The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) has launched a campaign called “I Bet You Didn’t Know” to challenge what it describes as misinformation about sports betting following Brazil’s ban on fixed-odds betting.
The campaign features messages on Brazilian soccer club jerseys and pitch-side billboards. It is centered on a website maintained by IBJR that brings together industry data and fact-checks. The institute represents major companies in Brazil’s regulated betting market.
Carlos Lima, CEO of IBJR, said: “The ban did not eliminate demand for betting; it simply opened space for the illegal market and removed protections for those who bet.
“Today, many attribute to the regulated market problems that also come from the illegal market, and much of the published data and research does not make this distinction. As a result, the debate rests on misinformation, and that is what the campaign seeks to combat.”
The campaign presents its arguments across four themes, addressing the effects of prohibition, illegal operators, consumer protection and the fiscal contribution of the regulated market.
A study by LCA Consultores, commissioned by IBJR and based on research by Instituto Locomotiva, estimated that illegal platforms accounted for between 38% and 44% of online betting in the first half of 2026, compared with 41% to 51% in the previous survey.
The nationwide survey was conducted in May 2026 and included 2,291 bettors. A separate finding from Instituto Locomotiva indicated that 50% of respondents reported practices associated with the use of irregular platforms.
Separately, a survey published in October by the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) identified more than 30,000 active illegal betting links in Brazil.
On consumer protection, IBJR argues that the ban removes safeguards previously required of regulated operators, including identity verification, deposit and time limits, and self-exclusion tools.
According to the institute, Brazil’s Ministry of Finance Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) had recorded more than 1.2 million voluntary self-exclusion requests through its centralized platform.
On fiscal impact, IBJR cites Federal Revenue Service data showing that tax collection from gaming and betting reached R$11.12 billion between January and September 2026, up 55% in real terms from the same period in 2025. The figure covers gaming and betting activities and should not be interpreted as revenue from sports betting alone.
LCA estimates that up to R$73 billion in tax revenue and sector-specific contributions could be at risk between 2027 and 2030 if the ban remains in place.
The cumulative four-year projection assumes that all demand currently served by the regulated market shifts to illegal operators. It represents a hypothetical scenario rather than a confirmed fiscal loss.
The R$73bn ($14.7bn) estimate covers four years and assumes that all demand currently served by the regulated market shifts to illegal operators
