Lawmakers Submit 4 Bills to Restrict Online Gambling
Brazil – May 15, 2025 – www.zonadeazar.com On Tuesday the 13th, a group of lawmakers from the so-called Shared Cabinet submitted a set of four bills (PLs) aimed at restricting the operation of online gaming and betting platforms.
The Shared Cabinet brings together politicians from different regions of Brazil, including Senator Alessandro Vieira (MDB-SE) and federal deputies Camila Jara (PT-MS), Dorinaldo Malafaia (PDT-AP), Duda Salabert (PDT-MG), Duarte Jr (PSB-MA), Pedro Campos (PSB-PE), and Tabata Amaral (PSB-SP).
Bill No. 2269/2025
One of the proposals, PL No. 2269/2025, establishes stricter rules for betting advertising, limiting ads to the operators’ own channels and requiring warnings about gambling risks, as well as banning any type of advertising aimed at individuals under 18. The measure is also being processed in the Senate under PL No. 3719/2024, according to Correio Braziliense.
PL No. 2.985/2023, from Senator Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ), also proposes restrictions on betting platform advertising. It prohibits active athletes, celebrities, and digital influencers from appearing in promotional campaigns and restricts ad broadcasting hours on free-to-air TV.
Bill No. 2278/2025
Another initiative, PL No. 2278/2025, proposes to limit or ban financial transactions for vulnerable groups. These include individuals with negative credit history, registered in CadÚnico, legally incapacitated persons, or those who have self-excluded from betting platforms.
Regis Dudena, Secretary of Prizes and Betting at the Ministry of Finance, stated in an interview with Estadão that the SPA (Secretary of Prizes and Betting) is preparing a measure to prohibit beneficiaries of Bolsa Família and Benefício de Prestação Continuada (BPC) from using these funds for sports betting.
Bolsa Família supports around 20.77 million families, reaching approximately 54.37 million people, including 25 million children and adolescents. The BPC supports over 4.7 million Brazilians.
This decision aligns with a 2024 unanimous Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruling, which upheld Minister Luiz Fux’s decision requiring immediate special protection measures to prevent social program funds from being used for gambling.
“This is still in the final stage of alignment, especially legal but also technical, to ensure it complies with the STF’s decision,” said Dudena.
According to Folha de São Paulo, the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) has stated that the executive branch lacks technical means to prohibit such spending, as it’s impossible to distinguish social program funds from other income in a single bank account.
Bill No. 2280/2025
The lawmakers also proposed direct financial intervention for bettors with PL No. 2280/2025. The bill requires that 25% of all wagered amounts be automatically transferred into a savings account in the player’s name. The goal is to encourage saving habits and raise awareness about gambling’s financial impact.
On the same day, digital influencer Virginia Fonseca — a prominent promoter of online betting — testified before the “CPI das Bets”. She denied the existence of the so-called “misery clause” in her contracts, which supposedly paid commissions based on user losses. Instead, she claimed she had a performance bonus that was never activated.
“My contract provided for a 30% bonus if I doubled the company’s profits — which never happened. It was a fixed fee, not linked to followers’ losses,” she said.
The proposal, framed as an awareness initiative, could face challenges under Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD).
Bill No. 2279/2025
PL No. 2279/2025 aims to prevent public officials in leadership, advisory, or regulatory roles from engaging with companies in the betting sector. The goal is to avoid conflicts of interest and misuse of insider information.
In addition to these bills, the group submitted a recommendation to the Ministry of Health proposing the creation of specific programs within the SUS (public health system) to treat and prevent gambling addiction, which the World Health Organization classifies as a mental disorder. The plan includes training healthcare teams and partnering with local governments to combat the issue at the community level.
“It is urgent to protect families — especially young people, who are now bombarded with ads disguised as entertainment. The Virginia case made it clear that these platforms’ reach goes far beyond what is imagined — and it requires a proper institutional response,” said the lawmakers in a joint statement.
How many bills are needed?
With gambling at the center of many decisions in Brazil, from both economic and social perspectives, it’s natural for more laws to be proposed to protect the population and public interests from potential harms.
However, this is neither the first nor the last time lawmakers submit bills — often on the same topics. SBC Notícias Brasil has published an overview of other pending bills proposing additional restrictions to Law No. 14.790/2023 and Law No. 13.756/2018.
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Editor: @_fonta – www.zonadeazar.com