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During the livestream, the president stated that he had spoken with a woman who said her 26-year-old son had taken his own life because of online betting. He also mentioned hearing from a bettor who had racked up BRL2 million ($388,410) in debt in just three months of wagering.
Lula said he intends to discuss the matter with his team and analyse potential measures to consider the social impact of online betting.
What the president does not acknowledge is that the government relies on revenue from the sector. In just the first seven months of 2026, BRL8.747 billion generated by sports betting has already flowed into public coffers. The Federal Revenue Service estimates the total could reach BRL16 billion by the end of the year. In 2025, nearly BRL9 billion was collected from sportsbooks.
What is Lucky 8 Merge Up?
The GMI, know locally as EEE, is described as a “residual payment to guarantee and legal minimum income for all residents”.
Anyone residing in Cyprus, with income not high enough to support their basic needs, is eligible for the benefit.
Cyprus is not the first market to consider whether to block its welfare recipients from using their benefits to gamble, Brazil introduced a similar ban in 2025.
About Lucky 8 Merge Up
Rossi takes a somewhat different view, describing Peru as a mature betting market while pointing to mobile penetration and a growing generation of digital consumers as sources of further growth.
“In my opinion it’s a mature market,” Rossi states. “Because historically, I believe Peru was one of the first betting markets in all of Latin America. Although the regulation was not there, betting was quite tolerated in the past.
“Of course, the room to grow is going along with the increasing penetration of mobile. And of course, demographically wise, a quite important area, a generation that is looking into online entertainment always wants more and more.”
