Brazil lawmaker seeks higher age and spending limit for betting

Brazil’s rapidly growing online gambling industry is under fresh scrutiny as Senator Humberto Costa pushes for sweeping reforms to strengthen player safeguards. His newly proposed Bill 3754/2025 could reshape the market just months after Brazil’s regulated betting sector officially went live in January, sparking a wave of new operators and a sharp rise in player activity.

A key change in the proposal is raising the legal betting age from 18 to 21, a move Costa says is essential to shield younger adults from the risks of gambling harm. Citing recent cases of financial ruin and family hardship linked to betting addiction, he warns that players in their late teens and early twenties are especially vulnerable.

Reports of university students losing tuition money and communities seeing essential funds diverted to betting platforms have fueled his call for urgent action. The bill reflects a growing push to balance market growth with responsible gambling measures.

In addition to raising the legal betting age, Senator Humberto Costa’s bill outlines tough new safeguards aimed at curbing problems in Brazil’s fast-growing online market. One of the headline measures is a strict monthly wagering cap, limiting players to bets worth no more than the country’s minimum wage. The Ministry of Finance would also gain authority to set daily and weekly spending limits when necessary, steps designed to reduce financial harm and prevent losses from spiraling out of control.

While Costa has openly said he would prefer gambling not to exist at all, he acknowledges its rapid expansion and is focused on imposing measures that increase accountability and protect families from the consequences of unchecked habits.

Although the bill targets fixed-odds betting specifically, its restrictions would likely extend across the entire online gambling sector. It builds on existing rules that ban under-18s from registering for accounts and require responsible gaming messaging. These protections, Costa argues, are still not strong enough.

The response to Senator Humberto Costa’s proposed gambling reforms has been sharply divided. Supporters, including some lawmakers and responsible gaming advocates, argue that stronger safeguards are essential to protect vulnerable players and reduce gambling-related harm.

On the other hand, industry representatives caution that overly restrictive limits could unintentionally drive bettors toward unregulated offshore platforms, where there’s no oversight, player protection, or guarantee of fair play. With Brazil already grappling with a sizable illegal gambling market, regulators face the challenge of finding a balance between consumer safety and keeping players within the licensed ecosystem.

As discussions heat up, Bill 3754/2025 now heads into Senate review, where it could redefine the country’s fast-evolving online betting industry. Whatever the outcome, the decision will carry long-term consequences, not just for licensed operators but for millions of Brazilian households whose finances, security, and well-being are closely tied to the nation’s gambling policies.