The National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC) said in Brasília on Tuesday 28 April 2026 that household defaults caused by online betting drained R$143 billion from Brazilian retail trade between January 2023 and March 2026. The Confederation said the figure was equivalent to retail sales over the Christmas periods of 2024 and 2025 combined.
Fabio Bentes, the Confederation’s chief economist, presented the analysis at the press conference. The study uses econometric techniques applied to data from the CNC’s own Survey of Consumer Indebtedness and Default (Peic) and figures from the Central Bank. Bentes said monthly Brazilian spending on betting platforms had risen above R$30 billion, with Banco Central data potentially understating the total.
The CNC said the impact is uneven. “Men, low-income families [up to five minimum wages], older people [aged 35+] and those with greater schooling [secondary or higher] show greater vulnerability to the effects of betting. ” José Roberto Tadros, who chairs the CNC-Sesc-Senac system, called for public policy on the platforms and on consumer protection in a written statement.
Industry bodies disputed the findings before the press conference. The Brazilian Responsible Gaming Institute (IBJR) sent a formal notice to the CNC on 27 April demanding “methodological transparency” and “full access” to the data underlying the study, saying earlier editions had started from a “premise completely misaligned with official data”. The institute represents operators that account for more than 70% of legal betting volume in Brazil.
The IBJR cited official figures from the Prizes and Bets Secretariat (SPA/MF) showing total gross gaming revenue of R$37 billion in 2025 and 25.2 million Brazilians placing bets, arguing that the CNC estimate of R$240 billion directed to bets in 2024 was “unsustainable”. The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) said the CNC numbers “do not match the official data of the government and the sector” and ignored “the multifactorial nature of household indebtedness in Brazil”.
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The National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC) said in Brasília on Tuesday 28 April 2026 that household defaults caused by online betting drained R$143 billion from Brazilian retail trade between January 2023 and March 2026. The Confederation said the figure was equivalent to retail sales over the Christmas periods of 2024…
The post Commerce Confederation in Brazil links betting to R$143 billion in lost retail sales as industry pushes back appeared first on G3 Newswire.