Two senior lawmakers from Brazil’s Workers’ Party (PT) have filed a public civil action seeking to prohibit betting advertising during live sports broadcasts.
The initiative came after escalating political pressure over gambling promotion during the World Cup.
Pedro Uczai, the PT’s leader in the Chamber of Deputies, and First Vice-Leader Alencar Santana submitted the case to the Federal Court in the Federal District, naming the Federal Government, the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), Google Brazil, LiveMode, which operates CazéTV, and several betting operators as defendants.
The lawsuit asks the court to prohibit betting advertisements, sponsored commentary, the display of odds, QR codes, promotional coupons, links and other forms of gambling promotion during live sporting events.
It also requests that SPA issue specific rules governing betting advertising during broadcasts and strengthen enforcement.
According to the lawmakers, betting promotion has moved beyond traditional commercial breaks and has become embedded within live sports coverage itself.
In the filing, they argue that “the central problem lies in transforming sports broadcasts into a permanent environment for inducing betting,” adding that football matches are increasingly functioning as “a showcase for gambling.”
The lawmakers also contend that the World Cup has amplified the issue due to its broad audience, arguing that millions of viewers, including children, teenagers and financially vulnerable consumers, are being exposed to betting promotions during live coverage.
The filing specifically references CazéTV’s World Cup broadcasts, which is facing an investigation over the inclusion of betting promotions and discussions of betting odds by commentators.
Uczai recently argued that the World Cup should not become a platform for expanding the betting industry’s presence in Brazilian households.
Editor's comment, by Tim Poole: Why DIY is the best policy...
In the UK, operators voluntarily implemented their own "whistle-to-whistle" gambling advertising ban in 2019, which they hailed as a "huge success" due to the drop in adverts during live broadcasts.
However, the only genuine impact appears to be the lack of half-time adverts. Gambling adverts are still seen before the game, after the game – and with plenty of in-game betting branding throughout the stadium.
But the fact operators took it upon themselves to reduce advertising does demonstrate the experience of a more mature market.
The relative youth of regulated Brazilian betting resembles the aggressive post-PASPA advertising we saw in the US; and were external policymakers to step in themselves, it'd be a bad look for the industry moving forward.
Congresswoman Erika Hilton has also asked federal prosecutors to investigate betting promotions by sports commentators, arguing some broadcasts blur the line between journalism and gambling advertising
