Brazilian President Lula plans to issue a ban on online betting and introduce debt relief measures before the election.

According to two people familiar with the matter, Brazilian President Lula will sign two provisional decrees on Friday, one banning online betting and the other for individual debt restructuring. With less than two weeks to go before Brazil's tight presidential election, the incumbent president's move is intended to ease voters' growing concerns about household debt. Lula has repeatedly threatened to ban online betting, saying it has worsened household financial pressure. A new Datafolha poll released on Thursday showed leftist candidate Lula and right-wing rival Flavio Bolsonaro neck and neck in the presidential race. The poll data showed that in a second-round runoff scenario, Lula had 47% support and Bolsonaro 45%, a difference within the margin of error. In recent weeks, Lula has stepped up criticism of the betting industry, saying he favors completely eliminating online betting. His government had already banned recipients of major social welfare programs from participating in betting, while also imposing related restrictions on people participating in debt restructuring programs.