Brazil’s betting boom: regulation, health and social impact

Congress multiplies betting bills, but prevention remains marginal

The Brazilian Congress has significantly increased its legislative activity on online betting (“bets”) between 2023 and 2025, but a new study shows that only a small fraction of proposals focus on prevention and public health.

According to a survey released by the Institute for Health Policy Studies (IEPS), in partnership with the Parliamentary Front for Mental Health Promotion (FPSM) and Umane, the response to the rapid expansion of betting remains fragmented and largely disconnected from health policy priorities.

The report analyzed 231 bills introduced between January 2019 and March 2026 in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

The proposals span 19 political parties and include active, archived, and enacted legislation. The research identified a sixfold increase in betting-related bills, rising from 18 in 2023 to 117 in 2025.

Despite this surge, only 6.1% of proposals focus on governance and prevention policies related to gambling harm. Most initiatives concentrate on operational rules for betting platforms (30%) and advertising and sponsorship regulation (23%).

Betting seen more as a commercial product than a public health issue

According to IEPS institutional relations director Rebeca Freitas, the legislative pattern suggests that lawmakers have predominantly treated online betting as a commercial market rather than a health risk. The institute argues that betting should be regulated under a public health framework, similar to tobacco regulation, given its potential for addiction and financial harm.

Freitas also notes that the increase in legislative proposals does not necessarily translate into effective regulation. Many bills overlap, lack coordination, or fail to progress through Congress.

Advertising becomes a central regulatory battlefield

Among 53 bills focused on advertising, 37 propose either restrictions or full bans on betting promotion. The debate mirrors international trends, such as the United Kingdom’s restrictions on betting sponsorship in football shirts. In Brazil, however, more than 80% of Serie A football clubs maintain sponsorship agreements with betting companies.

Researchers highlight that advertising regulation could have a significant public health impact, particularly because digital betting platforms are designed with behavioral engineering elements such as color stimulation, animations, and retention mechanics that encourage continuous use.

Some legislative proposals attempt to address this issue more directly. One example is PL 1841/2025, which introduces automatic interruption mechanisms for user access, while PL 4294/2025 proposes the use of technological tools to identify risky gambling behavior.

Rapid growth in betting-related harm in the public health system

Data from the Third National Survey on Alcohol and Drugs (LENAD III), conducted by the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), estimates that 7.3% of Brazilians show some level of gambling behavior associated with potential harm.

At the same time, the public health system (SUS) has reported a sharp rise in cases related to betting addiction. According to the IEPS report, treatment demand nearly doubled in 2025 compared to the previous year, indicating that health services are struggling to keep pace with market expansion.

Revenue disputes overshadow prevention agenda

The report also highlights a political dispute over betting tax revenues, which surged from R$ 38 million to R$ 6.8 billion in a single year, according to Federal Revenue data cited in the study. Among 41 bills related to taxation and revenue allocation, most proposals focus on distributing funds across areas such as health, security, sports, environmental protection, and even animal welfare.

One example, PL 1959/2025, proposes the creation of a national fund to address gambling impacts, but prioritizes animal welfare and public security above gambling addiction prevention.

Few proposals aim at structural market restrictions

Despite the rapid growth of the sector, only six bills — less than 3% of the total — propose a full ban or structural restrictions on online betting. Some of these initiatives seek to revoke Brazil’s current legal framework, including Law 14.790/2023, which regulates fixed-odds betting.

IEPS warns that Brazil is experiencing a “regulatory race” without coordination or strategic planning. According to Freitas, the volume of proposals does not reflect regulatory maturity, but rather political fragmentation.

Political pressure and lack of integrated strategy

The institute argues that Brazil’s legislative response lacks a unified approach to gambling as a public health issue. While Congress demonstrates awareness of the sector’s rapid expansion, there is still no integrated regulatory strategy capable of addressing addiction, consumer protection, and market oversight simultaneously.

The study concludes that betting is still largely treated as an economic activity rather than a behavioral risk, leaving a gap between regulation and real-world social impact.

25% of Brazilians bet online in the last month, survey shows

A separate study by Meio/Ideia reinforces the scale of betting adoption in Brazil. The survey, conducted with 1,500 respondents, found that 25% of Brazilians placed online bets in the last 30 days. The data carries a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points and a 95% confidence level.

The research highlights that betting has become a social and political issue, with implications for public policy and even electoral dynamics.

Gender, income, and regional differences

Men show higher participation in online betting than women, with 28.8% versus 21.5%. However, women are more likely to support stricter regulation or a full ban, while men are more inclined to support market continuity.

Income level does not significantly affect betting behavior, as participation rates remain relatively stable across most income brackets, except for higher earners, where participation drops.

Regionally, the North of Brazil leads betting activity with 41.4%, followed by the Center-West, Northeast, South, and Southeast.

Public perception: addiction and debt concerns dominate

The majority of Brazilians associate online betting with financial risk. Around 59% believe betting contributes to household debt, while 61.9% say it can lead to addiction. These concerns are particularly strong among people aged 35 to 44.

Public opinion is divided on prohibition: 44% support a full ban, while 24% oppose it. A third group supports allowing betting but banning advertising.

A growing political and social fault line

The study suggests that betting is becoming a major political issue in Brazil, especially ahead of upcoming elections. Researchers warn of a structural contradiction: while the government benefits from rising tax revenues, it also faces increasing levels of household debt linked to betting behavior.

At the same time, illegal betting platforms remain widespread, accounting for an estimated 51% of the market, according to the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR), with illegal operations moving approximately R$ 40 billion annually.

Regulation still lags behind reality

Both studies converge on the same conclusion: betting has rapidly expanded in Brazil, but regulation, prevention, and public health responses have not kept pace. While Congress accelerates legislative production, the absence of coordination and strategic focus continues to limit the effectiveness of public policy.

The result is a fragmented regulatory landscape in which economic interests, public health concerns, and political pressures coexist without a unified framework capable of addressing the scale of the phenomenon.