Brazil blocked online sports betting and casino platforms, shutting down websites and apps known locally as "bets" and banning their advertising.

By Oliver Griffin, Marcela Ayres and Gabriel Araujo SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Brazil's main stock exchange surged to a record high on Monday as the country's markets cheered on right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro's better-than-expected finish in the first round of Sunday's presidential election.

Lula has remained a symbol for much of the global left amid the rise of the far right in Latin America.

Despite growing worries over Brazil's public finances and sluggish economic growth, the campaign offered meager policy debate.

Brazilians will vote in a general election on Sunday with two familiar political camps once again dominating the presidential race.

Polls show tight race between incumbent Lula and right-wing rival Flavio Bolsonaro amid concerns over crime and economy.

Four years after President Lula narrowly defeated Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil is back at the ballot box. This time, Lula faces Bolsonaro's son, Flávio, in a high-stakes rematch.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Solar panels operate near water tanks in Nova Sociedade, a riverine Arapium Indigenous community, near Santarem, Para state, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) Ideilde Arapiuns, who is part of the Arapium Indigenous group, holds a box containing a donated solar-power system in the Nova Sociedade community near Santarem, Para state, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) The Sao Benedito School, powered by solar panels on the roof, sits on the banks of the Tapajos River near Santarem, Para state, Brazil, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) Tourist boats sit idle on sandbanks in the Arapiuns River near the Nova Sociedade community near Santarem, Para state, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) Solar panels operate near water tanks in Nova Sociedade, a riverine Arapium Indigenous community, near Santarem, Para state, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) Solar panels operate near water tanks in Nova Sociedade, a riverine Arapium Indigenous community, near Santarem, Para state, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) Ideilde Arapiuns, who is part of the Arapium Indigenous group, holds a box containing a donated solar-power system in the Nova Sociedade community near Santarem, Para state, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) Ideilde Arapiuns, who is part of the Arapium Indigenous group, holds a box containing a donated solar-power system in the Nova Sociedade community near Santarem, Para state, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.