Where to get help for gambling problems in Brazil

If you’re in crisis or thinking about suicide, call CVV on 188 now. It’s free and answers 24 hours a day. This guide is general information, not medical or legal advice.

Where can you get help right now?

Several free services can help today. Call CVV on 188 for emotional support at any hour; it isn’t gambling-specific. For betting problems, Brazil’s public health system, the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS), offers free teleconsultations for people who bet and their families through the Meu SUS Digital app, and local SUS units provide ongoing care. Jogadores Anônimos runs free peer-support meetings, in person and online.

The 2026 betting ban has also removed the betting-specific self-help tools. As of October 1, 2026, the central self-exclusion platform is unavailable, and licensed sites, together with their limits and self-exclusion options, must go offline from October 6, 2026 (see below).

CVV: call 188

CVV is a volunteer-run organization that offers emotional support and suicide prevention free of charge. According to its website, you can call 188 24 hours a day at no cost, or reach volunteers by chat, by e-mail and in person at some addresses. It isn’t a gambling service, but you can call for support whatever is weighing on you, including stress over betting or debt.

Free SUS teleconsultations for people who bet

The SUS offers free teleconsultations for people with mental health problems caused by betting and for their family members. The service began in March 2026 and, as of August 2026, the Ministry of Finance (Ministério da Fazenda) said it could handle up to 100,000 teleconsultations a month, under a December 2025 cooperation agreement between the Finance and Health ministries.

How to access it, as described by the ministry:

1. Open the Meu SUS Digital app and log in with your gov.br account.
2. Open the mini-app “Agora Tem Especialistas em Saúde Mental para Quem Aposta” (roughly, “mental health specialists for people who bet”).
3. Take the self-assessment test.
4. You’re directed to the AgSUS platform for a video consultation of about 50 minutes.

The teleconsultation is also a gateway to the SUS psychosocial care network (Rede de Atenção Psicossocial, RAPS), where care can continue.

On September 25, 2026, the day the ban was announced, Health Minister Alexandre Padilha said the Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde) would expand “busca ativa” (active outreach) to heavy bettors using shared data. No details on how that care would work had been released at the time.

UBS, CAPS and the RAPS network

For ongoing care close to home, the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas, SPA), the Ministry of Finance body that regulated betting, recommends two kinds of SUS units, both part of RAPS:

• UBS (Unidade Básica de Saúde): your local primary care unit, a first point of contact.
• CAPS (Centro de Atenção Psicossocial): psychosocial care centers for mental health care.

To find the nearest unit, use the “Encontre o serviço de saúde mais próximo” (find the nearest health service) tool on Meu SUS Digital. For mental-health information, the SPA also lists Ligue 136, the phone line of the SUS ombudsman (Ouvidoria-Geral do SUS), which can also be reached through the OuvidorSUS system and WhatsApp, and a Ministry of Health mini-app called “Não Aposte Sua Saúde” (“Don’t bet your health”).

Jogadores Anônimos

Jogadores Anônimos do Brasil describes itself as “uma irmandade de apoio mútuo para quem quer parar de jogar, sem custos e sem julgamento”: a mutual-support fellowship for people who want to stop gambling, free of charge and without judgment. It follows a 12-step program and holds meetings in person and online on Zoom, “sem taxas ou mensalidades” (with no fees or dues). Its website, jogadoresanonimos.com.br, also has a “20 perguntas” (20 questions) self-test and a WhatsApp contact.

What happened to self-exclusion after the ban

As of October 1, 2026, Brazil’s betting-specific self-exclusion tools are gone or going.

• The central platform is unavailable. Run by the SPA through gov.br, it let you block yourself from every federally authorized betting site at once, for at least one month. About 1.2 million people had excluded themselves through it by August 2026, according to Finance Minister Dario Durigan. The SPA’s page now says: “Plataforma indisponível por conta de Medida Provisória n° 1.394, de 25 de setembro de 2026” (platform unavailable because of Provisional Measure 1,394 of September 25, 2026).
• Operators’ own tools go offline with their sites. SPA rules required licensed sites to offer limits on deposits, losses, time and number of bets, as well as breaks and self-exclusion. Under Provisional Measure (Medida Provisória, MP) 1,394/2026, those sites and apps must go offline from October 6, 2026.
• Neither covered illegal sites. The central platform applied only to SPA-authorized operators.

That leaves the payment system, health services, support groups and the people around you as the main protections.

Warning signs

Brazil’s Ministry of Health lists these warning signs, as reported by Agência Brasil in August 2026:

• changes in sleep, appetite or mood;
• lying to family or friends about betting;
• shame and guilt about betting;
• irritability when you’re not betting;
• betting to cope with stress;
• difficulty cutting down or stopping;
• harm to personal or work relationships;
• drinking or using drugs more;
• strain on your personal or family budget.

Other common signs include chasing losses (betting more to win back what you’ve lost), needing to bet more money more often, and relying on others to pay betting debts. The amount you lose doesn’t define a problem; the effect on your life does. Jogadores Anônimos’ “20 perguntas” test and the self-test in the SUS mini-app can help you take stock.

Practical steps

1. Talk to someone today. Call CVV on 188, start the SUS teleconsultation, or visit your UBS.
2. Rely on the payment blocks, and ask your bank about more. Since September 25, 2026, Central Bank of Brazil (Banco Central do Brasil, BCB) rules require banks and payment institutions to block transactions for fixed-odds betting, including by Pix, TED transfer and boleto, except refunds. Ask your bank what extra limits or blocks it can put on your accounts and cards.
3. Get your balance back, and plan for it. If you still had money in a licensed betting account, see how to get your money back from betting sites. Refunds go only to an account in your own CPF (taxpayer number), so never pay a “release fee” or share passwords with anyone offering to help, and decide in advance what the refund will pay for.
4. Cut the triggers. Delete betting apps, leave betting groups and channels, and ignore any ad offering bonuses or “free” bets: since the MP, all betting advertising in Brazil is banned.
5. Stay away from illegal sites. They aren’t covered by any Brazilian self-exclusion system, and the government has been ordering them blocked.
6. Protect your money. Don’t borrow to bet, keep money for bills separate, and consider asking someone you trust to help manage your finances for a while.

Help for family members

If someone close to you is struggling, you can get help too: the free SUS teleconsultation is open to family members, CVV (188) supports anyone who needs to talk, and your local UBS or CAPS can advise you.

You can’t force someone to stop, but you can protect your own finances and encourage them to seek help. Pointing them to the options above, without judgment, is a good first step.

The bottom line

In a crisis, call CVV on 188, free and open 24 hours a day. For betting problems, the SUS offers free teleconsultations through Meu SUS Digital and ongoing care at UBS and CAPS units, and Jogadores Anônimos holds free meetings. With the central self-exclusion platform unavailable and licensed sites going offline, bank-level payment blocks, health services and the people around you are now the main protections. For the legal background, see Brazil’s 2026 betting ban explained and taxes on betting winnings in Brazil.