Regulated betting companies challenge data from the "Brazil Against Betting" and "Block Tigrinho" movements.
The regulated online betting sector is questioning figures released by two campaigns launched two weeks ago in Brazil. The movements “Brasil Contra as Bets” (Brazil Against Bets) and “Block do Tigrinho” (Little Tiger's Block) bring together civil society organizations, artists, and singers in coordinated actions against sports betting platforms and online games . The initiatives include the dissemination of studies on the sector and the presentation of draft laws in the National Congress.
The "Block do Tigrinho" movement focuses on cultural and popular mobilization, using social media metrics. The "Brasil Contra as Bets" movement acts directly in the legislative sphere, presenting bills in the National Congress.
The controversy surrounding the accuracy of the data presented by the campaigns gains relevance in light of the participation numbers recorded so far.
The "Brazil Against Bets" movement received support from 48.520 people on the campaign website after two weeks. The petition "Prohibition of BET ( online betting ) advertising in Brazil" on Change.org was created on May 25, 2026. The petition was signed by 597 people during the same period.
The “Block do Tigrinho” campaign is registering increased engagement from artists and singers. The campaign has 92,7 followers on Instagram after two weeks. More than 30 people have signed the online petition on the campaign page.
The data and figures released by the movements suggest that the use of information questioned by experts and the regulated sector itself may have limited the reach of the mobilizations, which did not achieve the massive participation expected for campaigns involving nationally prominent artists.
Representatives of the licensed companies point to inconsistencies in the figures released by the movements.
A study produced by IESPS and UNIFESP indicates that 12,8 million people exhibit risky gambling behavior. The Ministry of Finance recorded that 25,2 million Brazilians placed bets in 2025. The study's figures suggest that half of gamblers have some kind of gambling problem.
Official government data shows that 12,96% of the Brazilian population placed bets in 2025 with an average monthly expenditure of R$ 122,00. The regulated sector uses information from the Ministry of Finance as a basis to contest the figures presented by the campaigns.
The study released by the institutions states that "the costs associated with loss of quality of life, medical treatments, depression, and suicide could reach R$ 30,6 billion." The regulated sector questions the methodology used to arrive at this figure.
Disagreements about job creation
Data attributed to the Ministry of Labor from 2024 would indicate that the betting sector generated 1.144 formal jobs. The numbers would point to an average of 19 jobs per company. Information attributed to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) from 2024 would indicate that 84% of workers do not contribute to social security.
But in reality, the sector was regulated in the second half of 2024, and operations effectively began in 2025. Currently, the sector generates more than 25 direct jobs and 40 indirect jobs, according to representatives of the regulated companies.
Two bills were introduced in the National Congress in parallel with the creation of the movements. Bill 2478/26 is being processed in the Chamber of Deputies. Bill 2470/26 was introduced in the Senate. The proposals aim to amend Law No. 14.790/2023 to implement stricter rules in the fixed-odds betting and online gaming sector.
The legislative proposals address the prohibition of high-stakes gambling and restrictions on advertising. The bills also deal with holding betting platforms accountable.
Campaign presents disputed figures.
The "Block do Tigrinho" movement, led by artists and singers, is disseminating data that diverges from official government figures. The campaign claims that "57% of those in debt started with gambling." This percentage would amount to 47,4 million people. The total number of Brazilians who gambled in 2025 was 25,2 million, according to official data.
A video released by the movement claims that "since 2023, R$ 143 billion has left the market and ended up in online betting ." The regulated sector questions the presented calculation. According to representatives of licensed companies, bettors would have to lose approximately R$ 48 billion annually for the figure to be accurate.
Anitta, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque, Djavan, Emicida, Marieta Severo, Alinne Moraes, and Camila Pitanga participated in the movement's posts. Betting platforms are the biggest sponsors of concerts by the singers participating in the campaign against betting.
Even First Lady Janja Lula da Silva formally joined the campaign. She recorded a video criticizing the impact of betting on the budgets of Brazilian families, but took the opportunity to defend measures adopted by President Lula's government, such as taxation and strict rules for opening new betting shops.
The First Lady also highlighted the creation of a unified self-exclusion platform. The system blocks the CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID) on all authorized betting sites .
Regulated companies demand oversight to combat illegal activity.
Regulated and licensed betting companies have publicly responded to public pressure generated by the campaign. The platforms have demanded stricter rules and increased oversight from the Ministry of Finance against illegal platforms and the clandestine provision of the "Fortune Tiger" game. The statement seeks to disassociate regulated companies from the label of predatory platforms used by the artists.
