Brazil gambling regulator opens consultation on plans for self-exclusion scheme
The regulator says a comprehensive gambling exclusion scheme will be a priority in the next stage of its work.
Brazil.- The Brazilian gambling regulator, the Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas, has announced that it will begin work on the creation of a federal gambling self-exclusion scheme as it moves attention to the second phase of its regulatory work following the launch of the online gambling market on January 1. It also plans to strengthen advertising regulations and revise the rules on LOTEX scratch card games.
The SPA wants the exclusion system to track people who are prohibited from betting by law, such as athletes and SPA employees, as well as people who self-exclude voluntarily, either from gaming or related advertising. The regulator is seeking input from stakeholders, including gaming operators, banks, local authorities, media and healthcare networks owing to the technical complexities of the project.
The SPA has also opened a general consultation to gather feedback to help it define areas for improvement. The consultation will be open on the Participa + Brasil platform until March 27. There will be an online public hearing on February 21.
SPA president Regis Dudena said feedback from stakeholders would help the regulator evaluate the application of regulations and technical requirements so far and determine future regulatory objectives. “There are always aspects that need to be reviewed and improved,” he said. “We are constantly monitoring the practical impact of the rules we have established to understand what needs to be refined.”
New gambling ad rules in Brazil
Earlier this week, the SPA issued an order prohibiting the use of national symbols in gambling advertising or marketing materials. This includes a ban on using the real currency symbol or images of Brazilian banknotes and coins.
The regulator said the aim was to “prevent misleading claims suggesting that prizes will be paid in cash, which is prohibited by law”. It said that non-compliance with the order could result in fines, the suspension of marketing campaigns or a revocation of authorisation to run future promotional campaigns. It’s not yet clear in what ways the SPA may tighten ad restrictions further going forwards.
Meanwhile, the regulator has announced that it has issued 21 more full licences for Brazil’s online gambling market. That takes the total number of full licences issued to 35. All but one of the new licences went to operators who were already live under provisionary licences while they completed outstanding paperwork. The SPA is still reviewing 349 applications. It says it has collected R$ 2.1bn in authorisation fees. The updated list of approved operators can be found on the federal government’s website.
