São Paulo, September 2, 2026 — The Central-West region of Brazil records the highest incidence of illegal bettors among the country’s five regions, at 56%, according to the survey Incidence of Illegal Betting in Brazil, conducted by Instituto Locomotiva. The rate in the Central-West is followed by the South, at 54%, and the Southeast, at 49%. The North and Northeast both record 48%.
Conducted in May 2026, the survey interviewed 2,291 sports bettors and online casino players across Brazil. The survey defines illegal bettors as those who admitted to engaging in two or more irregular betting practices in the three months prior to the study. Among all respondents, 53% said they had placed bets on websites that did not require facial recognition, 48% had used platforms with domain extensions other than “bet.br,” 37% had made deposits using credit cards, and 23% had used crypto assets.
The survey is part of the study Sizing and Combating Brazil’s Illegal Betting Market, conducted by LCA Consultores at the request of the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR). Based on data from Instituto Locomotiva, LCA Consultores estimates that between 38% and 44% of the total amount wagered in Brazil currently takes place on illegal platforms, compared with an estimated range of 41% to 51% in 2025.
The decline indicates a reduction in the share of the illegal market during the period, although unlicensed platforms still account for a significant portion of betting activity in the country.
More details
See the study Sizing and Combating Brazil’s Illegal Betting Market
See the survey Incidence of Illegal Betting in Brazil
See the full press release