São Paulo prosecutors seek answers on betting ads at family events

São Paulo’s Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP-SP) has requested information from the city’s Government regarding measures to protect children and adolescents from exposure to betting advertising.

MP-SP specifically requested about measures taken at family events in the city.

If accepted by the courts, the municipality will be required to provide its response. According to local reports, the city’s Attorney General’s Office said it had not yet been formally notified of the request.

The filing seeks to prohibit the display of betting brands in family-oriented and children’s areas, including stages, playgrounds and breastfeeding spaces. It also calls for a ban on the distribution of promotional items, bonuses or other incentives linked to betting operators to individuals under the age of 18.

In addition, the proposal would require health warnings to be displayed on screens and LED panels whenever betting brands are advertised. The warnings would need to occupy at least 10% of the advertising space.

The request was submitted as part of a public action filed by businessman Giancarlo Gariglia, founder of Emerson Health, a clinic specializing in gambling disorder treatment. The action questions the presence of betting brands at events supported or authorized by public authorities that are attended by minors.

In its filing, the Public Prosecutor’s Office cited constitutional protections for children and adolescents, as well as provisions contained in Brazil’s betting law that prohibit gambling advertising directed at minors.

The document also references recent Supreme Federal Court decisions concerning youth protection amid the expansion of the country’s regulated betting market.

Brazil’s Senate is currently reviewing legislation that would impose more restrictions on betting advertising across television, radio, streaming platforms, social media, sports uniforms and cultural events.