Efforts to limit gambling advertising in Brazilian matches
The debate on gambling advertising in Brazil added a new chapter this week. Federal Deputy Duda Ramos, from the Podemos bloc for Roraima, presented a bill aimed at limiting betting advertisements during broadcasts of the Brazilian National Team's matches, one of the country's most valuable media properties. The initiative is part of a growing concern in Congress about the impact of advertising on minors.
The text does not set a maximum number of advertising insertions. It delegates that definition to the Executive Branch, which will have to specify the parameters and frequency of advertisements during sports broadcasts. Another measure included requires each advertisement to refer to public channels for mental health support and compulsive gambling prevention, a resource similar to what is already in force in European markets such as the United Kingdom.
The initiative also reiterates a series of restrictions already in force under the current regulatory framework, such as the prohibition of language directed at children and adolescents and the ban on communication that associates gambling with personal success. The political will of the author is to transform these scattered rules into a higher-ranking norm, anchored to the country's most exposed sport.
In the justification for the project, Ramos was explicit about the underlying reason. The 2026 World Cup represents, according to the deputy, one of the most powerful media environments on the planet and therefore needs reinforced protections to prevent sports broadcasting from normalizing betting behavior among young people. The phrase that closes his argument defines the tone of the debate: the World Cup cannot turn children into future gambling addicts.
The author himself admits that it is unlikely the project will come into force in time for the 2026 World Cup. The deadlines of the Brazilian Congress and the Executive's approval usually extend beyond six months. Even so, the presentation carries strong symbolic weight for an industry that is experiencing its first year under full regulation and is facing an increasingly active parliamentary current in favor of tightening advertising. In Latin America, where several new markets are starting with similar discussions, the Brazilian case once again sets the standard.
Tags: Brazil, Brasilia, Brazil gambling regulation, Brazil gambling advertising, Brazilian National Team, problem gambling LatAm