Brazil blocks betting for 2.8 million social welfare recipients
The Brazilian government has decided to block access to authorized online betting platforms for 2.8 million beneficiaries of Bolsa Família and the Benefício de Prestação Continuada. This figure represents 10.4 percent of the total individuals covered by both programs and 11.2 percent of the 25 million Brazilians who placed at least one bet during 2025.
The measure, implemented by the Ministry of Finance, responds to an order from the Supreme Federal Court that prohibited the use of funds from social programs for gambling activities. In total, approximately 27 million beneficiaries are barred from registering with regulated operators, although the effective blocking targeted those who already had active accounts. Supervision is carried out through the Betting Management System, developed by Serpro, which allows companies to verify, using the CPF, whether a person is authorized to bet, and requires operators to update their databases every fifteen days.
The Ministry of Finance also reported that more than 925,000 citizens voluntarily registered in the self-exclusion system managed by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting. This figure represents an increase compared to the previous survey, published in June, when around 700,000 users had joined the mechanism. Self-exclusion allows bettors to request the blocking of their access to regulated platforms as a measure to prevent or reduce problematic gambling behaviors, and according to the ministry, it is part of a set of measures to strengthen consumer protection in the regulated fixed-odds betting market.
In addition to self-exclusion, the federal government is preparing for the entry into force of new rules for sports betting advertising, which will take effect on July 17 and will establish stricter criteria for the dissemination of services by authorized operators.
Tags: Bolsa Família, Continued Provision Benefit, Supreme Federal Court, Betting Management System, self-exclusion in Brazil