Brazil’s Fiocruz, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, has launched a free online training program focused on the treatment and prevention of gambling addiction.
Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) is the country’s premier public health, science and technology institution.
The course, titled “Gambling: Caution in the Psychosocial Care Network”, will offer 20,000 places to healthcare professionals working within Brazil’s public health system. Registration is open until the start of June.
Designed as a 45-hour distance learning program, the training aims to equip professionals with tools to identify, manage and prevent gambling-related harm. The initiative targets workers in Brazil’s Psychosocial Care Network, particularly those operating in community mental health centers and primary care.
According to Fiocruz, the expansion of online betting platforms in Brazil has increased concern around addiction and its social impacts, including growing financial distress, mental health issues and strain on family relationships.
The course is structured across four modules, covering the evolution of gambling, its psychological and social dimensions, and practical approaches to intervention and harm reduction. Participants will also complete applied activities designed to reflect real-world healthcare settings.
The initiative comes as public health authorities in Brazil intensify their focus on gambling-related risks. Health Minister Alexandre Padilha has recently argued that betting should be treated as a public health issue, drawing comparisons with tobacco regulation and calling for stricter controls on advertising.
Brazil’s Ministry of Health has also recently introduced a national care guide for treating gambling-related problems within the public healthcare system.
Almost half a million Brazilians have opted out of betting by the self-exclusion button
