Brazil: Underage Individuals May Be Gambling Online Through Illegal Means
Brazil – March 28, 2025 www.zonadeazar.com According to a new study by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), teenagers between 14 and 17 years old are engaging in online gambling, which has been prohibited by law since January 2025, possibly through illegal websites.
The sample includes 16,000 people over 14 years old, divided into teenagers (14 to 17 years old) and adults (over 18 years old). According to the report, teenagers represent the highest risk group, with 55.2% of young gamblers in the risk zone.
Law No. 14.790/2023 and Ordinance No. 1231/2024 from the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting of the Ministry of Finance (SPA/MF) prohibit betting sites from allowing under-18s to register for online gambling platforms. Licensed sites require a CPF number and facial recognition during registration, ensuring that gambling remains restricted to adults.
The report was published at a crucial moment, as on Wednesday, the 26th, the MJSP officially launched the Brazilian Observatory of Drug Information (Obid), an agency that will collect data on drugs, including gambling addiction, to justify the creation of public policies to address this issue.
In a statement, the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) expressed deep concern over the findings, stating that the “proliferation of thousands of illegal websites operating without authorization in the country has been the main factor worsening this situation.”
“Urgent measures are needed to reverse this scenario. We have been warning authorities that underage access to betting and online gambling platforms—prohibited by law—is happening through illegal betting sites. Without security measures, these platforms allow children and teenagers to enter virtual gambling environments and encourage them to play,” said ANJL president, attorney Plínio Lemos Jorge.
What Do Brazilians Prefer? Online Betting, “Jogo do Bicho,” or Lottery?
In a ranking of gambling preferences, lotteries are the most popular (71.3%), followed by online betting and games (31.1%), and then “Jogo do Bicho” (28.9%), which is not legalized in the country. The research data was exclusively obtained by the Estadão newspaper.
Beyond age, social class was also analyzed. Problematic online gambling behavior is more prevalent among people with a monthly income below minimum wage (52.8%). For those earning above the minimum wage, this number drops significantly to 21.1%.
The data, available in the Alcohol and Drug Survey (Lenad) conducted by the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), also reveals that more than one-third of gamblers (38.6%) face a risk level associated with gambling addiction.
Editor: @_fonta
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