7% of Brazilian voters aged 18 or older currently participate in gambling or online casino games, unchanged from November 2024, according to a Datafolha survey published by Folha de S.Paulo.
The survey was conducted on May 20 and 21, 2026, among 2,004 voters aged 18 or older in 139 Brazilian cities. The overall margin of error was 2.0 percentage points. The findings cover the period following the regulation of sports betting and online gaming, which took effect in January 2025.
The survey found public attitudes toward online betting remain largely negative in Brazil, with 57% of surveyed voters describing betting and online gambling as an addiction, up from 54% in 2024. About one-third view the activity as a waste of money, a proportion close to the previous survey, while 6% consider it entertainment and 2% regard it as an investment or source of income.
The perception that betting is addictive is more common among women, at 61%, compared with 54% of men. It is also higher among people aged 18 to 24, at 64%, and among those with higher education levels, at 60%. Among respondents with less education, 53% describe betting as an addiction and 36% consider it a waste of money.
Among people who currently gamble or have gambled previously, most indicators measuring the use of personal financial resources for betting declined from 2024 levels. 19% said they had used savings, compared with 22% in 2024, while 11% had forgone a purchase to gamble, down from 19%.
The share using credit cards for betting fell to 10% from 15%, and the proportion borrowing money declined to 8% from 15%. 6% said they had stopped paying some bills, compared with 13% in 2024. 5% reported becoming delinquent, unchanged from 2024, while 2% had sold an asset to finance gambling, down from 5%. The margin of error for this group was 6.0 percentage points.
Overall, 35% of gamblers said they had previously compromised their personal finances to gamble. That was 9 percentage points lower than the 44% recorded in November 2024.
Sports betting currently involves 6% of voters aged 18 or older, unchanged from November 2024 and below the 8% reported in December 2023. Participation is higher among men, at 9%, compared with 2% of women. It is also more common among people aged 18 to 24, at 11%, than among voters aged 60 or older, at 1%. Among people who also use online casinos, 66% participate in sports betting.
Of those who bet on sports, 36% do so once a week, 21% every day, 19% once a month, 13% every 15 days, and 11% less than once a month. Average monthly online sports betting expenditure reached 241 Brazilian reais, above the 216 reais recorded in November 2024 but below the 268 reais reported in December 2023.
Online casino participation, including games such as “tigrinho,” stands at 4% of voters, the same level as in November 2024. The gender difference is limited, with participation reported by 4% of men and 3% of women. Average monthly spending on online casinos declined to 232 reais in 2026 from 354 reais in 2024.