Gross revenue from regulated betting in Brazil reaches R$ 20,07 billion in the first half of 2026.
The regulated fixed-odds betting market in Brazil ended the first half of 2026 with a Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) of R$ 20,07 billion, a 15,3% increase over the same period in 2025. This figure reveals consistent growth, but it is far from the 'explosion' predicted by some studies and public narratives on the subject.
The data was obtained exclusively by BNLData through the Access to Information Law (LAI) from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets of the Ministry of Finance (SPA/MF). Between January and June 2026, R$ 377,86 billion was returned to bettors in prizes.
The narrative of the "explosion" and what the numbers say.
If there was an expectation of an unprecedented boom in betting during the first half of 2026, the data directly contradicts that view. The 15,3% growth in GGR (Gross Revenue Generation) compared to the first half of 2025, when gross revenue totaled R$ 17,4 billion, does not constitute an explosion by any reasonable analytical criterion. Some studies on the subject projected a significant jump driven by the World Cup, whose games were concentrated in June.
The monthly figures show exactly the opposite. The peak of the semester was in January, with a Gross Revenue of R$ 4,29 billion, reflecting the anticipation of the state championship and Brazilian Championship calendars to the beginning of the year precisely because of the World Cup. June, a month that concentrated 19 days of the World Cup and 72 matches, registered a Gross Revenue of R$ 3,34 billion, the lowest levels of the semester in both metrics.
The table below details the monthly evolution of the amounts wagered and the GGR:
The GGR fell to the range of R$ 2,8 billion in February and March and rose again in the following three months, ending the period at R$ 3,34 billion, slightly below the monthly average of R$ 3,35 billion.
More than 5 million outside of the platforms.
The measured growth of GGR may have a structural explanation beyond the dynamics of the championships. The Minister of Finance, Dario Durigan, said last Thursday (August 13th) that more than 5 million Brazilians are prevented from betting on betting platforms in the country.
Three groups comprise this contingent. Approximately 3 million are beneficiaries of Bolsa Família or the Continuous Benefit Payment (BPC), social programs whose registered individuals are legally prohibited from accessing the platforms. Another 1,2 million voluntarily requested their own self-exclusion. The remaining 800 joined Novo Desenrola, a federal debt renegotiation program that prohibits online betting for at least six months for participants.
The mitigating measures imposed by SPA/MF, therefore, subtract a measurable portion from the potential universe of bettors precisely in the segments with the greatest financial vulnerability.
30,9 million active bettors
The number of bettors registered growth compared to the same period in 2025. The survey identified 30.895.934 unique CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID) numbers with active registration in the first half of 2026, compared to 28.128.172 in the previous year. In the first half of 2026, the number of bettors increased by only 2.767.762 unique CPF numbers, representing a growth of to the number in 2025.
The growth of the betting base closely followed the growth of the GGR (Gross Generating Value). The average spending per bettor rose from R$ 618,60 to R$ 649,60 per semester, an increase of 5,0%, equivalent to an increase from R$ 103,10 to R$ 108,27 per month.
In the first half of 2025, the 78 authorized companies, responsible for 182 brands, registered a total Gross Revenue (GGR) of R$ 17,4 billion, with 17,7 million Brazilians placing bets. In the first half of 2026, the number of authorized companies rose to 87 (+11,5%), the total number of brands reached 188 (+3,3%), and the GGR reached R$ 20,07 billion, a 15,3% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. However, the number of 30,9 million bettors refers to an accumulated period of 18 months—not a semester—which prevents a direct comparison with the 17,7 million registered in the first half of 2025 alone.
Bettors profile
Of the total number of active bettors in 2026, 68,47% are men and 31,53% are women. By age group, the largest concentration is between 31 and 40 years old (28,95%), followed by bettors aged 25 to 30 (21,98%) and up to 24 years old (21,30%). Next are the groups aged 41 to 50 (17,70%), 51 to 60 (7,22%), 61 to 70 (2,18%) and over 70 (0,66%).
By age group, the distribution shows a concentration in the economically active groups:
Allocation of resources; sports lead the way.
Of the R$20,07 billion in gross revenue collected in the first half of the year, R$2,49 billion was legally allocated to public policies and social purposes, equivalent to 12,4% of gross revenue. Sports were the biggest beneficiary, with R$870,15 million distributed to the Ministry of Sports and the Sports Secretariats of the states and the Federal District.
The remaining payments, in descending order:
The R$ 24,19 million allocated to health funds the Care for People with Gambling-Related Problems program of the Ministry of Health. Since March, the SUS (Brazilian Public Health System) has offered telehealth mental health services for people with needs related to gambling and betting. This remote, confidential service provides professional support and also serves family members, acting as an entry point to the Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS). The initial offer was for 600 monthly consultations; due to high demand, capacity was expanded to up to 100 telehealth consultations per month through the Program to Support the Institutional Development of the SUS (Proadi-SUS), in partnership with the Sírio-Libanês Hospital. The Ministry of Health's contract with the hospital is worth R$ 2.942.538,05.
Brazilian Federal Revenue Service and database convergence
A second search using the collection codes reveals that the Federal Revenue Service collected R$ 7,44 billion in the first half of the year through specific codes for fixed-odds betting and online lotteries. Of this total, R$ 2,48 billion (33,4%) came from fixed-odds betting and R$ 4,96 billion (66,6%) from lotteries, with the Numerical Prognosis Lottery (Mega-Sena and similar) alone accounting for 77,2% of the lottery block's revenue.
Revenue from fixed-odds betting grew consistently over the six months, from R$ 368,4 million in January to R$ 513 million in June, an increase of 39,3%. A second trend is noteworthy; the contribution code on revenue from numerical lotteries jumped from R$ 11,6 million in January to R$ 251,1 million in June, with growth concentrated from April onwards, suggesting a change in the tax rate or a new rule of incidence in the middle of the semester.
There is also a relevant methodological finding. The total collected from fixed-odds betting codes by the Federal Revenue Service (R$ 2.483.210.886,95) is practically identical to the value of social allocations calculated from SPA/MF data (R$ 2.488.647.762,68), with a difference of only R$ 5,4 million, or 0,2%. This convergence indicates that the two bases, fiscal and regulatory, may be capturing the same flow of resources; the 12% of the GGR allocated by law to public policies. The two values should not be added together as separate collections.
The lack of publicly available, consolidated data on the sector is fertile ground for the proliferation of distorted narratives about betting. With the LAI (Brazilian Access to Information Law) figures in hand, the data from the first half of 2026 shows a moderately expanding market, with low double-digit growth in revenue and user base, subject to effective regulatory restrictions and already generating billions in social programs. What the data doesn't show is the explosion.
