Brazil’s regulated betting market posts BRL5.89 billion in tax revenue as enforcement against illegal operators tightens

Brazil’s legal betting market kept growing in the first five months of 2026, and the numbers are starting to look less like a launch-phase curiosity and more like a functioning tax base. For licensed operators and their PSPs, the important part is not just the revenue figure — it is the combination of stronger oversight, advertising rules and enforcement pressure on unlicensed betting.

1. According to figures referenced by the Associação Nacional de Jogos e Loterias (ANJL), Brazil collected BRL5.89 billion in betting taxes between January and May 2026, up from BRL3.1 billion in the same period of 2025. Plínio Lemos Jorge, President of ANJL, said the rise reflects the gradual maturation of Brazil’s regulated betting framework and the contribution of licensed operators through taxation and regulatory compliance.
2. Jorge said continued enforcement against illegal betting operators remains one of the main priorities for the long-term sustainability of the regulated market. In practice, that matters for payment providers because tighter enforcement usually means more pressure on unlicensed traffic, payment routing and the merchants that sit outside the licensing perimeter.
3. The 2026 FIFA World Cup was the first edition of the tournament to take place after Brazil introduced its regulated online betting framework. Jorge said the event gave consumers a chance to use licensed operators in a regulated environment with consumer protection measures, responsible gambling obligations and integrity monitoring.
4. Football remains a major source of betting activity in Brazil, and the legal market benefited from operators being able to promote regulated services under nationally established rules. Jorge also said the Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas strengthened oversight before the tournament by reinforcing requirements on integrity, advertising standards and operator communication.
5. Industry representatives say the broader effort to reduce illegal betting is being supported by improved enforcement, national advertising standards and greater cooperation between public authorities. For PSPs and acquirers, that is the part of the story that matters: the regulated market is not just growing, it is being boxed in by compliance expectations that should separate licensed flows from the rest.