Brazil’s Deputy José Guimarães introduces national bill to combat gambling addiction with strict prevention, monitoring and treatment measures

Brazilian Federal Deputy José Guimarães has formally introduced a comprehensive bill designed to create Brazil’s first nationwide framework for preventing, detecting and treating gambling addiction. The proposal arrives as Brazil expands its regulated betting market and faces rising concerns over gambling-related harm.

Presented to the Chamber of Deputies in Brasília, the bill—known informally as the National Gambling Harm Prevention Framework—seeks to coordinate federal, state and municipal efforts to address gambling addiction. It would establish:
• A national early-detection system, requiring financial institutions, payment providers and licensed operators to identify unusual or risky gambling behaviour
• Mandatory reporting of suspicious or harmful gambling activity to a federal oversight body
• Blocking requirements, obligating banks and fintechs to stop transactions linked to unlicensed gambling sites
• A national public-health program integrating gambling-addiction treatment into SUS (Brazil’s public healthcare system)
• A federal fund for prevention and treatment, financed by taxes, levies or contributions from regulated operators

According to preliminary estimates included in the bill, up to R$ 20 billion (≈ US$ 3.4 billion) could be allocated from 2026 onwards to support treatment clinics, training for mental-health professionals, public-awareness campaigns and digital monitoring tools.

Guimarães stated that “Brazil cannot advance in gambling regulation without addressing the social consequences.” He emphasised that the measure is designed to ensure that sports betting and iGaming expansion occur with “full social responsibility and federal oversight.”

The bill also calls for the creation of a National Gambling Risk Observatory, which would collect market data, monitor addiction trends, and publish annual reports assessing public-health risks associated with betting and online gaming.

For the gambling industry, the proposal represents a significant tightening of compliance obligations. Operators would have to expand KYC controls, implement advanced behavioural-risk monitoring, and contribute financially to national treatment infrastructure. The bill may also shape future licensing requirements as Brazil finalises its regulatory model for sports betting and online gaming.