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How to play Spanish Passion
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.
How to play Spanish Passion
“So we just see creating one of the biggest groups in the world in gaming terms. And we’ll be sharing the long-term plan that Lottomatica has, which is very attractive. So I mean, the risk is minor, and we feel very well protected and joining this long-term plan will be a plus to our people.”
Lottomatica will absorb Cirsa through an EU cross-border merger, with Lottomatica as the surviving entity.
Angelozzi was asked about previous cross-border M&A that had failed to deliver on initial expectations and why he felt this time was different.
What is Spanish Passion?
Brazil is currently gearing up for a general election next month and Weizer said this had delayed Playtech’s launch in the regulated market, although he didn’t specifically name Caixa as its client.
“I’ll be very, very open and straightforward about it,” Weizer told analysts on Playtech’s post-Q2 earnings call. “There were certain concerns that because it is an election year, and obviously, gaming is a political issue or there were references by politicians throughout the elections about gambling.
“Given the sensitivity around that, we were kindly asked to collaborate with the government [and] with the prospective customer that we are in discussions with to wait until the elections.”
