Brazil’s push to restrict the visibility of sports betting took another decisive step this week, as the Senate’s Science and Technology Committee (CCT) approved a bill that would ban advertising for fixed-odds betting and online gambling across the country.
The proposal amends Brazil’s sports betting law to prohibit all forms of communication and advertising by operators, while also explicitly banning wagers linked to election results.
The text now moves to the Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) for further analysis.
The approved version was presented by Senator Damares Alves and it was processed jointly with a separate proposal by Jorge Kajuru, which also targets electoral betting.
Alves said the substitute text incorporated “the positive points” of both initiatives, while drawing on conclusions from Brazil’s parliamentary inquiry into betting.
In her report, the Senator linked betting addiction to worsening mental health indicators and argued that limiting commercial activity by betting companies was a proportionate legislative response to the problem identified by Congress.
“By imposing clear limits on the commercial activities of betting houses and preventing the exploitation of the electoral environment by this type of activity, the proposal offers a legislative response proportionate to the seriousness of the problem raised by the Federal Senate,” Alves adds.
And, of course, the industry was quick to react.
The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) issued a statement expressing concern over the bill, warning that broad restrictions on advertising could unintentionally strengthen Brazil’s illegal betting market.
According to the institute, advertising plays a key role in helping consumers distinguish licensed platforms, which operate under state supervision, from unregulated and clandestine sites.
IBJR also stressed that advertising is widely used across regulated sectors in Brazil to inform consumers about licensed operators and promote responsible practices.
“Excessive restrictions on legal communication only weaken the regulated market and strengthen the space for clandestine platforms, which are not subject to any rules.”
IBJR has partnered with Conar, Brazil’s official advertising body, since 2023 and noted that betting-related ads already account for nearly 20% of complaints handled by the regulator.
“Advertising is a legitimate and necessary tool for any regulated sector of the economy – including online betting,” says IBJR.
IBJR recently criticised proposals to impose a 15% levy on each wager placed in Brazil’s regulated betting market, arguing that higher costs risk driving players to illegal operators
