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Brazil is preparing another round of restrictions for online betting platforms. Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said the government will tighten rules further as retail groups keep pressing Brasília over consumer spending, debt levels, and gambling addiction concerns.
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Fresh limits on online betting are now on the table in Brazil. Speaking after a meeting in Brasília with retail leaders, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said the government is preparing more action against risks tied to betting apps and mobile gaming.
“We also discussed the issue of… bets… They weren’t regulated, it was all clandestine. So it was regulated, taxes were applied, and there will be further tightening to prevent this mobile gaming, which is a very worrying thing, leading to gambling addiction,” Alckmin said.
Retail pressure has played a big role in that push. Leaders from the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets and the Brazilian Association of Wholesalers and Distributors were part of the meeting, where they again tied betting growth to weaker consumption and rising household debt. For retailers, the issue has become one of the main lobbying targets in recent months.
Still, data released through Brazil Finance Ministry records paints a more mixed picture. Figures obtained under the Access to Information Law show that 53.4% of bettors spend up to $9.47 per month on sports betting and online games. Another 11.45% spend between R$50 and R$150, while 6.4% spend between R$150 and R$300. A further 9.4% spend between R$300 and R$1,000, and 19.5% spend more than R$1,000 a month. The average monthly spend in 2025 was R$122.
Industry groups have used those numbers to push back. In June 2025, ABRAS launched a campaign calling for higher taxes on betting operators. That led to a legal challenge from the National Association of Games and Lotteries.
ANJL said the claim that betting caused R$103 billion, or $19.51 billion, in retail losses had no real basis. The group said those accusations “lack empirical basis” and described them as “generalized and potentially defamatory allegations that go beyond criticism of specific agents and affect the sector as a whole.”
It also pointed to official retail figures. “Official data from IBGE shows that retail sales registered growth of 4,7% in 2024, and there are no objective elements linking the sector’s performance to the regulated gambling market,” the group said.
Plínio Lemos Jorge took the criticism further and accused retailers of looking for someone to blame for higher food prices. He said the retail sector had chosen to “choose a scapegoat” for the problem. “In their opinion, the bets They are responsible. It’s absurd, because it spreads a fake news Its objective is to attack a legitimate sector of the economy, which, this year alone, will generate billions in taxes,” he said.
For the government, though, the next step appears to be more control rather than less. Brazil already moved to regulate and tax betting in an effort to pull a previously unregulated market into a formal system. Now the focus is shifting toward tighter safeguards, especially around addiction risk and mobile access.
The same Brasília meeting also dealt with other retail policy topics, including full-service pharmacies inside supermarkets and debate around the Worker Food Program. Even so, betting stood out as one of the most politically loaded parts of the discussion.
Another concern sits in the background. Some analysts warn that pushing too hard could send users away from licensed operators and toward offshore or illegal sites. One analyst said stronger limits on legal platforms “will favor the illegal market” if consumers start looking for alternatives outside regulated channels.