More than 5 billion people barred from gambling in Brazil

Finance Ministry official Dario Durigan stated on Thursday that over 5 million people in Brazil are barred from betting on sportsbooks.

These individuals are registered in the Betting Management System (Sigap) of the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA). “We have reached a total of more than 5 million people who are prevented, blocked, or excluded from gambling in Brazil, as part of a commitment to treat betting operators like the tobacco industry—discouraging gambling in the country,” Durigan said.

The figures are broken down into groups based on the nature of the restrictions. Approximately 3 million are social welfare programme beneficiaries. Another 1.2 million have requested self-exclusion through the SPA. Rounding out the list are 800,000 people who participated in Desenrola Brasil, a debt renegotiation programme.

The government’s figures do not include individuals barred from betting due to regulatory rules. This group includes public officials working in the betting sector. Also excluded are professional athletes, referees, club executives, match officials, and sports coaches.

Betting platforms’ documents

In addition to addressing the issue of Brazilians barred from betting, the Finance Minister highlighted the government’s transparency regarding the regulated market. He noted that documentation for regulated betting operators is already available for public review.  Documents concerning companies that obtained licences through court orders were also released.

Durigan also confirmed the SPA supported two operations launched this Thursday by the Federal Police.

One involves Pixbet, a company that had been operating illegally; it has been suspended by the Ministry of Finance and is required to refund bettors. The other targets a company that had obtained authorisation from the Ministry of Finance but had its operations suspended via a precautionary measure during an oversight process.