Nearly 4 million Brazilians are now barred from betting

In Brazil, 3.8 million people are currently prohibited from using licensed betting platforms, according to new figures released by Brazil’s Ministry of Finance.

Data obtained by local news outlets shows that 3.73 million individuals have been registered in the Government’s Betting Management System, preventing them from placing bets with authorized operators.

The largest group consists of 2.8 million beneficiaries of Brazil’s social programs Bolsa Família and Continuous Cash Benefit programs, who have been barred from betting following measures introduced by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA). 

Once a person’s CPF (tax identification number) is registered in SIGAP, licensed operators must prevent account creation or suspend existing accounts, effectively blocking access across the regulated market.

The figures also include professional athletes, referees, sports officials, betting regulators, public officials involved in gambling oversight and individuals diagnosed with gambling addiction.

Participants in Brazil’s Federal Government’s debt renegotiation program are also subject to betting restrictions. Those enrolled face a six-month suspension from licensed betting platforms while participants in the higher debt scheme remain blocked for one year.

Last year, Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts found that households receiving Bolsa Família transferred BR3.7bn ($722m) to betting operators during January 2025 alone, prompting both regulatory action by the Ministry of Finance and intervention by the Supreme Federal Court.

Recently, Brazil’s Government also introduced a new package of advertising restrictions for licensed betting operators. The measures require all authorized operators to include mandatory consumer warnings stating that gambling can lead to addiction, result in financial losses and should not be treated as an investment.