The reduction in Brazil’s deficit in the “cultural, personal and recreational services” account, which includes betting, is a result of the regulation of digital bookmakers. This statement about the impact of betting was made by the Head of the Statistics Department of the Central Bank (BC), Fernando Rocha, last Wednesday (26).
Central Bank released betting figures in Brazil
According to Rocha, this happens because, as betting companies operated in foreign territory, bets were transferred abroad. Thus, they were recorded as an “expense” in this item. As this flow began to occur within the national territory, the BC statistics stopped capturing the movement.
“This does not necessarily mean that Brazilians have reduced their bets. International bet transfers have reduced, or they have been redirected to domestic transactions,” he analyzed.
The deficit in this item decreased by 89% in February 2025, compared to the same month in 2024, from US$ 284 million to US$ 31 million. According to Rocha, the need created by the government for companies to have headquarters and administration in the country is the main reason for the change.
Regulation prevents debt
The regulation of sports betting and online gaming prioritized the protection of bettors. Therefore, in Ordinance No. 1,231/2024, the Prizes and Betting Secretariat of the Ministry of Treasury established the rules that betting operators must comply with in relation to responsible gaming.
The measures include the dissemination of information to gamblers, as well as the identification of their profiles and monitoring of their behavior to anticipate ways to prevent harm related to pathological gambling.
Furthermore, to prevent bettors from getting into debt, offering credit for betting is prohibited. Companies can accept prepaid payments (debit card) and PIX, but not postpaid payments (credit card).
They will also not be able to offer credit by any means (directly or through partners) to bettors. Thus, the regulation aims to ensure that the player only bets the money he has, avoiding getting into debt.
