determination of peoples.

“We need partners with a positive agenda that fosters development. Ideological differences should not be an obstacle to greater integration among neighbors. The countries of the region have recognized the horrors of authoritarian regimes. We have come a long way toward restoring the will of the people,” he stated.

Democracy under threat

President Lula also warned of what he described as a resurgence of practices incompatible with the contemporary international order. “Democracy is once again under threat,” he said.

When mentioning countries in the Americas, the president stated that each nation must chart its own course. In his view, the Venezuelan people must decide their own fate without external interference, while Nicaragua will not solve its problems by preventing the opposition from participating in elections.

He also mentioned the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and once again criticized the economic embargo imposed on Cuba.

Networks of disinformation

The Brazilian leader also mentioned the influence of disinformation networks during election campaigns and stated that the Brazilian government will be vigilant against possible attempts at interference.

“We do not underestimate the challenge posed by disinformation networks that seek to distort public debate during the campaign,” he declared.

He then emphasized his confidence in the country’s institutions and electoral system. “We will not allow the enemies of democracy, whether internal or external, to undermine the will of the people. Brazil will remain a sovereign nation. No one will divert us from this path,” he declared.

Denialism

Lula also highlighted the dangers of fake news, especially regarding scientific findings on issues such as health and the environment. “In the age of disinformation, obscurantists resist scientific evidence,” he said, while advocating for the fight against denialism.

“We will never forget the millions of lives lost due to the failure to adequately address COVID-19. Anti-vaccine campaigns are bringing back diseases we thought had been eradicated. Weakening the World Health Organization makes everyone more vulnerable.”

“Until recently, the response to climate change was firmly established at the center of the international agenda. This year, the issue has disappeared from the debates at the G7 and G20 – forums that bring together the world’s largest carbon emitters. It is time to go back on the offensive and defeat denialism.”

Public safety

When addressing public safety, Lula rejected the involvement of foreign forces in combating organized crime on national territory and advocated for international cooperation in specific areas, such as combating arms trafficking and money laundering.

“We will not transfer the responsibility for defending our borders and guaranteeing the people the right to live without fear,” he stated.

The president added that the fight against crime must be carried out through cooperation among governments, not through external military actions. “We don’t need aircraft carriers patrolling our waters; we need cooperation to stem the flow of weapons and money that fuels organized crime.”

According to Lula, Brazil has presented the US with a proposal for cooperation to combat money laundering carried out by Brazilian criminals abroad.

The president also stated that Brazil has been strengthening coordination among the states and expanding efforts to combat criminal organizations.

In his opening address to the high-level segment of the 81st United Nations General Assembly - traditionally delivered by a Brazilian president - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will emphasize the importance of multilateralism, one of the central tenets of Brazilian foreign policy, in a context marked by a proliferation of international conflicts.

The president arrived in New York on Sunday (Sep. 20). In his speech, he will advocate for negotiation as a means of resolving disputes, respect for international humanitarian law, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. Lula will present Brazil’s perspective on the main issues on the international agenda.

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Reform of the United Nations, particularly its Security Council, will be among the topics to be addressed. For years, Brazil has advocated for updating the composition and functioning of the body and has criticized its inability to respond effectively to international conflicts.

Lula will hold bilateral talks with other heads of state, in addition to meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is in the final stages of his term at the helm of the international organization. He will also meet with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the progressive Democrat who took office at the beginning of the year.

This will be Lula’s 11th appearance at the United Nations General Assembly as president of Brazil. During his three terms in office, he has only missed the assembly once, in 2010.

Trump

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not provided any information on the possibility of a meeting between Lula and US President Donald Trump before he returns to Brazil on Tuesday (22).

The US president will be the second speaker, immediately after Lula, raising the possibility that the two leaders could cross paths behind the scenes in the plenary hall. Last year, they briefly encountered each other as Lula was leaving the stage after his speech and Trump was preparing to deliver his address.