Brazil: 30% of global betting app downloads H2 2025
The report "State of Mobile 2026" by Sensor Tower reveals that Brazil recorded 34.3 million downloads in just six months. Federal regulation and the enabling of official Google and Apple stores triggered mass adoption, with Betano leading the national ranking.
The entry into force of the regulated market in Brazil has radically transformed the global digital gaming ecosystem. According to the latest market intelligence report from Sensor Tower, titled State of Mobile 2026, Brazil was responsible for three out of every ten betting app downloads worldwide during the second half of last year.
The volume is striking. Of the 115.4 million installations recorded globally during that period, Brazilian territory contributed 34.3 million, representing a market share of 29.7%. This phenomenon is largely explained by the normalization of the distribution channel. After the implementation of Law 14.790/23, Google updated its Real Money Gaming (RMG) policies allowing operators licensed by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) to host their native apps directly on the Play Store, eliminating the need for users to download unknown APK files from websites.
Consumer behavior: Brazil bets, the world watches sports
The study reveals a notable cultural difference between Brazilian users and the international average. While the global top 10 sports apps are dominated by streaming and results platforms such as DAZN, Sofascore, and ESPN, in Brazil the priority is transactional.
In the local market, six of the ten most downloaded sports apps belong to the "Sports betting and casino" category. This vertical has become the main catalyst for mobile growth this year in the country, driven by aggressive advertising investment from operators seeking to capture market share after paying the R$ 30 million federal license fee. Globally, the sector grew 34% year-on-year reaching 189.4 million installations, but no betting app managed to enter the global top 10, highlighting the exceptional nature of the "Brazilian case".
Betano leads the race in official stores
Within the fierce competition among the more than 80 operators authorized by the Ministry of Finance to operate under the "bet.br" domain, the Betano app positioned itself as the absolute leader in download volume during the analyzed period.
The Sensor Tower report was based exclusively on data from Google Play and App Store, excluding third-party stores. This validates the strategy of major operators to quickly migrate to official stores to gain trust and accessibility. The consolidation of the Brazilian mobile market suggests that, by 2026, the barrier to entry will not only be regulatory but also technological. Brands that fail to achieve strong organic positioning (ASO) in app stores will struggle to compete against giants already installed on one in every three new phones activated in the country.
Tags: Brasil, online betting Brazil, casino apps Brazil, Google Play betting, App Store betting