The Brazilian Support Company for Compulsives (EBAC) recorded a 25% drop in assistance to at-risk bettors during the central days of Carnival, but detected an immediate rebound at the end of the holiday and confirmed that 32% of those who completed their self-assessment showed a high risk level regarding betting.
Read more Netherlands Gambling Authority identifies athletes betting on their own leagues
EBAC measured bettor behavior during the Carnival days
EBAC published a report based on data collected by its Pulse platform during the Carnival period. The analysis offers a detailed overview of the behavior of at-risk users and constitutes one of the first systematic studies on the impact of a massive holiday on problem gambling patterns in Brazil.
The document was prepared based on the assistance provided by the entity, the results of the self-assessment tool available on the platform, and behavioral data shared by betting operators. Its publication takes place in a context of accelerated expansion of the sports betting market in Brazil, where sector regulation and player protection have become central axes of public debate.
Assistance dropped by 25% during the central days of the holiday
During the most intense days of Carnival, EBAC recorded a 25% decrease in the number of assistances to at-risk bettors compared to the beginning of the month. The entity interpreted this decline as a positive sign: the data points to a redirection of users’ entertainment interest toward their social and festive environment, as well as a possible increase in awareness of problem gambling.
In total, EBAC provided 452 assistances during the Carnival period. Of these, only five were classified as urgent, and the organization evaluated that all had a successful outcome: in each case, the identity of the at-risk bettor was preserved, and they were guided to participate in a psychoeducational session offered by the institution.
The end of Carnival brought an immediate 25% rebound in consultations
The most revealing data in the report was not the drop recorded during the holiday, but what happened the following day. On the first business day after the close of Carnival, EBAC recorded a 25% increase in the volume of assistance compared to the previous days, suggesting that the pause in risky behavior was temporary and directly linked to the festive context.
This rebound pattern highlights that the holiday does not eliminate the underlying problem but temporarily displaces it. For operators and regulators, the period following massive entertainment events represents a window of greater vulnerability that requires specific attention.
Read more Sweden sanctions a gaming provider for distributing software to unauthorized operators
32% of users who completed the self-assessment showed high risk
A total of 316 people accessed the self-assessment procedure available on the EBAC platform to identify their own level of compulsion. The results showed a distribution reflecting the complexity of the problem: 53% showed a mild risk level, 15% a moderate level, and 32% revealed a high risk level in relation to betting.
In cases of high risk, EBAC activates a notification protocol for betting operators so they can monitor the behavior of those users on their platforms. The goal is for individual data to be translated into concrete prevention measures by companies in the sector.
The 25 to 44 age groups concentrate the highest calculated risk level
The report also identified the age profiles with the greatest exposure to problem gambling. According to EBAC data, the 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 age ranges each account for nearly 30% of high-risk cases, making them priority segments for prevention strategies.
Cristiano Costa, psychologist and knowledge director of EBAC, noted that mapping user profiles allows operators to design internal problem gambling prevention rules with greater precision. According to Costa, with this data, bookmakers can create specific plans for audiences with higher risk exposure, instead of applying generic measures.
Operators have access to key data to implement gambling limits
Beyond demographic profiles, Costa highlighted that monitoring access by the bookmakers themselves generates strategic information on peak activity times, bettor performance, and the progression of bets over time. This data, according to the specialist, allows for the implementation of security mechanisms and gambling limits in a timely and personalized manner.
The approach proposed by EBAC aims to turn operators into active prevention agents, rather than just recipients of external alerts. In a rapidly expanding market like Brazil, where the user base is growing steadily, the ability of operators to identify and manage individual risk is emerging as one of the pillars of responsible gambling in the medium and long term.
Read more Singapore casinos recorded historic figures in 2025
