A bill introduced in Brazil's Chamber of Deputies would ban the operation, offer, advertising and transaction processing of fixed-odds betting nationwide.
The bill covers both physical and virtual operations, including platforms based abroad. Bill 2972/26, filed by deputy Rodrigo Rollemberg would repeal Law 14,790/23, the 2023 legislation that regulated the sector, and ban the use of brands, algorithms, systems and commercial structures tied to betting, along with any advertising, sponsorship or marketing promotion.
Rollemberg argued the sector's social and economic costs outweigh any tax revenue it generates.
"This is a gigantic volume of household income diverted from consumption, savings and essential expenses into structures built on recurrence, compulsion and false promises," he said.
Violators would face warnings, asset seizure or suspension of operations, along with fines ranging from BR50,000 to BR2bn. Of the fines collected, 50% would go to the National Health Fund, 30% to the Diffuse Rights Defense Fund, and 20% to the National Fund for Children and Adolescents.
Platforms with more than 1 million users would be required to maintain dedicated complaint channels, adopt audit mechanisms, and publish monthly transparency reports on removed content. The bill also provides for free assistance through consumer protection agencies, and would let debtors invoke special vulnerability status in debt renegotiation and collection proceedings for up to five years.
The bill will be reviewed by the Consumer Protection; Social Security, Social Assistance, Children, Adolescents and Family; Communications; Finance and Taxation; and Constitution, Justice and Citizenship committees before requiring approval from both the Chamber and the Senate to become law.
The bill also includes specific protections for children, adolescents and young people, banning targeted ads, attractive design elements and influencer marketing.
Recently, Brazil's Federal Government announced it is preparing a system to prevent active and federated athletes from accessing licensed online betting platforms.
A different Congressman also presented a bill that changes the minimum age limit for participating in fixed-odd betting from 18 to 21 years old and allowing people to spend a maximum of one minimum wage per month
