Businessman from Maranhão bets on Lula's victory and will pocket more than R$ 2 million
Photo: Personal Archive

Maranhão businessman Artu Oliveira, 45, has already received approximately R$ 1 million in cash and goods after making several bets on the victory of Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) for the presidency. The videos of ‘Artuzinho’ bets, as he became known, went viral on social media.

In total, Artu claims to have placed 18 bets and to have more amounts to receive, as some punters requested a few more days for payment. According to Portal Uol, the native of Maranhão should pocket a total of R$ 2.1 million.

“There are people who have already paid. I received about R$ 1 million, counting truck, truck, horse, car, gold. But there are some who are contesting, saying that the election will be annulled, asking me to wait another week. I will wait for Bolsonaro to speak, but I know that everyone will have to pay,” he said in an interview with Uol.

Gambler supported Bolsonaro in 2018, but preferred Lula in 2022

Since the announcement of the official result of the election, President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) has not commented. Interestingly, Artu declared that he supported Bolsonaro in his first attempt to reach the presidency, in 2018.

In September, he stated that the change in attitude happened because he was disappointed with the management of the current president. “Bolsonaro disappointed me in four years of government. I voted for him in the last election, but I think that, since then, Brazil has only gotten worse,” he said.

The official result of the 2022 presidential race was long awaited by the businessman. “When the poll showed Bolsonaro in the lead, I was very scared. But when Lula took the lead, it was just joy. Then we knew there was no turning back”, he says. With 99.99% of the polls counted, Lula had 50.9% of the votes and Jair Bolsonaro 49.1%, a difference of more than 2.1 million votes.

With the victory of his candidate and the beginning of the payments of the bets, the businessman stated that he is taking the opportunity to celebrate. “I am so happy”, he concluded.