‘A casino in every kitchen’
The Citizen|October 11, 2024
BRAZIL: ONE IN NINE PEOPLE LOSE THEMSELVES - AND ALL THEY OWN - IN ONLINE GAMBLING
‘A casino in every kitchen’
Fernanda, a cleaner from Rio de Janeiro, lists off the items she sold to feed her online gambling addiction, one of millions of Brazilians caught in a betting craze that has swept the nation. “I lost everything,” said the 34 year old, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. “I sold my TV, my washing machine, everything in my home.”

Six years after Brazil legalised online sports betting, Latin America's biggest economy is battling what Finance Minister Fernando Haddad has called a “pandemic”, prompting the government to tighten the screws on the sector.

Brazil's central bank estimates that 24 million out of Brazil's 212 million inhabitants - roughly one in nine people - bet online on sporting events or on games like Aviator, Fernanda's favourite, where players gamble on the flight of a virtual airplane.

Online gambling “is going to empty Brazilians' fridges”, warned Joao Pedro Nascimento, president of Brazil's securities regulator.

This story is from the October 11, 2024 edition of The Citizen.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 11, 2024 edition of The Citizen.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE CITIZENView All
Engineering assets to go
The Citizen

Engineering assets to go

TIMED AUCTION: MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT UP FOR GRABS

time-read
1 min  |
October 18, 2024
Sewage at Cradle of Humankind
The Citizen

Sewage at Cradle of Humankind

'STOP': INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE SEES MUNICIPALITY RELEASE RAW WASTE INTO VAAL

time-read
1 min  |
October 18, 2024
The Citizen

SA food insecurity deepens as inflation bites

The number of people in South Africa able to meet their minimum nutritional needs slipped last year, as a weak economy and inflationary pressures hit households and deepened food insecurity.

time-read
1 min  |
October 18, 2024
SA actress on a wild ride in 'The Penguin'
The Citizen

SA actress on a wild ride in 'The Penguin'

MARIE BOTHA: BOEREMEISIE’ HITS BIG TIME-AND LOVES IT

time-read
4 mins  |
October 18, 2024
The Citizen

At our pets' beck and call

Let's face it: somewhere along the way, pets stopped being just animals and became full-fledged members of the family.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 18, 2024
The Citizen

China, Myanmar have least internet freedom in world

Washington - Myanmar and China have the world's worst internet freedom, with declines reported in a number of other countries, led by Kyrgyzstan, a study said this week.

time-read
1 min  |
October 18, 2024
The Citizen

Pretoria varsity probes EFF students after 'clear call for violence'

The University of Pretoria (UP) is investigating an incident in which members of the EFF Student Command (EFFSC) chanted the Kill the Boer song during their leader Julius Malema’s public lecture last week.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 18, 2024
The Citizen

1 in 4 teenagers addicted to booze

STUDY: 26% OF KIDS GET FIRST DRINKS AT HOME’

time-read
2 mins  |
October 18, 2024
Portrait by humanoid robot on sale
The Citizen

Portrait by humanoid robot on sale

SOTHEBY’S: ONLINE AUCTION TO EXPLORE THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN ART, TECHNOLOGY

time-read
1 min  |
October 18, 2024
Vest made famous by rapper Stormzy sold for R16m
The Citizen

Vest made famous by rapper Stormzy sold for R16m

A stab-proof vest decorated with a union jack flag created by British street artist Banksy, similar to one worn by hip-hop star Stormzy at the Glastonbury Festival, sold in London for £780 000 (about R16 million) this week.

time-read
1 min  |
October 18, 2024