Brazil’s Sports Commission has approved legislation that would impose several restrictions on gambling adverts within the country, with the regulated market having only gone live on 1 January.
Bill 2985/2023 was proposed by Senator Styvenson Valentim and backed by fellow Senator Carlos Portinho, and includes a vast swathe of regulatory clampdowns on advertising and marketing in the South American nation.
Portinho added amendments to the bill, removing the stipulation for a blanket ban on betting advertising.
However, the bill proposed a ban on betting adverts during live broadcasts of sporting events, in printed media as well as static or electronic advertising of fixed-odds betting in stadiums and sporting venues.
Gambling ads would instead be allowed in the 15 minutes before the start and after the end of a sporting match.
Additionally, the broadcasting of odds updated in real time would be banned except for when they are published exclusively on a licensed operator’s own pages, websites or apps.
The legislation also proposed to ban the use of images of “athletes, artists, communicators, influencers, authorities, members of professional technical committees or any individual, even as an extra” in any advertising material.
However, an exception would be made for athletes who ended their career at least five years prior to appearing in an ad.
Likewise, any ads that portray gambling as socially attractive or a solution to any financial problems would be outlawed, too.
If the bill is successful, companies would also be banned from using animations, mascots or characters in promotional materials, as well as any subliminal messaging, communications with customers without consent, or any ads with discriminatory content.
The bill would permit advertising on freeview TV, subscription TV, streaming services and social media between 7.30pm and midnight.
Betting adverts on radio would be permitted in two windows, the first being between 9am and 11am and the second from 5pm to 7.30pm.
Any ads intended to announce the broadcast of a sporting event would be allowed to contain brand sponsors and betting agents, so long as they run between 9pm and 6am and don’t contain any “invitation, incentive or promise of winnings related to betting”.
The legislation also stipulated that all gambling ads must include warnings about the potential negative effects of gambling, as well as display the specific phrase: “Gambling causes addiction and harm to you and your family”.
Licensed operators would still be able to sponsor sports teams, although athletes of said teams who are under the age of 18 would not be allowed to wear operator-branded uniforms and kits.
Furthermore, any kits made for young people or sold in children’s sizes must not contain a gambling company’s logo.
Operators would be allowed to advertise on social media or other internet platforms where users can prove they’re over the age of 18.
If approved in the Senate Plenary, the bill will advance to Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies.
The country’s Communication and Digital Law Committee (CCDD) will have final vote on the bill once it is fully operational.
Portinho claimed Brazil has developed an unhealthy relationship with betting since the market regulated, and that operators had been unable to self-regulate their advertising output, leading to politicians having to step in.
He said: “The proposal is to find a way not to completely ban advertising for sports betting, but to establish regulations capable of regulating advertising about betting, greatly reducing the reach to young people and children, who are not or should not be the target audience for bets, avoiding the ambush marketing present especially in stadiums and sports arenas, but on the other hand valuing advertising properties and sponsorship.”
Valentim added: “There are people degrading themselves, losing assets, becoming psychologically ill, even becoming victims of suicide or being charged by loan sharks.
“These are people who believe they will create assets, get rich by gambling because they have the sad illusion of an influencer or a person who lies to them on social media or on TV, in an advertisement saying – with an imported car, an expensive watch, very well dressed – that people will have the same standard of living by gambling.”
In reaction to the bill being passed by the commission, the Brazilian trade body, the IBJR, said it had “deep concerns” over the progress of the legislation as it could open the door for black market expansion.
The IBJR noted: “The proposal weakens communication between legalised betting companies and bettors, compromising the sustainability of a regulated sector committed to responsible gambling.
“These restrictions expose the bettor even more to the illegal market, which already represents about half of the market, offering no guarantees, no control and no return to society.”
The post Brazilian Sports Commission approves proposal for gambling ad restrictions first appeared on EGR Intel.
Bill 2985/2023 seeking to ban betting adverts during live sporting broadcasts and prohibit the use of celebrities in marketing materials has been sent to Brazil’s Senate plenary
The post Brazilian Sports Commission approves proposal for gambling ad restrictions first appeared on EGR Intel.