Brazil's Balancing Act - Gambling Boom vs. Public Health Crisis

Over 3.5 million Brazilians began gambling every month in 2024. Current legislation targets a tax-raising bonanza, but fails to consider the dramatic health implications.

Written by Rafael Ávila, director of SOS Jogador, a Brazilian NGO fighting gambling addiction, and Francisco Silva, a researcher on iGaming at the University of Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais.

After Brazil legalised sports betting in November 2018, its online betting sector operated essentially unregulated for close to six years.

In this time, the betting market flourished but created a parallel health crisis in terms of abuse and addiction.

This article was first published in Portuguese on The Conversation. It has been translated and republished with the consent of the authors, and has been slightly edited to fit a wider audience. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the Sports and Crime Briefing.

The 2018 law stipulated regulation should kick in within four years, but successive delays stalled this process. In January 2024, the regulated Brazil Bets market finally came into being, overseeing a colossal pool of gambling revenue, with up to 3.…