Real-money gaming has surged in Brazil, with players spending approximately BRL 50 billion annually.
In 2021, Brazil’s state lotteries generated BRL 18.1 billion in revenue.
Alongside all the other forms of gambling, this places the country in fifth place in the worldwide gambling industry rankings with estimates of the size of the market as whole (by a Senator proposing a new Gambling Bill) suggesting it could be currently worth as much as BRL 50 billion (or approximately USD 10 billion).
With over 100 million players, it’s evident that Brazil’s enthusiasm for gaming is more than just a passing fad.
Most Brazilian gamblers are employed
An analysis of Brazil’s online casino and real-money gaming populace by KTO reveals that a significant portion of players have stable employment.
Contract employees and company owners make up nearly half of all players, with an impressive 64% having some form of occupation.
These statistics debunk the notion of gambling being a refuge for the jobless, as only 6% are unemployed and actively seeking jobs. This data suggests that for many Brazilians, gaming is a pastime rather than a desperate bid for income.
Further data backs up the idea that in addition to most real-money gamblers in Brazil being in employment, they tend to come from the more affluent sections of society.
The Household Budget Survey which is organised and executed by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics is the basis for the Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria (CCEB) and has been for many years.
Embracing this, the Brazilian Market Research Association (ABEP) has marked it as their benchmark.
In terms of socio-economic classes, it kicks off with Category A, earmarking the crème de la crème of families. Next in line are B1 and B2, mirroring the upper-middle and lower-middle strata. The sequence then drifts to C1, C2, and culminates at D-E, which signifies those pinching pennies or with little to spare.
The CCEB scale anchors on elements like education levels, access to public amenities, home gadgets, and other markers of an enhanced lifestyle. Intriguingly, these aspects harmonize with income brackets, which in turn dictates one’s reach to contemporary leisure and communication avenues. This is particularly vital for our analysis since indulgences like online amusement and cash-based games are viewed as premium luxuries.
Diving into the gaming sphere, a remarkable 52% hail from the A and B tiers, slightly overshadowing the 48% emerging from C-tier homes.
Interestingly, 47.4% of Brazil’s population falls into the CCEB’s C category, which is mirrored in the typical gambler’s demographics.
In the broader Brazilian landscape, a slender 2.9% luxuriate in A-tier households (as per 2022 data), while the B1-B2 crowd stands at 21.8%.
A closer look reveals that B-tier gaming enthusiasts marginally surpass their national ratio. Conversely, A-tier players dominate the gaming scene, making a splash way beyond their national demographic footprint. Such patterns are typically expected, more so in the realms of online gaming and mobile sporting wagers.
Brazilians only gamble what they can afford
Despite those who do gamble for real money being in employment and in most cases also being reasonably well off, Brazil’s real-money gamers are prudent spenders.
A significant 67% of players allocate BRL 50 or less each month.
Furthermore, 19% limit their expenditure to below BRL 10 every month.
Only 7% acknowledge spending BRL 200 or above monthly. This percentage climbs to 9% among exclusively online players.
These numbers underline that, for most, real-money gaming is a form of entertainment.
The studies bust plenty of myths about Brazilians seeing real-money gambling as a job, an alternative to a more traditional type of job or a quick-fix way out of financial troubles.
As we’ve seen, Brazilian gamblers are mostly employed and tend to come from the higher socio-economic levels of society. So for the most part, they can afford to gamble.
Not only that but they’re very sensible when it comes to the amounts themselves. Most keep their stakes pretty low over the course of the month in an attempt to keep their gambling of a recreational, rather than excessively risky, nature.
This is all good news for the rapidly-growing Brazilian iGaming industry.
From its rise in popularity to the evolving demographics of players, the Brazilian real-money gambling industry landscape is continually shifting. However, the prudence of Brazilian players and the impending government regulations suggest a balanced and sustainable future for the industry.