Brazil’s National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon), the government department that enforces consumer protection policies, has called for a ban on all marketing including betting bonuses, as well as betting ads targeted at minors, effective immediately.
The Department of Consumer Protection and Defence of Senacon has today (19 November) issued a preliminary order (No 2,344/2024) requesting the ban on marketing betting bonuses measure is passed quickly.
This is the latest in an ongoing regulatory clampdown being carried out in Brazil, weeks before its legal online betting market launches on 1 January 2025.
Last week a two day supreme court hearing was held to determine whether Brazil’s betting law, released in December 2023, could be deemed unconstitutional. Subsequently, the court ruled that betting with social welfare Bolsa Familia cheques would be banned in Brazil.
The clampdown also follows a study by the Central Bank in July which found 20% of funds submitted via its Bolsa Familia welfare programme in August was spent on online gambling.
Additional surveys on gambling have suggested players are gambling with money budgeted for medicine, food and clothing.
Licensed operators to face daily fines for non-compliance
The order calls for all advertising of betting bonuses to be suspended across both igaming and sport betting, even if the ads are only intended to promote or publicise betting. Additionally, the measure bans any advertising of fixed-odds betting for children and adolescents.
It will apply to operators on the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets’ (SPA) list of companies approved to continue doing business during the ongoing transition period between 1 October and 31 December.
Operators who fail to adhere to the new restrictions will face a daily fine of BRL50,000 (£6,863/€8,210/$8,671) until the measures are fully complied with.
Order No 2,344/2024 also calls for a report analysing the measures, which will have to be presented within 10 days from today (19 November).
The measures have been introduced with the aim to secure “the safety of vulnerable people in the consumer relationship, with special attention to hyper-vulnerable people such as children and adolescents”.
