Brazil’s Senate Sports Commission (CEsp) held a hearing Wednesday to discuss two proposed bills that would tighten regulations on gambling advertising, amid concerns that existing measures are failing to protect vulnerable groups.
The bills, PL 2,985/2023 and PL 3,405/2023, come in response to criticism that the current rules enforced by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) are not effective enough.
PL 2,985/2023, introduced by Senator Styvenson Valentim, seeks a blanket ban on gambling advertising by amending the 2018 law that legalized online betting. PL 3,405/2023 would impose narrower restrictions, banning endorsements from celebrities and athletes, and preventing teams and influencers from promoting betting brands.
Senator Carlos Portinho, rapporteur of PL 2,985/2023, criticized the current approach. “We waited a year for [gambling] to be regulated and effectively enforced,” he said. “The situation is getting worse. Advertising is massive and is directed at people who are often not even the target audience, like children.”
SPA issued Normative Ordinance No. 1,231 in July last year, establishing advertising guidelines that emphasize responsible gambling and prohibit content aimed at minors or portraying betting as glamorous or a path to success. The rules came into force on January 1 with the launch of the legal market.
However, SPA representative Daniele Correa Cardoso told the commission that digital enforcement presents challenges. “When we receive a complaint, we carry out an analysis and the team proceeds to open an inspection process to remove the content,” she said. “The challenge is precisely the speed at which this happens, considering that we are talking about a digital environment.”
Thiago Henrique Cunha Basílio, a public defender in Rio de Janeiro, argued that the current framework places too much responsibility on individuals. “We don’t think it’s enough to have a message saying ‘play responsibly’, as if that were washing our hands and transferring [responsibility] to the individual gambler,” he said.
Meanwhile, SuperBet Brazil CEO Alexandre Fonseca called for stronger action against illegal operators. “We have 20,000 illegal websites operating in Brazil today, which is where gambling addicts end up finding shelter, where minors end up finding fertile ground to get involved in gambling,” he said. “I think that today we have a much more serious problem, which is the fight against illegal betting.”
Pietro Cardia Lorenzoni of the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) warned that overregulation could worsen the situation. “Brazilian consumers still don’t know what is legal and what is illegal,” he said. “Advertising is a way of informing consumers about the legal market.” The commission has not yet voted on either bill.
Meanwhile, the President of Brazil’s Central Bank, Gabriel Galípolo, told lawmakers this week that the institution does not have the legal authority to block illegal betting operations or penalize those involved in facilitating such transactions.
Speaking before the parliamentary inquiry commission (CPI) on betting, Galípolo noted that regulatory responsibility lies with the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), not the Central Bank.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2025/04/14/101135-brazil-considers-tighter-controls-on-gambling-ads-as-senate-weighs-two-bills
