A growing number of residents in São Paulo are turning to online betting platforms as a way to supplement household income, according to a new survey published by FecomercioSP.
The study found that 35% of bettors in Brazil’s largest city now gamble seeking a “rapid increase” in income, up from 25% in 2024. Researchers interviewed 600 people between 4 and 8 May 2026.
The trend was strongest among lower-income households. Among respondents earning up to two minimum wages per month, 40% said they bet to increase their household budget.
The proportion fell to 30% among those earning between two and five minimum wages, and 29% among higher-income groups earning between five and ten minimum wages.
FecomercioSP said the figures indicate that financially vulnerable consumers are increasingly resorting to “risk consumption” in an attempt to cope with economic pressure.
According to the study, 50% of São Paulo residents now gamble regularly, unchanged from two years ago, while 7% admitted suffering from gambling addiction.
The survey also highlighted the central role of digital payments in Brazil’s betting boom. Around 96% of respondents said they use Pix, the country’s instant payment system, to fund gambling activity.
Researchers found that betting expenditure is increasingly competing with essential household spending. If they were not gambling, 14% of respondents said the money would be used to pay household bills, while 13% would spend it on food.
Meanwhile, 12% said they had sought financial assistance to continue betting, including loans from friends, relatives or banks.
The findings arrive as Brazil’s betting sector faces mounting political and regulatory scrutiny over addiction, indebtedness and gambling advertising.
Brazil’s Ministry of Health recently launched a free nationwide training program focused on the treatment and prevention of gambling addiction
