FEBRALOT disputes data on gambling disorder and requests meeting with the Minister of Health.

The Brazilian Federation of Lottery Companies (FEBRALOT) sent a letter to the Ministry of Health contesting statements about the BET CAIXA project and requesting a meeting with Minister Alexandre Padilha. The document was filed this Thursday (4) in Brasília and presents arguments against classifying the initiative as a “speculative project”.

The organization, which represents 13 lottery business owners in Brazil, defends the legitimacy of BET CAIXA, an initiative by Caixa Loterias that uses the physical network of lottery outlets to combat illegal betting and maintain revenue in the country.

The document presents official statistics from the Ministry of Health showing that cases of Gaming Disorder (ICD-10 F63) ranged from 63 to 1.290 annually between 2018 and 2023. In a country with 203 million inhabitants, these numbers are considered low by the federation.

According to a report from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets of the Ministry of Finance released on August 26, 2025, Brazil has 17,7 million bettors. FEBRALOT highlights that even the highest historical record of 1.290 cases represents only 0,00728% of this total number of bettors.

"The Lottery Network directly employs more than 100 workers, in addition to supporting thousands of indirect jobs," states the document, which emphasizes the sector's importance in the operation of social benefits such as Bolsa Família.

The federation argues that the federal government itself legalized the betting segment through Law 14.790 and authorized Caixa's license to operate fixed-odds betting on July 30, 2025. The entity reports that the R$ 30 million fee for the license has already been fully collected.

Data from the Federal Revenue Service cited in the official document shows that the Fixed-Odds Betting sector collected more than R$ 7,9 billion between January and October 2025.

The document, signed by the president of FEBRALOT, Ricardo Amado Costa, requests a meeting with Minister Padilha for a detailed presentation of the data. The Ministry of Health has not yet commented on the request or on the objections raised by the federation.

The Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, said this Wednesday (December 3, 2025) that the project to create a betting shop at Caixa Econômica Federal was "speculation" and "comments within the press." He also stated that the activity could result in compulsion of people and the destruction of families, and that this was a message to the president of the state-owned bank.

“I’m even going to call the president of Caixa. I don’t know of any concrete project by Caixa to launch something like this,” he declared. “The only thing I have to say, not just to Caixa, but to any betting shop owner: you exist and it’s a regulated activity. Know that your activity and your behavior can lead to compulsion in people, destruction of families, serious health problems […] At least be responsible in what you do.”

Despite the minister's statement, Poder360 showed that Caixa Loterias SA obtained authorization from SPA-MF (Secretariat of Prizes and Bets of the Ministry of Finance) in July to operate fixed-odds betting in Brazil, as betting sites do. The authorization was formalized through SPA/MF Ordinance No. 1.665, published in the DOU (Official Gazette of the Union).

The authorization was signed by the Secretary of Prizes and Betting, Regis Dudena, who was next to Padilha during the minister's statement. He authorized the brands BetCaixa, Megabet, and XBet Caixa.

In an interview with Poder360, published on September 30th of last year, the president of Caixa Econômica Federal, Carlos Vieira, said that all the state-owned bank's actions are aligned with the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). Previously, in March 2024, he had stated that Caixa expected to raise R$ 18 billion in two years with its entry into the sports betting market.

The Minister of Health announced that the Lula government will analyze the frequency and volume of bets placed by Brazilians. The monitoring will be done via CPF (Brazilian Individual Taxpayer Registry) to assess possible compulsive gambling behaviors.

Padilha and the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, signed a technical cooperation agreement on games and betting to integrate actions and reduce the dependence of gamblers. The government had created an interministerial working group on mental health and prevention and harm reduction related to problem gambling.

Betting companies will be required to verify CPF numbers (Brazilian taxpayer ID numbers) in the Sigap (Betting Management System), created by Serpro (Federal Data Processing Service). Haddad said that the data is personal and is "stored." According to him, it contains the following information, among others:

⇒ online exposure time on the platforms;

⇒ how many platforms the person used;

⇒ What was the value of the bet?

⇒ how much did the person lose?

How many days are there in a month?

The government also created a self-exclusion platform to prevent Brazilians from becoming addicted to gambling. To access the service, individuals must be registered at www.gov.br and have a silver or gold account. They can set a timeframe (fixed or indefinite), which is irrevocable.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the freeze could help with self-control and prevent health and financial problems.

The person can block their own access for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, or 1 year. They will also have to state the reason for their decision.

⇒ voluntary;

⇒ financial difficulties;

⇒ loss of control over gambling (mental health);

⇒ professional recommendation from a healthcare professional;

⇒ prevention of data misuse on betting platforms;

I do not wish to inform.

The government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has prohibited beneficiaries of Bolsa Família and BPC (Continuous Benefit Payment) from participating in fixed-odds betting following a decision by the STF (Supreme Federal Court). Betting companies will have to verify CPF numbers and block beneficiary registrations. The platform went into operation on Monday (December 1st) after a period of adjustment for bettors.

“Because of this Supreme Court decision, we have enhanced this system, creating a database so that all betting operators must consult this database, and if the registered CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID) belongs to a beneficiary of a social program, specifically Bolsa Família and BPC, they cannot use their funds for betting purposes at establishments authorized by the federal government,” said the Secretary of Prizes and Betting, Regis Dudena.

He also said that the government has already adopted measures to regulate payment methods, combat money laundering and other crimes, and authorize betting companies to operate in the country.

Dudena stated that 13 cooperation agreements have been signed in the last 12 months with private entities and government agencies, such as Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency) and Febraban (Brazilian Federation of Banks).