Seventeen million Brazilians place fixed-odds bets as illegal sites are blocked
- 17.7 million Brazilians placed fixed-odds bets in the first half of 2025
- 15,463 illegal websites have been removed since October 2024
- Gross Gaming Revenue of authorised companies reached R$17.4 billion
Seventeen million Brazilians placed fixed-odds bets in the first half of 2025 as the Ministry of Finance tightens regulation and cracks down on illegal gambling. The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA-MF) reports that 78 companies are now authorised and monitored.
Since October 2024, the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) has taken down 15,463 illegal websites in Brazil. SPA-MF monitors 182 authorised betting platforms, with 17.7 million Brazilians participating in the regulated market.
The market has been legal since 2018 but fully regulated only in 2022. New rules were implemented from 2023 and are now fully in force. Of 66 inspections covering 93 operators, 35 resulted in sanctions during the first semester.
Financial institutions are also monitored to prevent transactions with unauthorised operators. In the first half of 2025, 24 financial and payment institutions submitted 277 reports and closed 255 accounts linked to illegal betting. Cooperation with social media and search platforms has removed unlawful advertising, including 112 influencer pages and 146 posts.
Bettors are predominantly male (71 per cent), with the largest age group between 31 and 40 years (27.8 per cent). Other age groups include 18–25 years (22.4 per cent), 25–30 years (22.2 per cent), 41–50 years (16.9 per cent), 51–60 years (7.8 per cent), and 61–70 years (2.1 per cent).
Authorised companies reported total gross revenue of R$17.4 billion, reflecting wagers minus prizes. Average spending per active bettor was R$983 per semester or R$164 per month. Tax and social contributions collected by the Federal Revenue Service reached approximately R$3.8 billion, while SPA-MF raised R$2.2 billion from licensing fees and R$50 million in regulatory fees.
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