Brazil confirmed on April 22, 2026, that betting has shifted from a marginal activity to a large-scale economic phenomenon, driven by mass behavior and growing social pressure, according to two key studies released in the past week.
The Genial/Quaest survey, conducted between April 10 and 13, 2026 with 2,004 respondents and published on April 17, shows that 29% of Brazilians already engage in online betting. The habit is higher among men (33%) than women (21%), with regional peaks in the South (37%) and consistent participation across age groups, including 30% among those aged 60+. By education level, the highest participation comes from individuals with completed secondary education (31%).
The second study, from Datafolha, published on April 18, 2026, reveals the economic dimension of the trend: 46% of bettors use gambling to generate income or pay bills. Across the population, 10% of Brazilians bet at least occasionally, and 1% admit using money intended for essential expenses to gamble.
Market size reflects this behavior, cause the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) led by Daniele Correa Cardoso under Finances Minister Dario Durigan, reported that in 2025 there were 25.2 million bettors in the regulated market, generating approximately R$37 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR). In parallel, the Central Bank estimated betting costs up to R$30 billion per month.
Dario Durigan
This growth can be explained from a legal perspective, the Law 13,756 of 2018 and Law 14,790 of 2023 legalized and organized fixed-odds betting, while SPA Ordinance 827 of 2024 established the licensing system in force since January 1, 2025, restricting operations to authorized companies under the “.bet.br” domain. As of April 2026, regulators have blocked more than 25,000 illegal websites in coordination with Anatel.
On April 14, 2026, the SPA signed an agreement with Ipea to measure impacts on household debt, mental health, and financial risk, while Congress debates stricter controls and a tax increase to 18% of GGR by 2027. Brazil is no longer dealing with an emerging market, but with a consolidated system where betting operates as a liquidity engine in the household microeconomy, forcing regulation to evolve alongside scale and risk.
