The Supreme of Brazil has made a direct intervention on the laws of the Bets regime, to ensure vulnerable groups are protected from gambling harms, ahead of the anticipated launch of Brazil federal online gambling marketplace in January 2025.
Luiz Fux/Shutterstock
Luiz Fux, Minister of the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF), put forward a request for the immediate implementation of Ordinance No. 1231 that will tighten the controls around gambling advertisements and their prominence in the country.
Targeting the promotion of responsible gambling, the document prohibits any participation of people under age in gambling ads and bans the use of advertising elements that could appeal to a younger demographic.
The Ordinance represents the last column in the construction of the upcoming Bets regime’s framework. It was submitted to the government for review in August by Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA).
Earlier this year, Brazil’s Ministry of Finance set out a four-phase action plan to effectively transfer the regulatory duties for the upcoming Bets regime over to SPA. The plan included SPA’s commitment to producing a number of ordinances concerning the technicalities, sanctioning and supervisory rules for the new landscape.
With SPA having already published its ordinances on IT securities, AML, and licensing duties, Ordinance No. 1231 is part of the final groundlaying work, setting out the regulatory rules for the marketing, communications, and advertising of the Bets market.
Thanks to the latest intervention by Fux, the decision will now be submitted to a vote by the Supreme Court’s Plenary.
In addition, Fux has directly called the Ministry of Finance to immediately add restrictions on the use of public funds in the Bets market that might have their origin in sources like social and welfare programs.
“It seems that the current scenario of obvious insufficient protection, with immediate harmful effects, especially on children, adolescents and the family budgets of the beneficiaries of assistance programs, constitutes a manifesto periculum in mora [danger in delay], which must be eliminated immediately,” he said.
The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL), has welcomed the actions of Fux, calling them “positive and necessary” and in line with the responsible market gaming policy.
“The ANJL highlights that both measures were already being defended by the bookmakers that are in the regulatory process in the country.
“Unlike companies that intend to remain outside the law from 2025, bets committed to honest and responsible gambling, including those associated with ANJL, do not tolerate the advertising of bets on minors or the use of resources that have the potential to financially harm minors and more vulnerable Brazilian families,” the ANJL was quoted by SBC Noticias.