Brazil’s National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) has formally notified Datafolha, requesting clarification on the methodology behind a recent survey linking betting activity to household indebtedness in Brazil.
Datafolha is one of Brazil’s most established polling and research institutes, widely used by media outlets, companies and political actors to measure public opinion on economic, social and electoral issues. Its studies often carry significant influence in shaping public debate.
According to ANJL, the central concern lies in how betting activity was incorporated into the survey without distinguishing between licensed operators and illegal platforms.
The association argues that this lack of segmentation may lead to distorted interpretations of the sector and weaken public understanding of the regulated market.
The entity also questioned how survey questions were structured, suggesting that their framing may have contributed to associations between betting and debt that do not fully reflect the complexity of the market.
Another point of criticism relates to the inclusion of betting alongside traditional credit products such as mortgages and credit cards, which ANJL says alters the nature of the activity by equating entertainment spending with financial liabilities.
“Operators are not questioning the role of DataFolha or any other research institute. What the sector is asking for is unbiased disclosure, without distortions and without comparisons that don't make sense, such as comparing betting with bank loans,” stated Plínio Lemos Jorge, president of ANJL.
Without this distinction, the association argues, conclusions drawn from the data risk overgeneralization.
Brazil’s regulated betting sector could face a total tax burden of up to 42% by 2033, according to a study conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming
