A study by Serasa Experian, Brazil's first and largest datatech company, reveals significant concern among Brazilian bettors about protecting their identities on sports betting sites, known as "bets."
According to the survey, 43% of participants are very concerned (scores 9 and 10) about fraud, especially scams involving identity theft and the leaking of financial and personal data. This explains the cautious behavior of 85% of respondents, who state that they always or frequently choose platforms they consider secure.
The survey, conducted with over 2,000 participants, also showed that 13% of bettors said they had been scammed on the platforms, and this number jumps to 31% among those who bet daily. Among those who had been scammed, 65% suffered associated financial losses – the majority of them (81%) lost up to R$1,000. When asked about the most common types of scams, the most cited were: personal data leaks (28%); account hacks (21%); and financial data leaks (20%). Although 88% of respondents said they had never been scammed, 39% of them say they know someone who has. Check out the chart below for more details on the types of scams:
"Brazil is one of the countries with the most gambling in the world and one of the markets most susceptible to fraudsters, which explains the significant concern among bettors about their security on these platforms. In this scenario, Serasa Experian's mission to provide robust authentication and fraud prevention solutions also contributes to increasing the protection of individuals and businesses, especially in light of the new betting regulations, which require this to be done quickly and in a structured manner," says Caio Rocha, Director of Authentication and Fraud Prevention at Serasa Experian.
In the bettor's opinion, technology is key to identity protection
For 95% of bettors, the use of identity validation technologies is essential to protect users. Facial biometrics has already been used by 68% of the participants, and 80% consider it important for betting sites to adopt this technology to increase security. Document verification is also seen as an effective measure, with 77% of the respondents highlighting its importance for protection against scams.
Despite these security initiatives, users expect platforms to adopt more robust measures. Almost half of the sample (49%) still don't fully trust that bookmakers implement fraud prevention measures, highlighting the need for technological investment and awareness on this topic in the industry. See the chart below for more data on user perception:
The complete study with all the data on the bettor's view regarding the security of “bets” operations” can be accessed free of charge on the Serasa Experian website.
To support the Brazilian government's efforts, which have been taking steps to regulate betting operations in the country since December of last year, Serasa Experian—which supports any and all initiatives aimed at increasing the security and integrity of transactions between companies and consumers—is acting as a strategic provider of anti-fraud technologies. The goal is to help these companies adapt to the new regulations while simultaneously contributing to the safety of bettors.
Methodology
The quantitative survey "Sports Betting", conducted by Serasa Experian, was conducted with 2,008 respondents, all of whom placed sports bets on websites or apps in the last 12 months. With a margin of error of 2.2% and a confidence interval of 95%, the survey was administered via an online panel between August 9th and 22nd, 2024. The sample was balanced between females and males, with ages ranging from 18 to 27 years old (15%), 28 to 43 years old (49%), 44 to 59 years old (29%), and 60+ (7%).
