Brazil’s Attorney General's Office (AGU) is preparing to sue betting operators to recover public spending on treating people with gambling disorders.
This is what the office plans as the first of several legal actions against the sector
The first action is expected to target about 15 companies, selected using Health Ministry data that identified practices among these operators that encouraged compulsive gambling.
The AGU intends to seek roughly BR1bn, which would go toward reimbursing the SUS for costs tied to betting-related harm.
The Health Ministry reports that treatment consultations related to pathological gambling grew around 140% between 2018 and 2025, the backdrop for the Government's argument that operators should carry part of that cost.
The case is presented as part of a broader offensive against the sector. A second action, also initially planned for Monday but not yet finalized, would ask the courts to hold operators responsible for the debts bettors accumulated through betting. The legal question there is whether companies themselves can be held liable for over-indebtedness, a theory likely to be tested in court.
The filings land as operators weigh their own legal options. The Government also faces potential compensation claims from licensed operators, since each paid BR30m for a five-year license that the provisional ban would cut short.
Recently, Betano said it is preparing its own legal action to protect its rights under its five-year license. Allwyn, which holds a 36.75% stake in Betano operator Kaizen Gaming, announced the development.
The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) has ended its agreement with Sportradar covering sports integrity initiatives in Brazil
