Brazilian deputy proposes new gambling ad restrictions

Ricardo Ayres’s Bill 3915/2023 proposes a ban on the use of digital influencers and artists.

Brazil.- As Brazil prepares for the regulation of sports betting, deputy Ricardo Ayres, who represents the state of Tocantins, has sponsored a bill in the National Congress that proposes additional advertising restrictions.

Bill 3915/2023 proposes amendments to Provisional Measure No.1182 to ban on the promotion and advertising of betting casino brands by “digital influencers and artists”. Media outlets would be required to monitor ads and remove unauthorised content.

The bill also proposes tougher penalties for advertising breaches, including progressive fines based on an operator’s revenue in the prior year, asset reversals, and business suspensions for up to eight years. Fines would be redistributed to educational projects such as the Student Financing Fund (FIES) and the University for All Program (ProUni).

Ayres, a member of the evangelical-linked Republican party, said the restrictions proposed would mirror those introduced for cigarette advertising in 2020. He said the Congress had “a responsibility to protect audiences”.

Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the provisional measure approving the regulation of sports betting in July. The Ministry of Finance is to create the National Secretariat for Games and Betting (SNJA), which will devise licensing procedures and technical rules. It’s been reported that the ministry has already been making hires as it seeks to fill 70 posts.

The only policies on advertising so far are a requirement to promote responsible gambling messaging. However, the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR), an industry initiative, has published a code for advertising self-regulation that proposes a ban on betting advertisements on TV between 6am and 9pm