Credit card use for betting falls in Brazil
The National Association of Games and Lotteries stated that the regulation of the betting market helped create a safer environment for Brazilian bettors. This assessment came after the publication of a Datafolha survey that showed a drop in the use of credit cards for betting, from 15 to 10 percent. In the regulated Brazilian market, this payment method is prohibited due to the risks it poses to consumers.
In a post on its official LinkedIn profile, the entity affirmed that regulation is making the betting environment increasingly safer for Brazilians and described the decrease in credit card use as a significant advance in the implementation of sector rules. Even with this result, the association emphasized the need to intensify actions against illegal operators, who continue to violate the rules set by Brazilian regulations, and reiterated that it works daily to strengthen the regulated market, promote responsible gambling, and support initiatives that provide more security, transparency, and protection.
The Datafolha survey aimed to profile the country's bettors based on 1,970 interviews conducted in 139 municipalities across all regions between May 20 and 21, with a margin of error of two percentage points. According to Folha de S. Paulo, the study indicated that bettors now have a more responsible relationship with the activity. Compared to a similar survey in 2024, those who said they used their savings to spend on games dropped from 22 to 19 percent, and those who stated they stopped buying something to invest in betting fell from 19 to 11 percent.
The percentage of respondents who said they borrowed money to bet also decreased, from 15 percent in 2024 to 8 percent in 2026, while those who stopped paying bills to use online gaming platforms went from 13 to 6 percent. Fewer people also view betting as a form of entertainment, with a drop from 9 to 6 percent, although the proportion who consider betting a waste of money remained stable at 30 percent. In parallel, the perception that online games are addictive rose from 54 to 57 percent, and only 1 percent see fixed-odds sportsbooks as a source of income or investment.
The proportion of people over 18 who reported betting remained at 7 percent between both measurements. Regarding the profile, the majority of players are men, and the predominant age group is 18 to 24 years old. The most common frequency is monthly, reported by 36 percent of respondents, while 20 percent stated they bet every day. The average monthly amount reported was around 240 reais, about 47 dollars, for sports betting, and 230 reais, about 45 dollars, for online casino.
Tags: National Association of Games and Lotteries, Datafolha survey, credit cards in betting, Brazil regulated market