The Ministry of Finance, through the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), continues to define and publicize the rules that will govern the betting market in Brazil. In the Official Gazette of last Thursday (1st August), SPA/MF Ordinance No. 1,231/2024 was published, addressing “Responsible Gambling, Rights, and Duties”, days after the publication of the rules for online betting games.
Among the highlights of the text is the provision that operators can be held accountable for abusive or misleading advertising carried out by influencers hired by them on social media. Advertising or sports sponsorship by unauthorized companies is also prohibited. Another important point concerns the rules to address gambling disorders and protect the mental and financial health of bettors. Users must have access to limits on logged-in time and betting volume, as well as self-exclusion or account suspension tools.
It is also the responsibility of operators to monitor their users’ behavior and issue alerts for signs of a problematic relationship with gambling. “The goal is to ensure a healthy consumption relationship between them and the fixed-odds betting operators functioning with federal authorization,” says the Ministry’s note.
SPA Secretary Régis Dudena spoke about the responsibility of operators wishing to operate in Brazil. “Betting houses must be transparent in their relationships with influencers, ensuring that all promotions are responsible and honest,” Dudena explained in the note. “We have established clear restrictions on advertising, prohibiting ads that suggest betting is a means of easy enrichment. Any misleading advertising can result in severe penalties for the betting houses.”
Three other common practices in the sports betting market were regulated by the Ordinance. Regarding incentives or “bonuses,” “welcome bonuses” are prohibited, “but actions that encourage bettor loyalty are allowed,” as determined by Law No. 14,790. Early withdrawal (“cash out”) and the betting exchange are also covered in the text. “In the case of early withdrawal, the rules primarily aim to ensure transparency, and in the case of the betting exchange, they try to combat money laundering attempts,” says the text.
On the Ministry of Finance’s website, users can consult the list of companies authorized to operate fixed-odds betting, with their respective website addresses, which must necessarily end with the extension “bet.br.” Also as a measure to combat money laundering, platforms must implement measures to identify bettors, such as facial recognition, and may require proof of income.
