Brazil's Senate Science and Technology Committee (CCT) held a public hearing on Bill 2,470/2026, which would restrict advertising and sponsorship for fixed-odds betting platforms.
While classifying risk levels across different game types and introducing protections for vulnerable groups, the bill was authored by Senator Damares Alves, with Senator Alessandro Vieira serving as relator.
Vieira said a preliminary report could be presented as early as this wek to keep the bill moving forward, calling the matter urgent for the country.
Alves criticized betting platforms for using what she called "romanticized" language, arguing that the term "responsible gambling" should be replaced with "responsible loss."
Representing the Health Ministry, Marcelo Kimati Dias said around 25 million Brazilians bet on unlicensed platforms, with a portion developing gambling-related disorders.
Dias, director of the Ministry's Department of Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs, said people with gambling problems face a suicide risk up to 15 times higher than the general population and that gambling-related consultations in the public health network rose 140% between 2018 and 2025.
Instituto Brasileiro do Jogo (IBJR) President Carlos Lima cited an LCA Consultoria study placing betting last among factors driving household debt, behind smartphone purchases, streaming services and alcohol consumption.
“It is a sector that today represents BR9.6bn ($1.8bn) in revenue and generates more than 15,500 direct and indirect jobs. It is a sector that contributes to social programs such as sports, health services and so on. And it is a sector with a GGR of billions,” he said.
SPA representative Andiara Maranhão concluded by mentioning the Centralized Self-Exclusion Platform, which has been used by more than one million people.
According to the Health Ministry representative, those affected by betting are predominantly young, Black, low-income, and concentrated in Brazil's Northeast region
