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Animals, 2025


The Animal Gamble  is Brazil's most popular informal lottery. Created in 1892 to attract visitors to the Vila Isabel Zoo, it quickly spread beyond its borders.
Banned since 1941, it still exists illegally.
The betting system is based on 25 animals drawn daily from pens spread across different regions of the country, blending the world of dreams, infractions, the margins, gambling, and daily contact with the betting animals.

On July 26, 2025, at Américo Renné Giannetti Municipal Park in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a game of hide-and-seek took place between Maria Alice and the 25 animals.
Maria Alice hid on the perimeter of the park, between Lagoa do Quiosque, the soccer field, and the children's playground, behind a century-old tree.
The animals searched for her until they all gathered at the hiding place.