Brazilian soccer teams cry foul at Lula's online betting ban

BRASILIA, Sept 30 : Brazilian soccer teams are siding with sports betting companies to lobby against a government ban on gambling websites, a move industry officials say will strip clubs of access to multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals. 

The provisional measure, approved by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva last Friday, includes an immediate ban on gamblers making new deposits and requires all sports betting websites and apps to be shut down in the country from October 6.

The clampdown — which prompted online betting companies in Europe to revise earnings guidance — comes amid an extremely tight presidential election campaign in Brazil, where Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term in power. A Quaest poll released this week showed that 62 per cent of Brazilians support restricting online betting in the country.

State soccer federations, including those of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, have signed a letter expressing "enormous concern" over the ban, describing it as "a fatal blow to Brazilian soccer" that would drive clubs into insolvency.

"Fans cannot foot this bill. If the regulated market ends, betting doesn't end. Soccer is what ends," the letter said.

While gambling sponsorship is a relatively recent source of income for Brazil's soccer teams, the move is expected to force management restructuring across many clubs because the financial blow will be hard to recover from in the short term, analysts and club representatives said.

"In the best moments in the history of Brazilian soccer, there were no betting sites," Lula said on Monday. "The clubs will have to figure it out."

A government meeting with soccer teams scheduled for Tuesday was postponed and a new date has yet to be set. Support measures, such as