Brazil Committee Backs Sweeping Betting Advertising Restrictions

The Senate’s official announcement says the text would prohibit direct and indirect betting marketing across television, radio, print, outdoor media, streaming, podcasts, social networks, video platforms, apps, websites, blogs, forums and search engines.

The restrictions would extend to instant messages, email, notifications, algorithmic targeting, remarketing and behavioural profiling. Affiliate content, tipsters, comparison sites and paid intermediaries would also fall within scope. Operators would be accountable for promotion conducted by agencies, influencers and incentivised third parties.

Strictly institutional communication could continue through an authorised operator’s website, app and service channels, but would be limited to identification, access information, self-exclusion tools and mandatory warnings. Invitations to bet, bonuses and attention-retention features would not be permitted.

Paid reach, affiliate conversion and incentives could therefore give way to narrower owned-channel functions centred on access and compliance. The measures also extend earlier Brazilian proposals targeting cashback, VIP programmes and gamification.

The substitute would prohibit betting sponsorship across sports clubs, federations, leagues, competitions, broadcasts, cultural events, shows and social or educational projects. Naming rights, licensing, ambassadors and promotional associations involving athletes, celebrities and influencers would also be covered.

The committee-approved substitute allows up to 365 days to end prohibited advertising and 24 months to adjust or terminate affected sponsorship contracts. During the transition, deals could not be expanded through greater brand exposure, bonuses, influencer activity or acquisition campaigns.

Operators, clubs, media owners and agencies would need to map contract expiry dates, termination rights and replacement inventory.

PL 2470/2026 also proposes prior risk assessment for betting products. The framework considers rapid outcomes, continuous play, random results, variable rewards, near misses, loss-recovery prompts and features encouraging impulsive or escalating bets.

High-risk products would face harm-reduction requirements, while excessively risky products could not be offered. The substitute identifies roulette, slots, crash games and simulated virtual sports as examples that may trigger the highest classification.

Operators and suppliers could need auditable classification processes, configurable game restrictions and product-removal controls. Existing products in the excessive-risk category would receive a 90-day cessation period after publication if the bill were enacted.

Digital platforms, hosting providers and media intermediaries would have to remove irregular commercial content after a clear and specific regulatory notice. Journalistic, academic, parliamentary, artistic and opinion content would remain protected.

New violations would enter the sanctions framework of Law 14,790/2023, which allows fines of up to BRL2 billion. That framework is already active in operator supervision, as shown by the SPA’s recent administrative fine against Pixbet.

The substitute would also create a criminal offence for paid promotion of an operator that a person knew or should have known was unauthorised. The proposed sentence is one to five years, with higher penalties possible for influencers, athletes or prominent public figures.

The next stage is the Social Affairs Committee. Until the proposal completes the legislative process and becomes law, operators should treat it as a planning scenario rather than confirmed regulation. No implementation date has yet been established.