Bill 2,257, authored by federal deputy Adílson Barroso, intends to prohibit advertising of any type of gambling in all media, including digital platforms, along the same lines as the ban applied to advertising of tobacco products.
The bill prohibits, throughout the national territory, commercial advertising of bets, legalized or illegal gambling, including indications of "fixed-odds bets", in any social media, digital platforms or other forms of direct or indirect advertising.
In the proposal, Adílson Barroso defines advertising as any form of publicity, promotion, sponsorship, endorsement by individuals or legal entities, including digital influencers, that directly or indirectly promotes:
I – the placing of bets;
II – gambling platforms;
III – any company, brand or service that has the purpose of intermediating or operating bets, even if under a national or foreign license.
Art. 3 - The prohibition set forth in this Law also applies to:
I – the display of brands or logos of betting companies in sporting, cultural, artistic or entertainment events;
II – the broadcasting of advertising for bets on television programs, radio, the internet, social networks, magazines, newspapers, billboards and any electronic or printed media;
III – the participation of digital influencers, artists or public figures in the promotion of such services.
In the bill, the congressman stipulates a fine of up to R$5 million (US$892k) for those who fail to comply with the law, as well as the revocation of authorization or license to operate.
In his justification, Barroso states that the proposal to prohibit advertising of bets, along the lines of the restriction applied to cigarettes, is based on concrete evidence of the social, economic and public health impacts associated with the uncontrolled growth of this sector.
He points out that R$20 to R$30 billion (US$3.5bn to US$5.3bn) are moved per month, according to data from the Central Bank and that there are more than 650 accesses per second on betting platforms, with the sites registering more than 5 billion accesses in the first quarter of 2025.
The congressman also states that psychological studies compare the compulsion for apostasy to cocaine addiction and that there are serious cases of patients with anxiety disorders, depression and financial instability.
Barroso also presents the same unreliable data that retail lost R$109 million (US$19.5m) due to gambling addiction and an increase in defaults in general.
Source: GMB
