Brazil’s Ministry of Health launched the National Campaign for the Prevention of Harm from Online Betting on 27 July, putting gambling harm squarely in the language of public health. The initiative is meant to alert the public to the risks of betting and to point bettors and their families toward support and treatment inside the public system.
The campaign’s core feature is a digital path into care. Users are directed to Meu SUS Digital and Gov.br, where they search for the miniapp called “Problemas com jogos de apostas?”, complete an autotest and receive guidance based on the result. If the screening suggests moderate or high risk, the system automatically refers the person to tele-support; if not, it offers guidance on services available through RAPS.
RAPS, the Psychosocial Care Network, is the SUS structure that the campaign leans on for follow-up. It is the main route for people in psychological distress or with problems linked to harmful use of alcohol and other drugs, and its primary-care entry point is the UBS. When more intensive mental-health care is needed, the network can send patients to CAPS for multidisciplinary follow-up and support.
A separate report published in July said the ministry had already published a guide for public-network professionals on problems related to betting games. It also said the campaign was aired on television, radio and social media during the return of the Campeonato Brasileiro, which helped push the message beyond the health system itself.
The campaign lands alongside tighter consumer-protection rules in Brazil’s regulated fixed-odds betting market. The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting, or SPA, is coordinating that framework, and authorized operators have already adopted deposit and loss limits, self-exclusion tools, monitoring for risky behaviour, identity verification and support channels.
The self-exclusion system has become one of the clearest signs of that shift. A July report said more than 574,000 people had used the centralized platform, and 41% cited mental-health impacts as the main reason for opting out. The system blocks active accounts on authorized platforms, prevents new accounts tied to the same CPF and stops targeted advertising.
Industry voices quoted by iGamingBrazil welcomed the ministry’s move. Tiago Grecco Marques, chief marketing officer of the LBBR group, called it an essential step toward sector maturity and said sustainable growth depends on combining entertainment with consumer protection. Cristiano Costa, a psychologist and director of knowledge at EBAC, said the campaign reinforces the need for time and budget limits and, when necessary, self-exclusion.
Daniel Fortune also argued that responsible gambling should be treated as a public-health matter, not just a betting-sector issue. He said government messaging expands awareness and reinforces that preventing risky behaviour is a shared responsibility among public authorities, operators and society.
The broader backdrop is a Federal Court of Accounts survey that examined online betting’s impact on mental health and reviewed the health ministry’s response. The court said the sector moved estimated values of up to R$130 billion in 2024, that many families were diverting budget to bets, including Bolsa Família beneficiaries, and that 55.2% of 2,000 SUS professionals surveyed did not feel prepared to treat betting addiction.
The court also pointed to weak coordination, a lack of specific indicators, few awareness campaigns, limited early detection and gaps in specialist staffing and physical space. It said it will need to verify whether the ministry’s announced action plan is carried out, including awareness campaigns, training for RAPS teams and mechanisms to prevent, identify and treat more severe cases of gambling disorder.
