Brazil’s betting ban is set to remove a significant funding source from the country’s sports sector, following more than BR1.6bn in contributions from legal operators in 2025.
The information comes according to data from the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA).
The payments were established under Law 14,790/2023, which required 12% of operators’ GGR to be allocated to social areas, including health, education, public security and sport. The sports sector received the largest share, accounting for 36% of the resources distributed.
The original legislation also planned to increase the allocation from 12% to 13% in 2026, 14% in 2027 and 15% in 2028. In 2025, the Ministry of Sport received BR1bn, including funding for federal programmes such as Bolsa Atleta. A further BR330m went to the National Sports System.
The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) received BR99.7m, while the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) received BR58.9m. Compared with their lottery funding in 2024, these betting contributions represented increases of 22.4% and 23.7%, respectively, in combined lottery and betting revenue.
However, the provisional measure, which prohibited online betting, ended the transfers. COB, CPB and Brazilian Clubs Committee expect to lose an estimated BR2.6bn in legally mandated transfers through 2027 following the introduction of the betting restrictions.
The COB’s Director-General has acknowledged that Brazil’s betting ban will affect the organization’s finances, adding to concerns over the loss of a funding stream that had increased its revenue following the regulation of the betting market.
Betting operators were also major football sponsors: 18 of Brazil’s 20 Série A clubs had a betting company as their main sponsor in 2025
