Brazil: online gambling for operators

Population: IBGE estimate as of 01.07.2026, published on 28.08.2026. Internet and phones: IBGE, PNAD Contínua TIC 2025 (02.07.2026); in 2025, 89.8% of residents aged 10 and over had a mobile phone.

The official market measure is GGR, bets minus winnings; there are no official data before 2025. In 2025 licensees earned R$36.96 billion (SPA/MF, 2025 overview), and in the first half of 2026 R$20.07 billion (SPA data under the access to information law, LAI; Focus Gaming News, 18.08.2026). The second half of 2025 brought in 4.6% more than the first (calculated from SPA data).

Consultants at brmkt.co, who compiled Sigap data, counted R$40.69 billion for 2025 and R$20.28 billion for the first half of 2026, up 6.2% year on year (O Globo, 25.09.2026).

Other metrics should not be compared with GGR. Betting turnover in the first half of 2026 was R$410.85 billion, 20 times GGR (SPA under LAI, Focus Gaming News). Deposits in 2025 came to R$220.6 billion according to preliminary SPA data, including money that was staked again; Comsefaz estimated Pix transfers to betting at R$350.97 billion, an estimate the industry disputes (iGB Brasil, 19.08.2026). In the first half of 2026 deposits fell by 12.4%, to R$88.48 billion (brmkt.co).

Before licensing, Banco Central estimated Pix transfers to betting at R$18-21 billion a month (January-August 2024, Nota Técnica 513/2024). LCA Consultoria, working for IBJR, estimated the illegal market at 41-51% of betting volume (TCU audit, 19.05.2026).

In 2025, 25.2 million unique CPFs placed at least one bet (SPA/MF), and about 9.25 million were active each month (brmkt.co). Licences: 78 companies and 182 brands in the first half of 2025 (SPA/MF); by the end of the first half of 2026, 84 companies and 193 brands according to brmkt.co, or 87 and 188 according to LAI data (Focus Gaming News).

Gender and age: in 2025, 68.3% of players on the legal market were men, 74% were under 41, and those over 50 made up only 9.3% (SPA/MF, 2025 overview). Shares of adults by gender and age: Datafolha, May 2026 and November 2024.

Income and regions: according to a DataSenado survey (June 2024, 21,808 interviews), 52% of players have a household income of up to two minimum wages, almost the same as the population as a whole (49%). Betting was most common in the states of Roraima and Pará (17% of residents) and least common in Ceará (8%). In August 2024, 5 million people from Bolsa Família families transferred R$3 billion to betting (Banco Central, Nota Técnica 513/2024).

VIP: there are no public data on the share, only indirect indicators. An active player spent (GGR) about R$164 a month in the first half of 2025 (SPA/MF, 26.08.2025). 94% of sports deposits in January-February 2025 were up to R$100, and deposits over R$1,000 made up only 1.4% (data from one payment company, iGaming Brazil, 08.05.2025).

The 10% of players with the largest deposits paid in 20 times as much as the other 90% (Open Finance, 1.2 million people, Folhapress, 01.07.2026). The average monthly transfer grew with age: about R$100 for younger people and over R$3,000 for older ones (Banco Central, 2024). The player base is small-ticket, and the big money sits with a narrow group of high rollers.

Sport and casino: there is no official GGR breakdown by vertical (O Globo, 25.09.2026). In May 2026, 6% of adults bet on sport and 4% played online casino games, 66% of whom also bet on sport; average spending was R$241 and R$232 a month (Datafolha). H2 Gambling Capital forecast that sport would take 55% of online GGR in 2025 and slots 27% (09.09.2024).

Games: there is no open ranking by bets. The Product Radars ranking for Gaming Intelligence counts lobby positions on the 20 largest licensed sites, weighted by operator share: on 12-18.10.2025 the top five were Fortune Rabbit, Aviator, Fortune Tiger, Fortune Dragon and Fortune Ox (providers PG Soft and Spribe). Among studios, Pragmatic Play came first, 0.4% ahead of PG Soft, with Games Global third (29.10.2025).

This is a share of lobby positions, not of GGR: according to the authors, crash games and live casino have a higher share of GGR.

Bonuses: studies do not show which ones players liked most, but before licensing, bonuses and promotions were the main factor in choosing a site (ENV Media, 01.08.2024). From 01.01.2025, Law 14.790 banned advances and bonuses for betting, including welcome bonuses (art. 29, I), and Portaria 1.231 allowed promotions and loyalty programmes only if they were not tied to a deposit (art. 42; see Bonuses and promotions).

In 2025 Pix, the central bank's instant payment system, processed almost 80 billion transactions (Banco Central, Pix report for 2023-2025). Shares of payment methods on betting sites in 2024: data from one payment company (iGaming Brazil, 08.05.2025).

Before the ban, suspended. Money moved only by electronic transfer between the player's account under their CPF and the operator's transaction account at institutions licensed by the central bank (Portaria SPA/MF 615/2024, art. 3). Allowed: the central bank's instant payment system, bank transfer, debit or prepaid card, and transfer within the same bank. SPA did not publish the share of cards.

Explicitly banned: cash, payment slips, cheques, crypto-assets, credit cards and any post-paid instruments, third-party payments and payments from unregistered accounts (art. 3, § 2). Operators were also prohibited from helping players obtain credit (Law 14.790, art. 29, II; Portaria 1.231, art. 4, XV).

Accounts had to be in the player's name, up to three per operator, and payments from anyone else were returned at once. A withdrawal had to reach the player's account within 120 minutes of the request, and winnings within 120 minutes of the event or session, including at weekends (arts. 6, 7). A longer delay was allowed only with a documented suspicion of money laundering or fraud.

Now, in force. There have been no deposits since 25.09.2026. Banks and payment institutions block betting transactions, except for closing operations and refunds to players (MP, art. 14; central bank resolution 590 of 28.09.2026). Withdrawals were open until 05.10, 23:59, and banks returned the balances on 09-14.10.2026.

Balances, cancelled bets and winnings were returned to the player's account by CPF, and anything not returned is held in a separate account at a federal state-owned bank under Ministry of Finance supervision (MP, arts. 7-9).

Players valued payout speed almost as much as bonuses: fast and reliable payments decided the choice of site for 47.6%, and 47% wanted faster payouts (ENV Media, 01.07.2024).

Language: Brazilian rather than European vocabulary (celular, tela, cadastro, time instead of telemóvel, ecrã, registo, equipa). The law required support in Portuguese from people fluent in the language (Law 14.790, art. 28, § 1) and site terms in Portuguese (Portaria 1.231, art. 28, II).

Channels: according to IBGE (PNAD Contínua TIC 2025), 95.3% of internet users made voice or video calls over the internet. The SMS survey was conducted by Mobile Time and Opinion Box in January 2025. Reliable support decided the choice of site for 43.2% of players (ENV Media, 01.07.2024).

Before the ban, suspended. Licensee obligations: a free electronic or telephone support channel (Law 14.790, art. 28), a customer service team and an ombudsman (ouvidoria) with a responsible director (art. 7, V-VI; art. 8, I), and their phone number and email on the site (art. 15, IV). Channels are available online, including for players at risk of addiction and their families (Portaria 1.231, art. 4, XII).

From April 2025, registration on the government complaints platform consumidor.gov.br, with answers within 10 days, was mandatory (Senacon and SPA, Congresso em Foco, 05.04.2025). Law 14.790 and Portaria 1.231 do not set support hours.

Betting advertising and promotion in Brazil are now banned on any date (MP 1.394, art. 16), so the calendar is meant for analysing 2025-2026 data.

Salary is due no later than the 5th working day of the following month (CLT, art. 459, § 1); the advance is most often paid on the 20th and is not mandatory under the CLT without a collective agreement (Pontotel, 08.05.2026). Calls to bet immediately are banned (Portaria 1.231, art. 12, IV). 13th salary: the first instalment by 30.11 (Law 4.749/1965, art. 2), the second by 20.12 (Law 4.749/1965, art. 1).

Social programmes: after the Supreme Court ruling (ADI 7721 and 7723, 13.11.2024), betting was banned for recipients of Bolsa Família and BPC (Portaria SPA/MF 2.217 and SPA/MF instruction 22 of 30.09.2025), and in 2026 also for participants in debt programmes (Portaria 1.231, art. 8, IX-XI). Payment dates are not used in segments or triggers.

2026 public holidays: 01.01, 03.04, 21.04, 01.05, 07.09, 12.10, 02.11, 15.11, 20.11, 25.12; Carnival 16-17.02, an optional day off (Portaria MGI 11.460/2025). Religious dates are no occasion for promotion: beliefs must not be offended (Portaria 1.231, art. 12, XIII). At Carnival, betting must not be linked to altered states (CONAR, Annex X, item 5) or to sexual imagery (art. 12, XI).

Football: state championships from 11.01, Série A 28.01-02.12, Copa do Brasil 18.02-06.12 (CBF, Agência Estado, 01.10.2025); World Cup 11.06-19.07.2026 (FIFA); finals of the Copa Sudamericana on 21.11 and the Copa Libertadores on 28.11.2026 (El Gráfico, 19.03.2026).

World Cup: the average deposit in the Open Finance sample rose from R$188 to a peak of R$524 on 14.06, after Brazil's match (Folhapress), but June turnover was lower than January's: R$56.67 billion against R$90.06 billion (SPA under LAI).

Retail: Mother's Day on 10.05.2026 is the second-biggest retail date, and CNC expected R$14.47 billion in sales (06.05.2026); betting must not be presented as more important than family (CONAR, Annex X, item 5). Black Friday on 28.11.2025: R$4.76 billion in online sales (Confi Neotrust, Exame); deposit bonuses tied to sales were banned (Portaria 1.231, art. 42, § 1).

October and December: 12.10 is the Our Lady of Aparecida holiday and Children's Day; elections are on 04.10, with a second round on 25.10.2026 (O Liberal, 03.03.2026); religion, children and politics stay out of communications (Portaria 1.231, art. 12, XIII, XVI). A bet must not be presented as a solution to money problems (Portaria 1.231, art. 12, XIV).

The pre-ban rules also set the tone for service messages: Portaria SPA/MF 1.231/2024, Law 14.790 (art. 17) and Annex X "Betting" of the CONAR advertising code (from 31.01.2024, new version from 27.09.2026).

Mandatory labels: from 17.07.2026, all advertising and marketing, including in digital channels, had to carry the 18+ mark and one of three Ministry of Finance warnings ("Apostar pode causar dependência", "Apostar faz você perder dinheiro", "Aposta não é investimento") covering 10% of the space (Portaria 1.231, art. 13); "free" only with no conditions (art. 11, V).

Money: 82% of families are in debt and 29.9% are in arrears (CNC, PEIC, August 2026); 35% of current and former players have sacrificed their finances for betting (Datafolha, May 2026).

Children: the Supreme Court banned betting advertising aimed at children on 13.11.2024 (ADI 7721 and 7723). Religion: IBGE data, 2022 census. Politics: Datafolha survey of 28.09-01.10.2026.

The ban was introduced by provisional measure (Medida Provisória, MP) 1.394/2026: it has the force of law, but it will lapse unless Congress approves it. That is why the rules it cancelled are marked below as suspended, the MP's rules as in force and bills as draft.

As of 19.10.2026 there has been no vote: 99 amendments have been tabled, the deadline for consideration is 23.11.2026 with a possible 60-day extension, and congressional recess is not counted (art. 62 of the Constitution). Industry lawsuits in the Supreme Court (Agência Brasil, 06.10.2026): no ruling found as of the check date.

Before the ban, suspended. The licence (autorização, an authorisation) was issued by the Ministry of Finance through SPA/MF (Law 14.790, Portaria 827/2024) to a B2C operator: a Brazilian legal entity headquartered in the country, with a Brazilian partner holding at least 20% of the capital. The fee was 30 million reais for 5 years, for up to three brands, each with its own .bet.br site, plus a monthly supervision fee of roughly 55 thousand to 2 million reais.

Suppliers (B2B) certified platforms, games and live studios in laboratories recognised by SPA, while separate recognition of suppliers remained a draft.

Tax: the state's share of GGR, that is, bets minus winnings paid out and the tax on them. It was 12%, from 01.04.2026 it is 13%, and the schedule sets 14% in 2027 and 15% from 2028 (Lei Complementar 224/2025). Players paid 15% on their net winnings for the year.

Now, in force. No new licences are issued, and existing ones end on 25.10.2026 with no refund of the fee and no compensation. Taxes, AML and reports to the government system Sigap for the period of operation still apply. SPA will close pending sanction proceedings if the operator meets its transition period obligations on time (MP, arts. 4, 6, 10, 11, 13).

Before the ban, suspended. Law 14.790 (art. 29) prohibited any advance, bonus or other benefit for placing a bet, even as a promotion, and SPA explicitly included welcome bonuses in this. Portaria 1.231 (art. 42) allowed promotions, rewards and loyalty programmes under rules set out in the terms, but not in return for a deposit, so deposit bonuses were banned too.

Now, in force. All promotion is banned, together with betting advertising and marketing (MP, art. 16).

Now, in force. In any channel, communications, advertising, marketing and sponsorship that offer, promote or facilitate access to betting for an audience in Brazil are banned, in any format and regardless of payment. Platforms must remove such content (MP, arts. 16-21).

Draft. Bill 5.477/2026: 2-4 years in prison for advertising betting, and the same for transferring, selling, segmenting or enriching personal data to acquire players or for targeting. The sentence increases by half for data on betting history, gambling disorder or children.

Before the ban, suspended. Advertising was allowed only from licensees, with the number of the ordinance granting the licence and an 18+ mark, and from 17.07.2026 with one of three Ministry of Finance risk warnings covering 10% of the space (Portaria 1.231, arts. 13, 15). Ads could not promise easy money, show celebrities as a symbol of success, urge immediate action or address minors (art. 12). The operator was jointly liable for its affiliates (art. 21).

For CRM: marketing consent at registration with the right to change it, unsubscribing on request, no promotions to self-excluded players (art. 11), and data used for the operator's other brands only with explicit consent (art. 33).

Before the ban, suspended. Minimum age 18. Barred from playing: the operator's employees, athletes and referees, people diagnosed with gambling addiction (Law 14.790, art. 26), from October 2025 recipients of social benefits, and from 2026 participants in state debt programmes: the CPF was checked in Sigap at registration and at the first login of each day (Portaria 1.231, art. 8).

KYC: CPF (the national taxpayer number, which cannot be changed), a photo ID document, a verified phone number and email, facial recognition with a "liveness" check and a strong password (art. 31), and the face again for withdrawals and changes of details (art. 36).

Tools: deposit limits, bet, time and loss limits, time reminders, a pause, self-exclusion with the operator and in the Ministry of Finance's centralised system (from December 2025, from 1 to 12 months or indefinitely, with the block applied within 72 hours), and suspension of high-risk players (art. 4).

Now, in force. Platforms are closed, and the Ministry of Finance self-exclusion system has been switched off. The operator submits data on responsible gambling measures for its period of operation to Sigap (MP, art. 11).