Rio de Janeiro is the capital of Brazil with the highest number of bettors, according to an IBGE mapping. The horizontal expansion of betting companies was greater in cities in Rio state with royalty payments and in the Serra region.
Businessman Breno, 37 years old, is an example of the damage caused by online gambling addiction. He lived a luxury lifestyle, with parties, VIP boxes at football games, and international trips paid for by the betting platform, which sought to make him invest more and more money. Until he lost everything: his marriage, time with his two children, and a property he received from his father.
Today, Breno attends the Gamblers Anonymous support group to try to recover. He admits to deceiving several people to get money to gamble. He has a 14-year-old daughter and a 4-month-old son, and says he would spend about 13 hours a day on his phone, most of that time gambling, missing precious moments with his family and losing the trust of relatives and friends.




