Research into the financial impact of gaming is causing a strong fight between retail and the betting sector in Brazil.
The Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) sent an official notification demanding that the National Commerce Confederation (CNC) explain, within five days, which database was used in a controversial study.
The confederation document points out that Brazilians would have spent more than R$240 billion on platforms in 2024 alone, a number that the gaming market firmly disputes.
How the CNC concluded that retail lost money to the betting sector
In addition to questioning the total value transferred by players, representatives of licensed companies want to understand in detail how the CNC came to the conclusion that the trade stopped earning R$103 billion.
According to the confederation, this money would have gone directly from stores to the gaming market.
This dispute gains even more strength because these same numbers served as the basis for a bill by Representative Pedro Uczai (PT-SC).
Presented on the 14th of this month, the text suggests a total ban on offering and promoting fixed-odd betting in the country.
Pressure against the regulated market has also increased from President Lula, who has intensified criticism in recent weeks
Last Friday (24), the government had already announced the blocking of 28 prediction market websites, where people trade money based on the outcome of future events.
The response of legal platforms and criticisms against the data presented
The more than 100 gaming companies that paid the grant to operate legally are reacting to this offensive.
The IBJR argues, however, that banning everything does not solve the problem. The entity argues that it is precisely through the sector that agreed to follow the rules that the government will be able to create public policies to combat addiction and debt.
The institute also recalls that, today, more than 50% of bets are placed on illegal websites that manage to bypass the blocks of the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL).
For André Gelfi, director and advisor at IBJR, the numbers released by the CNC represent fake news, as they mix concepts and blame the platforms for the entire evolution of consumption and the debts of Brazilian families.
It is unfounded information, orchestrated with Congress in the midst of a political narrative in an election year,” he said.
Gelfi finally reinforced that internal figures indicate that betting represents just 0.46% of total household debt and that the platforms are being used as an excuse to justify the population’s difficulty in paying their bills on time.
