Brazil Senate advances bill to ban betting ads and election markets

Brazil’s Senate is advancing legislation that could significantly restrict betting advertising and prohibit betting markets linked to elections.

The proposal, authored by Senator Randolfe Rodrigues and revised by Senator Damares Alves, was approved by the Senate’s Science and Technology Committee earlier this year and will now move to the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) before potentially reaching a full Senate vote.

If enacted, the bill would introduce more restrictions on the marketing of fixed-odds betting in Brazil. The measure proposes banning betting advertisements across television, radio, newspapers, magazines, digital platforms and social media.

The legislation would also prohibit indirect advertising and promotional campaigns involving influencers, sponsorship agreements with sports clubs or cultural events and branded activations tied to betting operators.

The initiative would also introduce a nationwide ban on the commercial exploitation of betting markets related to elections, referendums and plebiscites.

Under the proposed framework, operators or organizations that violate the restrictions could face sanctions ranging from warnings to fines between BR5,000 and BR10m. 

In more serious cases, authorities could suspend or revoke an operator’s license.

Supporters of the bill argue that the measures are intended to address concerns around gambling-related harm, financial over-indebtedness and the growing financial reliance of sports organizations and media companies on betting sponsorship.

The proposal would amend Brazil’s existing betting laws, which established the country’s regulatory framework for fixed-odds betting.

Brazil’s regulator, the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), also promised to focus particularly on influencer promotion of both authorized and unauthorized operators.