Brazil’s Ministry of Health has launched a Care Guide for People with Gambling-Related Problems.
The document guides the reception, monitoring and treatment of people affected by gambling within the country’s Unified Health System (SUS).
This initiative is part of a set of measures to address a problem that is already being treated as a public health issue in Brazil, such as Brazil's Interministerial Working Group on Mental Health and Gambling Harm Reduction, composed of Brazil’s regulator, the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), Ministry of Sport, the Secretariat for Social Communication and the Ministry of Health itself.
According to the guide, between 2018 and 2025, the number of consultations in SUS related to pathological gambling and betting problems increased 104% in the analyzed period.
Women compose 43% of the patients and men are the most affected group, with 57%. The prevalent group among the consultations were also in the age group of 20 to 49.
To the authority, sports betting and virtual casinos represent the central focus of the guide, as they “involve real money, unrestricted access, and strong advertising appeal, frequently directed at young adults and men.”
“They operate 24 hours a day, with low risk perception and very high technological availability, elements that increase exposure, reduce control barriers, and favor prolonged betting cycles,” stated the Ministry through the guide.
In these environments, the combination of quick rewards, continuous monetization, and near-instantaneous stimuli creates conditions conducive to loss of control and illness, especially among groups already exposed to social vulnerabilities.
A Court of Justice Brazil has recently ordered two online platforms to exclude a compulsive gambler from their systems, reflecting how gambling-related harm is increasingly drawing judicial scrutiny in the country.
Brazilian police have recently launched a major operation against an alleged illegal $18m gambling network
