The prohibition of bets placed by beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família and the Continuous Payment Benefit (BPC), which came into force this Monday (1st), should reduce the number of users of regulated betting houses by around 20%, according to estimates from sector representatives consulted by the Estadão Column.
The measure was implemented by Ministry of Finance after determination by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and recommendations by the Federal Audit Court (TCU). With the new rule, platforms were forced to exclude and block users identified as beneficiaries of social programs, in addition to returning any amounts deposited.
The TCU identified that, only in January 2025, families with members who receive the Bolsa Família transferred R$3.7 billion to betting housesequivalent to 27% of the R$13.7 billion paid by the program that month. The survey showed that 4.4 million of the 20.3 million benefiting families carried out some type of transaction with betting sites.
The case’s rapporteur, minister Jhonatan de Jesus, stated that there is a strong suspicion of irregular use of CPFs, possibly by third parties, going beyond the theme of responsible gambling. For the rapporteur of the case, this “may indicate money laundering, concealment of illicit gains or other frauds, going beyond the issue of responsible gambling and entering the field of illegality”.
According to the report, there is a “high risk” of misuse of family accounts from the social program in fraud and illegal practices. The STF’s decision, taken unanimously about a year ago, determined that the government would adopt measures to prevent the use of public resources for social benefits in online betting.
Fonte: Gaming365 – Brasil
