The betting regulator of Brazil has released data that challenges claims of mass gambling addiction across the country.
In August, the SPA (Secretariat of Prizes and Bets) revealed that 17.7 million Brazilians placed bets through licensed operators. This was within the first six months of the regulated market. The figure has raised questions about the legitimacy of politicians’ claims that gambling is causing mass addiction in Brazil.
The SPA released extensive data in late August which revealed the GGR of the licensed betting market reached BRL17.4 billion or $3.2 billion during H1 2025.
The data reported that 17.7 million Brazilians wagered with licensed operators during the period. This equates to about 8.3% of the total population and, importantly, 10.6% of adults in Brazil.
The data showed that 17.7 million Brazilians wagered with licensed operators during the period. That figure represents roughly 8.3% of the total population and 10.6% of adults in Brazil.
H2 Gambling Capital’s managing director, Ed Birkin, believes the data shows player activity is in line with what you’d expect from a regulated online market.
Birkin says the data opposes the rhetoric of mass gambling addiction in Brazil.
Birkin told iGB that in the Netherlands, about 5.4% of the adult population hold accounts with legal operators. By contrast, in the UK ~20% of the adult population has an online betting or gaming account.
He added that this puts Brazil around the level that you’d expect for a normal amount of online gambling. How much of that is problem gambling is a different question, but it certainly flies against the view of a pandemic of gambling across the nation.
The narrative that regulated online gambling is causing an addiction pandemic in Brazil has sparked several movements. It has also led to Senate bills seeking to ban the licensed sector.
