Brazil records 75% rise in police reports linking betting addiction to violence against women
Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security said police reports of domestic or family violence that mention betting or gambling addiction rose 75% in January–September 2026, according to a Senasp review of about 99.6 million occurrence bulletins.
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Overview
- On November 12, 2026, the ministry published a Senasp review of the national occurrence-bulletin database (BNBO) covering January 2020 to October 8, 2026.
- The review identified 1,650 consolidated occurrences of domestic or family violence whose narrative mentioned betting or gambling addiction, of which 1,101 were explicitly classified as violence against women.
- Those 1,650 cases were 42% of the 3,929 bulletins in the period that mentioned a gambling addiction.
- January–September occurrences rose to 573 in 2026 from 327 in 2025, a 75% increase. The rate rose from 3.9 per million bulletins in 2020 to 41.1 in 2026.
- Where a game type was named, "tigrinho" or online slots (248) appeared four times as often as sports betting (62). The report states that regulation did not reverse the trend.
Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security said on November 12 that police reports of domestic or family violence mentioning betting or gambling addiction rose 75% in the first nine months of 2026, to 573 from 327 a year earlier.
The figures come from a Senasp review of about 99.6 million occurrence bulletins in the national database (BNBO). The 11-page report covers January 2020 through October 8, 2026. It identified 1,650 consolidated occurrences of domestic or family violence whose accounts mentioned a betting or gambling addiction, 1,101 of them explicitly classified as violence against women. That was 42% of the 3,929 bulletins in the period that mentioned a gambling addiction. Including versions and addenda, the bulletin count was 2,086; 1,061 carried an official Maria da Penha flag.
The rate rose from 3.9 such reports per million bulletins in 2020 to 41.1 in 2026. The report states that regulation did not reverse the trend and that the highest-volume months were January 2026 (76 occurrences) and July 2026 (87). Thirty-five reports mentioned self-exclusion via gov.br, 34 of them in 2026. Brazil's licensed fixed-odds market began on January 1, 2025 under Law 14.790; a later provisional ban, MP 1.394, is currently before the courts.
Where a game type was named, "tigrinho" or other online slots appeared in 248 occurrences, four times the 62 that mentioned sports betting. The report counted bodily injury in 805 occurrences and threats in 803.
National public-security secretary Chico Lucas said, in the ministry's release, that "when the money runs out, the violence often starts at home." The ministry cautions that the mentions are not medical diagnoses and do not establish that betting caused the violence. Senasp says the true number is higher, because gambling is not asked about systematically in police reports.
If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, free confidential support is available from Gambling Therapy.
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Andrea Rivera explores the evolving world of iGaming through the companies trying new things and the markets taking shape around them. An editor at AskSpinner News, Andrea combines research with storytelling, bringing information and perspective to industry analysis without losing the story that makes it worth reading. AskSpinner News desk standards, corrections policy and contact: AskSpinner News desk (https://askspinner.com/news/askspinner-news-desk).
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