About this app
What is Totem Guardians?
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.
The burning question is where such funds will come from if Lula shuts down the betting industry. Yet, no one points out to him that players will simply migrate to the illegal market. Betting will continue to exist, but without formal tax revenue, oversight or player protections.
What is Totem Guardians?
Minister of Environment and Tourism Dr Wynter Mmolotsi called for Botswana to establish a dedicated rehabilitation facility for people experiencing gambling harm. He also suggested that the country consider systems capable of identifying extended gambling sessions, betting patterns and other potential indicators of harmful play.
“In other countries, such systems detect the time taken, every bet placed, how is the game played and thus help to curb addiction,” Mmolotsi said.
Kgatleng Central MP Mpho Morolong also said gambling should be understood as entertainment rather than a route to financial security.
What is Totem Guardians?
Skillz has challenged Papaya Gaming’s Chapter 15 petition in Delaware bankruptcy court, arguing the Israeli mobile game developer lacks standing because its operations and primary creditor base are anchored almost exclusively in the United States.
In April, a federal jury sided with Skillz (now operating as Firy Inc.) on its claims that Papaya deceived consumers by utilizing computer bots in its head-to-head mobile games.
Three months later, Judge Denise Cote ordered Papaya to pay Skillz $719 million in damages for poaching players from its skill gaming platform on the belief that Papaya had more players and therefore facilitated considerably faster peer-to-peer pairing times.
