Brazil’s gambling industry and its gambling regulator flocked to defend the betting market’s advertising standards after a number of health experts raised concerns about societal harm.
A public hearing was hosted by Brazil’s Sports Committee and its President, Federal Deputy Saulo Pedroso, who is an avid supporter of stricter advertising rules and sponsor of Bill No. 1,212/2025, which aims to severely limit gambling marketing.
During the hearing, Pedroso argued that the regulatory regime, which was first enforced on 1 January 2025 to officially regulate online betting and gambling, has missed the mark of protecting society by allowing companies to run a disproportionate volume of advertisements.
Mental health as primary concern in Brazil
Pedroso also rallied a number of health experts who shared similar harsh criticism and voiced concerns about a deepening gambling-related public health crisis, which advertisements are in no way helping to solve.
Leonardo Carriço, a gambling disorder specialist, likened the current gambling marketing landscape to the days when tobacco advertising was still allowed in Brazil, adding that the frequency of gambling ads lessens the perception of risk associated with it.
“The blatant exposure in sports and in all other social spheres ends up producing the impression that it is a 100% normal activity, free of risks,” he said, highlighting that this is an issue given that there are currently 1.4 million Brazilians facing gambling-related behaviour disorders, and 11 million more currently at-risk.
Kelly Noronha, a health researcher, brought attention to statistics from the publicly-funded Unified Health System and community-based mental health facilities, which show that family debt is growing.
She followed up by questioning whether the government is ready to foot the large bill that comes with indebtedness, or it will be left at the expense of society.
Gabriella Boska, Coordinator of the Department of Mental Health with the Ministry of Health, was even more direct, adding that problem gambling is a serious public health concern because of the risk of debt it carries with it, and that indebtedness is one of the major drivers of suicides in the country.
Rules are already loud and clear, says regulator
On the other side of the table were Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) – the regulator of online gambling and sports betting, and the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IJBR) – an association of major sports betting and iGaming operators founded in March 2023.
Fabio Macorin, Deputy Secretary for SPA under the Ministry of Finance, defended the current advertising legislation as already effective in terms of avoiding enticing players to gamble.
“It is prohibited, for example, to pressure the user to bet immediately, with messages such as ‘bet now’ or ‘enter now’,” he clarified.
“It is also forbidden to suggest that gambling is a financial solution, including promises of enrichment, full recovery of losses, social benefit or debt settlement.”
Meanwhile, Carlos Lima, President of the IJBR, argued that no matter how many restrictions are introduced, they will only subject the licensed sector to more challenges – and that is not what you want when Lima’s estimates put illegal gambling at 50% of the total market value in Brazil.
A clampdown on betting advertising in Brazil would come not long after SPA moved in to restrict the use of the so-called “social interaction features” by gambling operators, arguing that they could push players towards more riskier behaviours.
