CASE STUDY
THE DISEASE
Since 2018, the WHO has recognized Gambling Disorder as a disease.
It’s spreading fast
8.7% of the world’s population shows signs of gambling addiction.
3 million people in Brazil are already clinically addicted.
the lancet
Devastating symptoms
Brazilians spend up to USD 6 billion per month on betting.
Dangerous side effects
22% of Brazilians believe betting is a form of investing.
THE CONSEQUENCES
In Brazil, gambling addiction became a public health emergency — rapidly, silently, and culturally accepted. Online sports betting platforms flooded the market after 2018, with over 450 operators active by 2024. Brazilians lost R$36 billion (USD 6,2B) to online betting, with the greatest harm affecting lower-income families.
The Enablers
Some of the country's top influencers not only receive million-dollar fees to promote betting platforms but also earn a percentage based on their followers' losses.
The Public Crisis
The problem escalated to such a degree that a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (known in Brazil as a CPI) was opened,leading to the indictment of several influencers.
Click here to watch the full video of the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission
The Treatment
To fight betting addiction, we used betting itself
You don’t treat addiction with arguments neither prohibitions. So, rather than suppressing the behavior, we hijacked the emotional mechanics behind it suspense, dopamine, reward and redirected them toward a positive goal.
We created Ação Premiada, a game that uses the same addictive elements statistics, predictions, rewards but applied to the stock market, with the chance to win real money if they’re right, but with no risk of loss.
How Ação Premiada works
01
Sign up — no money needed.
You don’t need to pay to play. Just register on the Ação Premiada platform and start making your predictions.
02
Predict stock duels.
Each week, 13 face-offs between financial assets are presented. Choose which stock will perform better — or if both will stay tied.
03
Win real cash. Don’t lose anything.
If you get all 13 predictions right, you can win a jackpot of R$300,000.Each weekly round also awards R$2,000 to the most accurate players. And if you have investments with Genial, your prize multiplies by 10. If you guess wrong, you don’t lose money — you still gain experience.
04
Sign up — no money needed.
You don’t need to pay to play. Just register on the Ação Premiada platform and start making your predictions.
01
Sign up — no money needed.
You don’t need to pay to play. Just register on the Ação Premiada platform and start making your predictions.
02
Predict stock duels.
Each week, 13 face-offs between financial assets are presented. Choose which stock will perform better — or if both will stay tied.
03
Win real cash. Don’t lose anything.
If you get all 13 predictions right, you can win a jackpot of R$300,000.Each weekly round also awards R$2,000 to the most accurate players. And if you have investments with Genial, your prize multiplies by 10. If you guess wrong, you don’t lose money — you still gain experience.
04
Sign up — no money needed.
You don’t need to pay to play. Just register on the Ação Premiada platform and start making your predictions.
The Scientific Test
To scientifically assess whether Ação Premiada (the foundation of Detox Bet) could activate the same brain reward mechanisms as traditional betting—while causing less stress and avoiding financial risk. The study also aimed to measure the game's potential as a public health tool and financial education platform.
Institution Responsible IBN – Brazilian Institute of Neuromarketing and Neuroeconomics
Methodology Participants with varying levels of familiarity with betting and the financial market. Controlled conditions comparing a traditional betting platform to Ação Premiada.
Devices EEG (Electroencephalography): measured spectral power density across theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands (associated with pleasure, focus, and decision-making).
ECG (Electrocardiogram): monitored heart rate and derived metrics (used to track stress levels).
Neuroscientific data
The study confirmed that it’s possible to repurpose the emotional triggers of addiction to promote education and well-being, offering a safe and effective alternative to traditional gambling.
the launch
Detox Bet was launched at B3 with a bell-ringing ceremony, symbolizing a milestone of relevance for both the financial market and society, with coverage from the press and key influencers.
Amplification Strategy
We used the same fuel that helped spread the problem: massive creators and sports personalities.
But this time, they were promoting a tool to fight gambling addiction — and one of the leading voices was a creator with medical credibility: a licensed physician.
Rafael Gratta
3,6M Followers
1,2M Followers
982k Followers
Guga Kuerten
3X Roland Garros Winner
1# IN THE WORLD (ATP)
Kamila Wink
29,8k Followers
16k Followers
11k Followers
Regretful influencers
FELIPE NETO
“ Promoting betting platforms was the biggest mistake of my life. ”
Viih Tube
“ I know my responsibility. I’m relieved I was able to break my contract with the betting companies. ”
OROCHINHO
“ I almost accepted it, because it was a lot of money. I'm glad I didn’t. ”
IG _ 3 million Followers
YT _ 45.6 million Followers
Results
106,000 players registered in Ação Premiada.
86% saw the game as a way to improve their understanding of the financial market.
The game maintained engagement levels comparable to real betting platforms, but without any financial loss.
The initiative strengthened B3’s and Genial’s positioning as leaders in financial education and inclusion.
Validated by neuroscience: players experienced 50% less stress than with traditional betting platforms.
64% of them said they became interested in investing after the experience.
99.9% of players were not Genial customers - turning the platform into a high - potential acquisition channel.
Neuroscience also revealed a virtuous cycle: as players became more familiar with financial concepts, their pleasure levels increased. In one participant with market experience, the sensation of reward was 3x higher than during traditional betting — showing that learning can make the game more emotionally rewarding over time.
And some Great News
Senate approves bill
banning athletes and influencers
from betting advertisements
