SÃO PAULO – The World Cup has been drawing all the attention in Argentina and Brazil, both South American countries where soccer is a central part of national identity. But the Church is concerned about a collateral phenomenon: Online betting.
In both nations, betting has become a widespread problem over the past few years, attracting millions of people – including the poorest segments of society – and leading them to spend far more money than they can afford.
In both Argentina and Brazil, the bishops have called on the government to take action to protect young people and those who have fallen into debt, but the power of the companies behind these games of chance appears to be too great.
In Argentina, the bishops’ conference has joined forces with several civic organizations that have been calling for state regulation of online betting. Archbishop Gustavo Carrara of La Plata said gambling addiction has become a growing problem, especially among teenagers.
“It’s an addiction that accompanies soccer tournaments,” Carrara told Crux Now.
Father Munir Bracco of the Archdiocese of Córdoba, who addressed the Senate on online betting in late 2025, has warned Argentines that many people will end up more indebted than ever by the end of the current World Cup.
“Serious studies have shown that 60 percent of young people are exposed to online betting in Argentina,” Bracco told Crux Now.
He said that both in urban and rural areas, teenagers have been drawn to gambling, seduced by the idea that knowledge of soccer statistics will allow them to make easy money.
“Teachers report that students don’t pay attention in class, betting on their phones non-stop. Families come to church in desperation, lamenting that their children have driven them into debt,” Bracco said.
He mentioned extreme cases, such as a father who had to sell his rural property to pay his son’s debts, and a young man who attempted suicide due to financial problems.
“Addicted teenagers may end up borrowing money from loan sharks. Under threats, they begin stealing. It’s a snowball effect,” Bracco said.
In 2024, a bill regulating online betting passed the Chamber of Deputies and went to the Senate. In the upper house, it has still not been debated. The Church has been pressuring senators since then, as the deadline for approval approaches.
“The executive branch sent another bill to the Senate, but it is completely different from the previous one. It approaches online betting from a commercial perspective and does not introduce any real restriction,” Bracco said.
In Brazil, online betting has become such a significant problem that it has begun to affect the economy as a whole, prompting the government to launch a program to help people manage their debts.
According to several recent surveys, 80 percent of Brazilian families are in debt. Experts say online betting is among the main contributing factors.
Even recipients of a federal income-support program for low-income families have fallen into debt due to online betting. In 2025, a government agency found that an amount corresponding to 27 percent of the money transferred by the State to poor families was used for gambling.
It is impossible to know whether cash-transfer resources were directly used for betting, since beneficiaries may have other sources of income. However, the situation led the government to impose temporary restrictions on hundreds of thousands of recipients.
Earlier this year, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration launched a program to encourage and facilitate debt repayment.
The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (known by the Portuguese acronym CNBB) has opposed the legalization of online betting in Brazil from the outset, arguing that it goes against the fundamental values of society.
A law approved in 2018, during the administration of former President Michel Temer, made online betting legal in Brazil. It was expected to be regulated within two years (renewable for an additional two), but former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration failed to do so.
Only in 2023, at the beginning of Lula’s administration, was another law approved to introduce restrictions on digital gambling, such as preventing children and teenagers from accessing such platforms.
However, the Chamber of Deputies introduced a parallel bill that not only maintains the legality of online betting but also expands it to gambling in general (casinos remain illegal in Brazil).
Father Jorge Luiz Soares da Silva, a CNBB advisor for institutional and governmental relations, said “the Catholic Church recognizes that gambling and betting can exist legitimately under certain circumstances, but they become morally problematic when they deprive people of what is necessary for their livelihood or when they lead to addiction and harm others.”
Soares da Silva noted that major celebrities and soccer players advertise betting platforms in Brazil, which further attracts the public.
“The concern arises when advertising turns betting into a socially desirable habit or presents it as an illusory promise of easy profit,” Soares da Silva said.
“When admired public figures associate their image with these platforms,” Soares da Silva also said, “they contribute to the normalization of a practice that can lead many people – especially the most vulnerable – into debt, addiction, and family hardship,” he said.
Soares da Silva noted the ethic question raised by the participation of public figures in sports betting campaigns.
“These are individuals who exert significant influence over millions of Brazilians, especially children and young people, and who therefore bear a social responsibility that extends beyond their professional activities,” he said.
The priest said addressing the problem of gambling-induced debt requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account both the financial consequences and the underlying causes of addiction.
Psychological support is a fundamental part of the process.
“Many of those affected need not only financial assistance,” he said, “but also help rebuilding family relationships and regaining their autonomy.”
It is also necessary to strengthen consumer protection mechanisms. This includes restricting aggressive advertising practices, especially those that portray gambling as a quick path to wealth,” he said.
Soares da Silva said Church will continue to pressure Congress in order to defend human dignity, solidarity, and social responsibility.