Brazil’s legislature has inched closer to banning the use of minors in gambling advertisements. A congressional committee has voted to advance legislation that targets a real gap in the country’s existing consumer protections. The bill specifically prohibits promotional activities targeting underage audiences, marking the latest effort to tighten guardrails around the gambling industry in both traditional and digital spaces.

Closing the Advertising Loophole

Congresswoman Meire Serafim prepared the substitute text to Bill 3724/24 and highlighted a critical inconsistency in current Brazilian law. Purchasing and consumption by minors already carried explicit prohibitions, sure. But advertising itself occupied a legal grey area. “There was no law specifically dealing with advertising,” Serafim explained during committee proceedings. “This project does precisely that, prohibiting this kind of publicity on any digital or communication platform.”

The distinction matters considerably. Brazilian regulations under Law 14.790/23 already restricted minors from accessing betting products directly. Yet companies could legally promote those same products through social media influencers, content creators, and digital channels where younger audiences congregate. The new legislation closes that loophole by treating gambling promotion to underage users as an administrative violation regardless of medium.

Escalating Penalty Structure

The proposed framework introduces a tiered penalty system designed to deter violations across the supply chain. Standard administrative fines begin at BRL 3,000 to BRL 10,000 for companies or betting agencies engaged in underage promotional activity. Penalties double for repeat violations within a 12-month period. They increase tenfold for betting operators or parental figures directly arranging advertisements featuring minors themselves.

The most stringent penalties target betting operators orchestrating such campaigns, potentially facing fines multiplied by one hundred. This escalating structure reflects what legislators clearly want: to hold larger industry players most accountable whilst creating meaningful commercial incentives for compliance across the sector.

Legislative Path Forward

The bill must still navigate Brazil’s constitutional review process. The Committee on the Constitution and Justice will examine the legislation’s constitutional standing before it proceeds to full congressional vote. Once both chambers approve the text and the president signs it into law, the restrictions take effect.

This sits within broader global conversations about gambling regulation and digital advertising standards. Many jurisdictions are similarly reassessing how promotional activities interact with accessible audiences, particularly given the proliferation of gambling content on streaming platforms and social networks. Brazil’s approach, focusing on advertising rather than consumption restrictions alone, reflects a maturing regulatory conversation about where responsibility ultimately lies in the promotional chain.

What the team thinks

Baz Hartley says:

Look, Brazil’s tightening up on minors in gambling ads is frankly long overdue, and Philippa’s right to highlight it as closing a genuine gap in consumer protection. The reality is that responsible operators should welcome this kind of clarity because it actually levels the playing field, stopping the cowboys from using celebrity influencers and social media tricks to hook younger audiences while legitimate sites get squeezed anyway. What I’d add though is that enforcement will be everything here, since a well-intentioned bill means nothing if Brazil doesn’t have the resources to actually catch and fine the operators breaking the rules, particularly the unlicensed offshore sites that have historically ignored such restrictions.