Brazil's Central Bank questions betting advertisements
The Central Bank of Brazil has focused on an intersection that had previously gone almost unnoticed: the advertising of sports betting sites within financial institutions' applications and websites. Izabela Correa, the Director of Citizenship and Conduct Supervision at the institution, questioned this practice during the Zetta 2026 Summit, held on Tuesday, September 1, in Brasília, reinforcing a point made earlier at the same event by Supervision Director Ailton de Aquino.
The core of the questioning revolves around the financial system's responsibility. Correa argued that entities must assume a role not only in offering products but also in consumers' financial education, and warned that the digital environment presents behavioral biases that demand the monetary authority's attention. In this vein, she stated that it is inconsistent for a bank to have an application and, at the same time, offer and promote a betting site on its homepage, emphasizing that sports betting entails a higher risk of payment defaults for consumers.
This discussion comes as the Central Bank studies measures to expand consumer protection against increasing debt linked to gambling. The institution itself reported that it has advanced with internal studies and discussions to establish specific protection regulations for the digital environment, which could be published in the coming months.
The Central Bank of Brazil is the country's monetary authority and, among its functions, supervises the conduct of financial institutions and the protection of system consumers. Its intervention adds a new player to the growing regulatory pressure on online betting in Brazil, this time from the angle of the financial system and over-indebtedness, in parallel with measures promoted by the Government and other bodies.
Tags: Central Bank of Brazil, Izabela Correa, gambling advertising in financial apps, consumer protection