Half of Brazil's bettors are playing outside the rules and they know it

A survey by Instituto Locomotiva found that 77% of Brazilian bettors admit to at least one irregular practice while betting over the past three months.

Indeed, half of the bettors actually admitted to two or more, the threshold researchers use to classify someone as an "illegal bettor." 

That share has actually eased slightly, down from 62% in the first half of 2025 and 55% in the second half of last year.

The study tracked four practices banned under rules the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) has enforced since 2024: betting on sites without facial recognition, using platforms not ending in "bet.br," and funding bets via credit card or crypto. 

The first two were the most common violations, cited by 53% and 48% of bettors respectively. 

Despite the high violation rate, awareness of the risk is nearly universal

77% of bettors agree illegal platforms skip responsible gambling safeguards and are more dangerous, and 63% say the government could still do more to shut them down, a view shared even by 58% of bettors who admit using illegal sites themselves. 

"The study reveals a slight reduction in illegal betting, but it remains high, with half of Brazilian bettors moving through the unlicensed market," said Instituto Locomotiva president Renato Meirelles.

On the matter, Amilton Noble, CEO of Hebara, a Brazilian company which distributes products for the country's lottery sector, argued the numbers make the case for tighter regulation rather than prohibition, writing that illegal platforms have attractive features like higher odds.

“Illegal gambling practices, which fly under the radar, are far more harmful to bettors than regulated sites, which can be monitored and punished,” he said.

“Treating illegal gambling the same way as legal gambling is like treating two completely different problems with the same medicine. It doesn't work and only worsens the ‘pain’ because it doesn't address the actual problem."

​​Noble has previously contributed to Global Gaming Insider.