Brazil AG demands Meta remove illegal gambling ads
The Attorney General's Office of the Union (AGU) of Brazil has urged Meta to remove illegal gambling ads from its platforms. According to the AGU, Law 14,970/2023 and Ordinance SPA/MF 1,207/2024 establish that fixed-odds betting, such as those conducted on digital platforms, require prior authorization from the Ministry of Finance.
Companies operating without this authorization do so illegally, which also applies to the advertising of their services. Authorized websites must use the domain '.bet.br', with exceptions for state-authorized companies such as Lottopar and Loterj.
The AGU has detected hundreds of active ads from irregular profiles in Meta’s ad library. The document sent to Meta also mentions a decision by the Federal Supreme Court regarding Article 19 of the Internet Civil Framework, which holds platforms responsible for illicit content in paid advertisements. Meta has a 48-hour deadline to remove the irregular advertising and has been requested not to promote new ads that are not on the official list of authorized operators. Although Meta’s recent efforts, such as updating its terms of use for gambling ads, are acknowledged, the AGU points out that the verification process still has flaws.
More than seven months after the regulation of the online betting market, Brazil continues to face challenges with illegal operators, with between 41% and 51% of bets being placed on unregulated platforms.
Tags: Brasil, AGU, Meta, advertising