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A new survey carried out by AtlasIntel showed that none of the Brazilian workers used the money from the advancement of the FGTS “birthday withdrawal” program for online bets. The survey was carried out between November 16th and 23rd, 2025, involving 4,243 people who had previously worked in the formal labor market.
The study was commissioned by the Associação Brasileira dos Bancos (ABBC) and Zetta. The main objective of the study was to check if the money was being used for online bets, as this is considered a main argument for the regulations on accessing the benefit.
“Contrary to what was used as justification for the regulatory changes, the survey shows that none of the respondents indicated using the advance funds for online betting (bets).”
How Workers Are Using the Funds
According to the study, the majority of the workers who are using the advancement of their FGTS are using the money for essential purposes. Of those using the FGTS credit line, 70% use the money to pay urgent debts. The majority of the workers are using the money to pay urgent debts, as 28.1% of those who are using the credit line are using the money for medical and healthcare costs. Furthermore, 7.1% of those who are using the credit line are using the money to purchase personal goods.
From those who are using the advancement of their FGTS funds, 69.6% are using the money to pay urgent debts, 28.1% are using the money for healthcare costs, and 7.1% are using the money to purchase personal goods. More than 60% of those surveyed reported that they are using the credit line for the fourth time.
As Ricardo Barboza, the chief economist at Zetta, pointed out, “Brazilians do not use the birthday withdrawal funds to place bets.” In addition, there was no negative feedback regarding the use of the funds for online betting from the workers who had already anticipated the resources.
The results are especially noteworthy, considering the growing popularity of online betting platforms in Brazil and the federal government’s concerns regarding the potential impact on the budgets of Brazilian families.
Regulatory Restrictions and Market Impact
In October 2025, the FGTS Curator Council approved new restrictions that came into effect in November 2025. Among the new restrictions, the mandatory 90-day waiting period between the decision to participate in the birthday withdrawal scheme and the right to apply for the advance stands out.
The number of installments that can be anticipated annually has been restricted to five installments until October 2026, while it will be restricted to three installments from then onwards. In addition, only one advance operation will be allowed for each worker, while the installments for the loans will be between R$100 and R$500.
Alex Gonçalves, the technical director at ABBC, pointed out that the new restrictions led to an immediate decrease in the amount of loans that were guaranteed by FGTS. Projections indicate that the decrease will be progressive up to the end of 2027.
The study was based on data from the 11 largest financial institutions, which represent 70% of the FGTS-backed credit market. In order to collect the data, the survey was conducted through the website and social media messaging, which reduces the risk of interview bias.
The new FGTS rules have a national scope, and workers across Brazil, who use the birthday modality as a source of liquidity, will be affected.
Source: BNL Data
