Brazil’s SUS expands mental health telecare for bettors to 100,000 monthly appointments

Brazil’s public health system now offers up to 100,000 monthly teleconsultations for people with gambling- and betting-related problems, up from 600 a month when the service launched in March. For high-risk operators and payment providers, that is a clear signal that gambling harm is now being handled through state health infrastructure, not just platform-level support tools.

1. The service is available through the SUS, Brazil’s Unified Health System, starting Tuesday (4). It provides remote, confidential mental health support, with professional guidance and follow-up, plus support for family members, and it serves as an entry point to the Rede de Atenção Psicossocial (RAPS), the country’s Psychosocial Care Network.
2. Health Minister Alexandre Padilha presented the access flow at the Agência Brasileira de Apoio à Gestão do SUS (AgSUS). He said people often do not seek help because of shame or stigma, and that the self-test and telecare model lets users identify risk signals and get help from home, on a phone.
3. Access runs through the Meu SUS Digital app, which routes users to AgSUS, the initiative’s partner platform. The care team includes psychologists, nurses, and other trained health professionals, and the messaging inside the app tells users: “The SUS expanded care for those who have problems with betting and for family members. Schedule through the Meu SUS Digital app. Care is for everyone, without judgment.”
4. The telecare service for people with gambling and betting-related problems began in March with 600 monthly appointments under the Programa de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Institucional do SUS (Proadi-SUS), in partnership with Hospital Sírio-Libanês. The ministry says capacity has now been expanded to up to 100,000 teleconsultations per month because of high demand for digital mental health care.
5. Users need to log into Meu SUS Digital with a gov.br account, go to “Miniapps,” select “Agora Tem Especialistas em Saúde Mental para Quem Aposta,” complete the self-test, accept the terms of use on the AgSUS platform, fill in a form about their situation, and choose whether the request is for themselves or a family member before submitting the appointment request.

The ministry also said more than 1 million people have already blocked their CPF, Brazil’s taxpayer ID, in connection with gambling. For PSPs and acquirers, that number matters: it shows the betting problem is now large enough that public health, identity controls, and payment behavior are starting to overlap.