Zona de Azar Brazil – Brazil: Government Decides to Launch Campaigns Against Gambling Addiction

Brazil – September 19, 2024 www.zonadeazar.com The Brazilian government is preparing three awareness campaigns to alert users of online games and betting.

With the expansion of the iGaming market, responsible gambling initiatives and addiction warnings are gaining increasing attention.

The first campaign will take place in October this year and will focus on publicizing the operators that can legally operate in Brazil, as regulation will take effect starting January 1, 2025.

The second campaign, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, will serve as a warning against gambling debts and aims to raise awareness about the effects of betting on health. The campaign will focus on advertising media, emphasizing that betting is entertainment, not a source of extra income.

CONAR already has a set of responsible gambling marketing and communication rules that must be followed. Consumer protection measures are becoming a more prominent topic in the Brazilian market.

The third and final campaign will take place in January 2025, after the market is regularized, in collaboration with the companies that have obtained licenses to operate in Brazil.

Regis Dudena, from the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) at the Ministry of Finance, said in an interview with O Globo that there will be “educational campaigns that we are developing both here at the Ministry of Finance and with our regulated companies. There will be a significant reinforcement, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, for the awareness phase.”

These efforts show that the government is expected to strictly enforce regulations in the online gaming and betting market in Brazil.

In practice: how companies will implement government rules

In the last 24 hours alone, more than four new companies have submitted accreditation requests to the SPA, bringing the total to 113 companies seeking a license to operate at the federal level in the country.

There is expected to be an increase in license requests after the Ministry of Finance issued an ordinance on Tuesday (17), banning operators not on the accreditation list by October 1.

“Today, we already have a list of several hundred companies offering [bets]. We will compare this list with the ones considered authorized. We will request the shutdown of those not on the list,” said the secretary.

Starting in January, companies will be required to send daily reports to the Ministry of Finance on player profiles, betting frequency, and income. Access to this information would help prevent, for example, players from becoming indebted. In addition to the reports, companies must clarify whether they use marketing with “influencers.”

“The site must monitor this bettor in all their activities. If it’s a bettor whose income profile doesn’t match the betting activity, an alert must first be issued, stating that their bet is misaligned with their profile. If they insist, a mandatory pause will be imposed, and ultimately, the bettor could be banned,” Dudena emphasized.

The secretary stressed that the goal is not to stop people from betting, but to ensure they treat it as entertainment.

“The State’s duty is to ensure that people don’t get sick, to ensure they don’t fall into debt. When we regulate an entertainment activity, we want people to have fun and return safe and sound,” Dudena concluded.

Edited by: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com