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Superbet opens gambling helpline in Brazil

Superbet's CEO wants Brazil to treat consumer education, not advertising bans, as the real fix for problem gambling.

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Key Points
Superbet launched "Superlinha," a 24/7 addiction support line
CEO Alex Fonseca calls it Superbet's second-biggest media spend ever, after its World Cup campaign

Superbet's new "Superlinha" is a 24/7 phone and WhatsApp line for gambling addiction support.

Users who contact the line are referred to the Player Protection Institute (IPJ), an entity created by betting companies that will receive additional funding from Superbet.

The service is staffed by social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists, with initial capacity for up to 3,500 monthly consultations, which the company says it will scale based on demand.

The initiative also comes with a BR60m ($11.5m) campaign, fronted by brand sponsor and footballer Cafu, to argue that Brazil's gambling problem is a consumer education gap, not an advertising problem.

CEO Alex Fonseca called the campaign Superbet's second-largest media investment to date, behind only its World Cup advertising push, noting a single 30-second ad slot during primetime telenovela in the biggest network in Latin America, Globo, costs around BR600,000. 

“We will use all the media resources we have here at Superbet. This is not a campaign aimed at acquiring users or in any way capitalizing on the company as a brand,” said Fonseca.

“Some advocate for taxation, some advocate for the cancellation of the activity, others advocate for stricter regulation. We, as experts in this, believe that the root of the problem is consumer education.”

Fonseca also argued that banning betting ads would remove regulated operators' main advantage over unlicensed platforms and dismissed comparisons to Norway, where a state-run duopoly and an ad ban on private operators cut problem gambling rates by more than half.

At the start of the year, Brazil's Ministry of Health also launched a free telehealth service through the public healthcare system to support people experiencing gambling-related problems.

Good to know

Superbet recently announced it will make its debut as an official sponsor of Rock in Rio 2026

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