A survey from the DataSenado Institute reveals that men up to 39 years old with complete high school education are the biggest users of sports betting apps in the country. According to the publication "Political Panorama 2024: sports betting, digital scams, and indebtedness", 13% of Brazilians aged 16 or older declared having participated in bets in the last 30 days. Roraima, Pará, and Mato Grosso were the states where betting was most prevalent during this period.
Among those interviewed who engaged in sports betting, 62% are male. Women represent 38%. The majority of bettors (56%) are between 16 and 39 years old, followed by age groups between 40 and 49 (17%), 50 and 59 (13%) and 60 years or older (14%).
Regarding education, 40% have completed high school. Another 23% have incomplete elementary education, and 20% have incomplete higher education or more.
Unemployed
From an economic standpoint, the majority claim to be employed (68%). Another 27% are out of the workforce, and only 5% declare themselves unemployed.
Most bettors earn up to two minimum wages (52%) per month. The portion earning between two and six minimum wages is 35%, while 13% claim to receive a higher remuneration.
Among Brazilians who made bets, most claim to have spent up to R$ 500 on apps or websites on the internet. Only 3% declared having spent a higher amount.
According to the survey, 12% of Brazilians, on average, declared having made some type of sports bet in the last 30 days. The proportion is similar across almost all regions of the country, except in four states: Roraima, Mato Grosso, and Pará showed a percentage of 17%, above the national average, while Ceará was below, with 8%.
DataSenado analyst José Henrique Varanda, coordinator of the survey, explains that the "Political Panorama" investigates the topics debated by parliamentarians in the Senate committees. According to him, the impact of sports betting "is on the agenda of the National Congress" and therefore was incorporated in this edition of the study.
“In addition to showing that almost 13% of the population made sports bets in the last 30 days, the survey sheds light on some characteristics of this population. There is a higher proportion of men who made sports bets, 62% [...]. Younger people bet more, and older people, less. [...] People with complete high school education bet more, while people with lower and higher education bet less. Regarding income, low-income people bet less in proportion to this group in the general population. However, as it is the largest population group, it is still the majority of bettors”, he explains.
Debts
The DataSenado Institute also found the percentage of bettors with debts overdue for more than 90 days. They represent 58% of the people who spent on bets through apps or websites on the internet.
The survey was conducted between June 5 and 28. By phone, 21,808 people aged 16 or older were interviewed. The "Political Panorama" has been applied since 2008. The survey assesses the opinion of Brazilians to indicate priorities for parliamentary action and quantify perceptions regarding democracy and the main topics under debate in the country.
What the law says
Allowed by the government of Michel Temer through the Provisional Measure (MP) 846/2018, converted into Law 13.756, of 2018, online sports betting remained unregulated until last year. It only came to be regulated by Law 14.790, of December 2023. The norm deals with fixed quota bets, where the user knows the return rate at the time of playing.
The law taxes companies and bettors, defines rules for the exploitation of the service, and determines the sharing of the collection. The norm applies to virtual bets, physical bets, real sports events, online games, and virtual events of online games.
According to the norm, companies can keep 88% of the gross revenue for the cost of the activity. Out of the product of the collection, 2% are destined to the Contribution to Social Security. The remaining 10% are divided among areas such as education, health, tourism, public safety, and sports.
Also, according to the legislation, betting companies must have headquarters and administration in Brazil. A regulation, to be proposed by the Ministry of Finance, should provide measures to prevent crimes such as money laundering and avoid disorders caused by pathological gambling.
Source: GMB / Senate Agency
