Brazil Already Blocks Social Benefit Recipients From Using Bets

Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro’s government program presented to the Electoral Court has a proposal to ban the use of federal social program funds on betting sites. The limitation mentioned in the document, however, already exists in Brazil for the authorized betting operators.

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The program says: “Resources from social programs will not be used for betting; money meant to feed the family will not be given to the betting house.” Awareness campaigns on gambling-related debt and financial education are also proposed in the document, as are programs via Caixa Econômica Federal.

Brazil’s Ministry of Finance has released the data, and already beneficiaries of Bolsa Família and the Continuous Cash Benefit (BPC) are prohibited from registering on authorized betting platforms. The proposal seeks to reiterate an existing restriction, rather than to add to it.

How the Restriction Was Introduced

The restriction was introduced by the Ministry of Finance in October 2025, and is an order that will not allow Bolsa Família and BPC beneficiaries to register with betting operators that are authorized by the government. The ministry noted that in November, Supreme Federal Court Justice Luiz Fux partially overturned the measure in a ruling, but it does not affect the restriction.

Magnho José, president of the Brazilian Legal Gaming Institute, said: “Today, no Bolsa Família or BPC beneficiary can register on the platforms because they are blocked.”

The existing system involves the betting operators needing to refer to a database kept by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA). The data covers identifier numbers of people who have been restricted from betting, and operators can block their accounts if they have such restrictions.

Five Million CPFs Currently Blocked

On 13 August, Finance Minister Dario Durigan announced that some five million Brazilian CPFs are tied up in betting. The figure also encompasses 3 million beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família and BPC who already bet before, 1.2 million people who opted to self-exclude from the betting system, and 800,000 who participated in the renegotiation of the debt program Novo Desenrola.

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The latter group has a 12-month betting ban as part of the conditions of their participation in the debt renegotiation program. The numbers show the extent of current restrictions on access to regulated betting sites in Brazil.

Restrictions do not apply just at the time of account registration. When an account is opened, when accessing the account for the first time each day, and at least every 15 days, operators should check to see if a user is on the restricted list within the database of their customers.

Restriction Remains Part of Brazil’s Betting Controls

The framework is the result of an urgent decision by the Supreme Federal Court and recommendations by the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU). In 2024, the Attorney General’s Office in Brazil tried to revoke the legal ban, but failed.

The question has thus entered into a wider discussion on the role of the regulated betting market with respect to social protection policies. Flávio Bolsonaro’s government initiative calls for the continuation or institutionalization of the ban, but the central rule is already being enforced on those who fall under the current prohibition.

The development emphasizes the changing face of Brazilian betting law, in which the protection of the gaming player and social policies and access controls to betting sites are rapidly beginning to blend.

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Source: BNL Data