By Indianara Goz
Brazil's first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, arrived at the Supreme Federal Court (STF), the country's highest court, on Tuesday (Nov. 3). She came to follow a public hearing on sports betting, known in Brazil as "bets." Hours earlier, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had asked the public to follow the hearing, which has turned into a stage for political pressure.
According to the outlet Congresso em Foco, Janja handed Justice Luiz Fux, who convened the hearing, a report on the impacts of betting. Fux called it "voluminous and detailed." She was accompanied by cultural producer Paula Lavigne, who posted the message "Bets nunca mais" ("Never again bets") on social media.
A post on X by the account @EleicaoBr2026 said the Clarice Institute would also attend. That point does not appear in the news reports consulted.
Lula's call and Fux's reply
In a video released before the hearing, Lula questioned who was taking part. "It is important that civil society follow along, because it seems to me that more of the people taking part are those who want the bets to keep operating than people who are against the bets," he said, according to Congresso em Foco.
Fux answered without naming the president. "The claim that I only summoned companies and soccer teams is not valid, no," he said. The justice recalled that the STF devoted two days of hearings, on Nov. 11 and 12, 2024, to the social and psychological effects of betting. Groups heard then included the Brazilian Psychiatric Association, Idec, Dieese and Educafro.
Deputy André Janones (Rede-MG) also criticized the guest list. According to the newspaper Correio do Povo, he said that until Friday the government had not even been invited. After a request from the Attorney General's Office (AGU), Fux added the Health and Justice ministries and Abras, the supermarket association.
Guest list under fire
According to CNN Brasil, at least 22 of the 34 invited participants oppose the ban. They include the soccer clubs Flamengo, Corinthians and Cruzeiro, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and industry associations. On the other side are government bodies, the AGU and the national confederations of commerce (CNC) and industry (CNI).
The hearing now focuses on the consequences of the ban: legal certainty, contracts, economic impact, the black market and household consumption. Fux cited the existence of about 4,000 illegal betting sites. According to Congresso em Foco, that figure had not yet been proven at the hearing.
Correio do Povo also reported that Fux said that, in his understanding, betting companies should be banned. He said he needs to bring "other elements" to the ten colleagues who will have to judge the case.
Background and what comes next
The hearing concerns Provisional Measure 1,394/2026, issued by Lula in September. A provisional measure is a presidential decree with the force of law, and Congress must vote on it within 120 days for it to become permanent law. Betting companies have filed lawsuits at the STF against the measure.
After the presentations, which were expected to run into the afternoon, Fux will decide how to handle those lawsuits. Pressure from the Planalto Palace (the presidency), the betting sector and the clubs is expected to continue both at the Supreme Court and in Congress.
VDD Analysis
When a president calls on the public to "follow" a Supreme Court hearing and the first lady shows up with a report in hand, the gesture carries political weight beyond the technical debate. The subject is serious. But a provisional measure that changes the life of an entire sector, of clubs and of thousands of jobs deserves discussion without campaign-stage pressure. It must also be decided on proven data about the illegal market and the economic impact.
