Betting companies double their revenue in the country and already collect taxes equal to those of tobacco and agriculture.
The online betting and digital casino sector in Brazil generated R$ 12,2 billion in revenue from January to April 2026. Data from the Federal Revenue Service shows a 105% growth compared to the first four months of 2025. Tax collection from betting companies reached R$ 4,5 billion during this period, a level close to the monthly tax contributions of the tobacco and agricultural industries.
Tax revenue from the sector jumped from R$2,2 billion in the first four months of 2025 to R$4,5 billion in the same period of 2026, according to information from Folha de S.Paulo. The regulated market began operations in January 2025.
Tax contributions from betting companies represent 37% of their revenue. The tobacco and agricultural industries each contribute approximately R$ 1 billion to the tax authorities monthly.
The sector's total revenue reached R$ 36,9 billion in 2025. This expansion occurred despite governmental and judicial restrictions imposed on bets placed by beneficiaries of social programs and indebted individuals.
Market penetration and expectations
The increase in revenue is related to the greater penetration of betting companies in Brazilian society through advertising. This assessment comes from Lauro Gonzalez, coordinator of the Center for Studies in Microfinance and Financial Inclusion at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.
The performance of betting companies is subject to seasonal variables, such as football championship finals. Strong expansion is expected in 2026 due to these factors.
The consulting firm H2 Gambling Capital projects an increase of between R$20 billion and R$25 billion in the amounts deposited for sports betting during the World Cup. Ed Birkin, president of H2, states that the exact extra profit generated by the event is still uncertain because it will depend directly on the results of the matches on the field, since the sector's revenue is calculated by the balance remaining after the prizes are paid to the winners.
Companies and players
The Ministry of Finance has issued 85 licenses to betting companies since the beginning of the regulated market. Each authorization allows the operation of three websites. Currently, 187 platforms are authorized to operate in the country.
Data from the Ministry of Finance shows that 25 million CPF holders placed bets in 2025. At the end of the first half of that year, the number was 17 million CPF holders.
Government data indicates that each player spent an average of R$123 per month on online betting during 2025. This calculation deducts any winnings received from the total deposited. The Ministry of Finance reported that each player has an account with an average of four betting sites .
Ten brands concentrated 68,8% of the market at the end of 2025. This estimate comes from H2 Gambling Capital. The Greek company Betano leads with 23% of the revenue generated from betting in Brazil in 2025. The English companies Bet365 and SportingBet, the Pernambuco-based Esportes da Sorte, and the Romanian company Superbet are vying for the top spot in the ranking.
The biggest sponsorships in Brazilian football come from the betting sector. Betano has established an agreement with Flamengo worth R$ 268,5 million for three years. Esportes da Sorte has partnered with Corinthians for R$ 150 million, also for three seasons.
Consolidation and projections
"It's a sector that is consolidating," says Plínio Lemos Jorge, president of ANJL, one of the associations of betting companies.
Marco Túlio Oliveira, CEO of Ana Gaming, which controls two of the top ten betting brands (Bet7K and CassinoPix), predicts a slowdown in the growth rate of betting sites. "It was a market that didn't exist, and now the companies have already established themselves," the executive stated.
Oliveira projects growth between 10% and 15% for 2026. "After that, the legal market will grow as the economy grows," he stated.
Companies must compete for bettors and begin consolidation to improve results. This is the assessment of the CEO of Ana Gaming.
Birkin, from H2 Gambling Capital, believes that the online betting market is saturated with small companies. These companies are likely to go bankrupt or be acquired by larger betting firms . "It's not a popular thing to say, but the fact is that there are legalized operators that simply underperform and don't have a good enough structure," he stated.
In the long term, this market model is supported by statistical calculations that define the value of the prizes. The system is designed to ensure that, on average across thousands of predictions, the amount collected from losing bets exceeds the total paid out for winning predictions.
Dependency and indebtedness
The National Survey on Alcohol and Drugs by Unifesp (Federal University of São Paulo), released in 2025 based on questionnaires applied in 2023, indicated that 4,4% of gamblers experience "problematic gambling." These gamblers face addiction and significant losses.
The Brazilian rate exceeds the world average. The global proportion of problem gamblers is 2%. The survey by Unifesp considered all forms of gambling, including Mega-Sena.
The sector's growth is occurring amidst debates about population debt, gambling addiction, and the operation of illegal betting houses.
The CNC (National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism) links household debt to gambling. "We believe that this activity causes harm to businesses and consumers, especially the most vulnerable," the organization stated in a press release.
André Guelfi, president of IBJR (Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming) and executive of the multinational Betsson, disputed the criticism. He classified the statements as "envy." "The retail sector is struggling because resources are tight for Brazilian families," said Guelfi. "They see betting companies advertising and think we're making money, money they lost," he stated.
Guelfi argued that indebtedness also affects betting by reducing the gambling power of bettors. "The short blanket of retail is also short for us," he stated.
Illegal competition
Competition from illegal betting and prediction markets is the main topic of discussion between the sector and the government. Legalized companies claim that illegal websites offer bets without paying the R$30 million license fee and taxes. These operators also do not respect advertising regulations.
The elimination of operational costs allows illicit operators to offer more attractive prizes. Illegal gambling lacks a self-exclusion mechanism, a system from the Ministry of Finance that allows players to prevent the acceptance of registrations on betting sites.
Licensed sports betting companies claim that clandestine operators control between 41% and 51% of the total betting market in the country. A study by the consulting firm LCA, commissioned by IBJR, estimates that clandestine betting accounts for approximately 41% to 51% of the total market. In this scenario, the share of the illicit operation would be between R$ 26 billion and R$ 39 billion.
Calculations by H2 Gambling Capital, based on Central Bank information on remittances abroad, cryptocurrency transactions, and traffic on illicit websites, indicate that the black market moved R$ 16,3 billion in 2025. Birkin acknowledges that there is no official figure on the subject.
According to the scenario found by the consulting firm, companies' revenue from betting, including both legal and illegal activities, jumped from R$ 41 billion to R$ 51 billion between 2024 and 2025, when the regulated market began.
Betting companies pressured the government to include prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket on the list of illegal businesses. The Treasury ordered the shutdown of these sites at the end of April.
The Ministry of Finance ordered the blocking of prediction platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket at the end of April. The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) notified the government on May 29th regarding the continued operation of these sites.
These websites continue to operate in Brazil despite the restrictions. This information comes from IBJR.
