The interviews were carried out in August, a period when the federal government was regulating sports betting and receiving requests for authorisation from companies in the sector to operate in the country. The market rules came into force this year.

Completed last month, the survey heard from 2,500 people over the age of 18 in Brazil and four Latin American neighbours: Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Chile. ‘Brazil is positioning itself to become one of the largest and fastest growing regulated online betting markets in the world,’ said the document, adding that the national market is “one of the main engines of growth in the region”.

The betting law was sanctioned in Brazil in December 2023, after being approved by the National Congress. In 2024, the Ministry of Finance regulated the matter and detailed rules for the operation of the sector. In order to operate in the country for the next five years, each company had to pay a grant of R$30 million, as well as fulfil a series of legal requirements, such as combating fraud, money laundering and abusive advertising.

The survey also showed that 74 per cent of Brazilians believed that some sports matches were manipulated. A further 51 per cent cited concerns about data security during online games.

Respondents who stopped betting cited the following reasons for their decision: loss of trust in betting companies (31 per cent); financial losses (28 per cent); feeling cheated (25 per cent); and the high financial risks involved (22 per cent).

Profiles of Brazilian gamblers

- Men: 79% play weekly; 51% distrust betting platforms; 1/3 spend between R$50 and R$100 per month;

- Women: 66% play weekly; 60% distrust betting platforms; 28% spend less than R$50 a month on bets.

One of the investigations into sports betting manipulation is taking place in the Senate. On Wednesday 19th, the Senate's Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) into the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting will vote on its final report.

The document calls for the indictment of Bruno Tolentino, the uncle of Lucas Paquetá, a former Flamengo player who currently plays in English football. The CPI found that Tolentino transferred R$30,000 to Luiz Henrique, a former Botafogo player, so that he would receive a yellow card during a match for Betis in Spain.

By Eduardo Barretto