Virginia Fonseca's legal team confirmed that Brazil's biggest influencer, with more than 52 million followers, no longer intends to advertise betting platforms.
The decision follows the recent end of her commercial relationship with Blaze. In a statement, Fonseca's legal team described the decision as personal.
"After ending the relationship with Blaze, Virginia decided not to do any new advertising for betting platforms. While she recognizes that responsible gambling is a regulated activity worldwide, this was a personal choice, related to her current life stage and the professional projects she intends to prioritize," the team said.
Fonseca's rise to prominence was closely tied to betting promotion from early on, including moments of her personal life. So much so that she earned the nickname "Tigrinia," a play on "jogo do tigrinho," the slot-style casino game Fortune Tiger that became the public face of online betting in Brazil during the sector's early boom, as it would be the one Fonseca would show followers more frequently.
Fonseca remains a defendant in a civil public lawsuit filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office for the Federal District (MPDFT) against her and Foggo Entertainment, Blaze's parent company.
The lawsuit followed an investigation that gathered more than 42,000 consumer complaints against Blaze, examining alleged abusive practices and how betting-related content was presented to her followers.
Prosecutors are seeking a minimum of BR120m in collective damages.
A separate filing alleges Fonseca's compensation could have amounted to as much as 30% of losses incurred by bettors who followed her recommendations, an arrangement prosecutors argue created a conflict of interest by financially rewarding her when consumers lost money, even though such revenue-share deals are standard within the betting industry.
Global Gaming Insider will believe it when we see it.
The MPDFT requested advertising contracts signed between Blaze and both Virginia Fonseca and football star Neymar Jr. as part of its wider civil investigation into the operator's marketing practices
