By Camilo Diniz
Brazilian Health Minister Alexandre Padilha stepped up his attack on the football clubs that want to overturn the country's ban on sports betting. Speaking at a public hearing at the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Brazil's highest court, chaired by Justice Luiz Fux, he said that ending the betting market is the most effective measure against suicide, gambling addiction and violence inside families.
Padilha: 'My fight is about women'
Padilha openly confronted the clubs. Their representatives had made economic arguments, citing salaries and the difficulty of keeping a football team running. The minister's answer was blunt: "My fight is about women: 65% of them are ashamed to seek out a health service even when they recognize they are addicted."
For the government, the calculation is different. While the clubs look at their cash flow, the Health Ministry says it is looking at the people on the other side of the betting table, who sometimes lack the courage to ask for help.
'No country' improved, says the minister
The harshest moment of his speech came when he rejected the examples offered by the clubs, which cited countries that, according to them, reduced health problems after legalizing betting. Padilha said there is no proof of that. "All the countries that legalized betting saw their health indicators get worse. Not one of them improved," he said.
He went further and listed what, in his view, no country has managed: reducing the demand for health services, lowering the risk of suicide and containing family violence linked to betting. In the remarks reported, however, the minister did not present a specific study backing these claims. In other words, it is the government's word against the figures the clubs brought to the hearing.
A risk that goes beyond existing addicts
Padilha also argued that the problem is not limited to people who already have compulsive behavior. In his view, the biggest impact falls on the whole population exposed to the risk. "The best way to remove this risk from the population as a whole is to prevent this practice in our country," he said.
He also cited harm to public safety and said there is an undesirable closeness between the betting market and organized crime, including money laundering.
Why it matters: the provisional measure and the numbers
The hearing takes place after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of the Workers' Party (PT), signed a provisional measure (a presidential decree with the force of law, which Congress must later vote on). It banned the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of sports betting and online casinos in the country.
According to figures cited by the ministry, since 2018 police and prosecutors have carried out 21 operations against the betting market in eight states. In the 10 federal operations alone, courts authorized asset freezes totaling about R$ 3.3 billion (Brazilian reais).
The government uses these amounts as proof that the sector attracts serious problems. But a simple question remains: if the measure targets crime and health, why was the response a total ban rather than tougher oversight rules?
What comes next
With the STF hearing under way, the dispute now moves through the judiciary. On one side, the government promises to keep the ban based on health and security data. On the other, the clubs call for dialogue and speak of financial losses. The Supreme Court has yet to decide whether the measure stands, and the reaction of the sector may determine the scale of this battle.
VDD Analysis
Protecting families from addiction is a legitimate concern, but the government should present its studies with the same force as its rhetoric. When a minister says "no country" has improved without citing the research behind the claim, a total ban starts to look more like a bet by Brasília than an evidence-based policy. Economic freedom and individual responsibility also count in this equation.
