After-hours are the preferred time for Brazilians to place sports bets. This is what an unprecedented survey by Pay4Fun shows. It is the first payment institution operating in the entertainment and sports betting segment to be authorized by the Central Bank of Brazil (Bacen).
The study analyzed, in an anonymized and aggregated manner, thousands of transactions from the largest legal sportsbooks in Brazil, between March and April 2025.
The highest concentration of financial transactions on sports betting platforms occurs between 5pm and 9pm, with an absolute peak at 6pm. The peak coincides with the end of the working day and the start of the main national and international sports competitions of the day.
Therefore, this helps to explain the significant increase in this period. Furthermore, the behavior reveals that betting has become a nighttime habit, similar to the use of social networks and streaming services.
According to data from the “Prime Times on Social Networks” survey, the concentration is similar to the engagement in the same period. The survey examined 170 million posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Google’s search engine indicates that streaming consumption in Brazil intensifies between 7 pm and 10 pm.
Betting grows more than 1,200% during peak hours
In the case of betting, the growth in transaction volume during peak hours is significant. Thus, in March, at 7 pm, the increase was 908.7% compared to the lowest time of the day, at 7 am. In April, the peak was brought forward to 6 pm. It also registered an even greater jump: 1,235% above the lowest peak volume, in the early morning, at 7 am.
According to Leonardo Baptista, CEO and co-founder of Pay4Fun, the data helps to understand Brazilians’ gambling habits. “This data helps to understand how Brazilians relate to online entertainment. Gambling has become a digital habit with a set time, especially in the early evening,” he said.
In addition to sports programming, this is also the time when platforms usually activate promotions and special offers, thus taking advantage of the natural increase in traffic from connected users at the end of the day.
According to the mapping, around 12pm the growth in betting volume begins to accelerate progressively throughout the afternoon. However, the study also points out that the periods of lowest activity occur from dawn until early morning, between 1am and 9am.
About Pay4Fun
Founded in 2018, Pay4Fun is the first payment institution operating in the sports betting sector to receive authorization from the Central Bank of Brazil. The company reached the mark of R$2.6 billion in financial transactions in 2022.
The company was considered the Best Payment Method for Latin America in the awards promoted by SAGSE 2022 and chosen as the Best Payment Method at the Brazilian iGaming Awards.
In 2023, the company won the RA 1,000 seal from Reclame Aqui, 3rd place as the best financial services company to work for at GPTW and 2nd place at the SBC Awards in Barcelona as payment innovation of the year.
