Specialists call for a stronger SUS response as gambling addiction cases climb in Brazil

Brazil’s gambling ban may reduce easy access to betting apps, but it does not fix the scale of the problem already showing up in the public health system. The numbers in the Ministry of Health’s own data are enough to make this a payments and policy issue, not just a clinical one: more patients, more treatment demand, and a growing risk that users move from licensed platforms to clandestine ones.

1. According to the Ministry of Health, there were 10,500 gambling-related treatments in the public health system through May 2025, a 140% increase since legalization. The ministry projects that this volume will more than double by 2028.
2. Brazil instituted a ban on betting platforms through a provisional measure last Friday. Specialists say that easier access to betting houses is now likely to be limited, which may help people already in treatment and reduce new cases of dependence.
3. The catch, as psychiatrists put it, is that a large share of affected users may simply migrate to clandestine betting sites. Ronaldo Laranjeira, professor emeritus at Unifesp and former coordinator of its Alcohol and Drugs Research Unit, said the SUS still lacks trained professionals, enough programs, and an organized structure to handle the complexity of gambling disorder.
4. That gap matters because the III National Survey on Alcohol and Drugs in Brazil (Lenad), conducted by Unifesp between 2023 and 2024, found that 10.9 million Brazilians aged 14 and over show a risky or problematic gambling pattern.
5. The Institute for Health Policy Studies (IEPS) estimated the annual health cost at R$ 30.6 billion, equal to 11.3% of the Ministry of Health budget approved for 2026. The estimate includes additional suicide deaths, lower quality of life linked to depression, and medical treatment for the condition.

For high-risk operators and PSPs, the key point is simple: Brazil is not just tightening access. It is also creating pressure on the treatment system while a large population remains exposed, which is exactly the kind of setup that tends to push demand toward licensed, grey, and outright clandestine channels at the same time.