The increase in the number of people who asked for their CPF to be blocked in bets during the World Cup: 'Today I don't even like football anymore'

Between June 15th and 28th, the Centralized Self-Exclusion Platform, managed by the federal government, received 250,129 requests to block or extend blocks made by users. Once processed, the requests prevent these people from using their CPFs to bet on bets that are legally authorized to operate. This represents an average of 17,866 requests per day in the period. For comparison purposes, from May 11 to 25, before the start of the tournament, 38,907 requests had been registered over 15 days, an average of 2,594 per day. The World Cup started on June 11th, but the data provided by SPA only covers the period between the 15th and 28th of that month. Complete tournament data has yet to be recorded. The numbers of new users who registered to bet during the tournament are also being counted. Entities consulted by BBC News Brasil attribute part of the increase in self-exclusion requests to bettors' fear of worsening problems related to compulsive gambling during an event that, this year, was marked by intense betting advertising due to the regulation of the activity, which took place in 2023. This was, therefore, the first World Cup with the betting market regulated in Brazil. According to these groups, part of the requests may also have been made by people who did not yet have a compulsion, but who decided to protect themselves to avoid entering or delving deeper into this universe. For SPA, the increase is the result of a combination of the public's greater exposure to betting during the tournament, the publicity of the self-exclusion platform among users and the growth in awareness about the financial and emotional risks associated with gambling. Representatives of the legalized betting sector say that the growth in self-exclusion requests should be analyzed with caution and that it would not necessarily indicate an increase in cases of compulsive gambling. In notes sent to BBC News Brasil, the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) and the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) assess that the advance would also reflect the greater dissemination of the tool, its preventive use by users and the expansion of protection mechanisms available in the regulated market. Federal Government announced, last week, new guidelines for advertising bets Bruno Peres/Agência Brasil Almost 18 thousand requests per day In absolute numbers, 211,222 more requests for self-exclusion were registered during the World Cup period analyzed by SPA in relation to the previous period. The difference occurred even with the June cutoff having one day less: there were 14 days, between June 15th and 28th, compared to 15 days in the period from May 11th to 25th. The data also points to a change in the reasons that led users to request blocking. Before the World Cup, the main reason for self-exclusion was the loss of control over the game, as shown in the ranking below: loss of control over the game (43.56%) uninformed reason (16.1%) financial difficulties (14.07%) voluntary decision (12.68%) prevention against data use (12.08%) medical recommendation (1.52%) During the World Cup, the main reason given for self-exclusion was to protect against the irregular use of personal data by companies. bets: prevention against data use (29.5%) loss of control over the game (24.13%) voluntary decision (18.93%) uninformed reason (15.31%) financial difficulties (10.91%) medical recommendation (1.22%) For entities that monitor the impacts of betting, this change in profile suggests that the growth in self-exclusion did not only occur among people who already faced problems related to compulsive gambling. Part of the new requests, according to these organizations, may have come from users who decided to preventively block themselves due to greater exposure to betting during the World Cup and the fear that their data would be used inappropriately by these companies. The data also shows that the majority of users opted for a blockade with no end date. Before the start of the World Cup, 62.13% requested self-exclusion for an indefinite period. During the tournament, this percentage rose to 63.53%. The Centralized Self-Exclusion Platform was launched by SPA in December 2025 and allows a citizen to block, with a single command, access to all betting platforms authorized by the federal government. This prevents the user from being able to block themselves on one platform, but being free to play on another. "The combination of information, awareness and greater dissemination of the tool has contributed to expanding the reach of the instrument and strengthening the protection of citizens", said SPA in a note sent to BBC News Brasil. 'Fear of losing control' For Lucas Louback, political advocacy and campaigns manager at the non-governmental organization Bonde and coordinator of the "Brasil contra Bets" campaign, the increase in the number of self-exclusion requests gives a sample of the reach that betting acquired during the World Cup. "The data is alarming and shows how much the compulsion to bet has spread in the lives of millions of Brazilians", he tells BBC News Brasil. Louback says that centrality