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Ministry of Health to step up active outreach to bettors after betting ban
Equipe casino24
9/27/2026
The Ministry of Health will expand outreach to habitual bettors following the ban on online betting, offering follow-up care and treatment through the SUS (Brazil's public health system). The ban was announced by President Lula in São Paulo on Friday (25).
According to the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, active identification of bettors with problematic patterns has been underway since December 2025, using data from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Security, and the Federal Revenue Service. This data circulates within the Nuvem Brasil environment, managed by the Ministry of Health.
The government has not yet released details on the flow of services or a timeline for when outreach contacts will be made.
Scale of the problem and existing services
Padilha cited an IEPS study estimating the social cost of betting at R$ 38.8 billion per year. According to Agência Senado, the minister also stated that SUS services related to pathological gambling grew by roughly 140% between 2018 and 2025.
Before the ban, the SUS already offered up to 100 thousand telehealth consultations per month focused on mental health issues related to betting, according to the Ministry of Finance. The service is free, also serves family members, and is accessed through the Meu SUS Digital app. Consultations last about 50 minutes. Betting websites are expected to be blocked starting October 6, according to Agência Senado.
- Of the R$ 38.8 billion in estimated annual social cost according to IEPS, R$ 17 billion corresponds to costs related to additional deaths by suicide, according to Padilha.
- The Nuvem Brasil environment, which centralizes the active outreach data, operates under LGPD rules, according to the minister.
- The telehealth program stems from a Technical Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health signed in December 2025.
- In December 2025, a Technical Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health is signed, and active outreach to bettors using inter-ministerial data begins. Sources do not specify the exact date.
- Lula announces the ban on online betting in São Paulo; Padilha confirms that active outreach will be stepped up.
- Scheduled date for the blocking of betting websites nationwide.