A potential ban in Brazil on celebrities being used in betting advertising is ready to be included on the senate’s agenda in 2024.
Brazil is expected to finally have a regulated sports betting market in 2024. This is after Brazil’s chamber of deputies voted to approve Bill 3,626/2023 in December. There have been plenty of ups and downs and the topic of advertising is still proving contentious in the country.
Bill 3,405/2023 seeks to prohibit the use of celebrities in sports betting advertising, with Senator Eduardo Girao, who has long been against gambling in Brazil, presenting amendments that would ban anyone considered to have influence being involved in marketing of gambling.
In Girao’s view, Bill 3,405/2023 would protect Brazilian citizens from the risks of gambling harms, both emotional and financial.
Similar advertising bans worldwide
In August 2023, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced a ban on athletes and celebrities in marketing campaigns. The law is set to come into force later this month.
French gambling regulator l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) implemented a ban that prohibits the use of athletes in gambling communications.
Other nations have brought in even more stringent laws. For instance, Belgium introduced a near-total gambling advertising ban, while the Netherlands has prohibited all non-targeted advertising, with targeted marketing only allowed in some contexts.
Other European countries such as Germany and Italy also have extremely strict rules on sports betting advertising. Operators in both countries are pushing for such tight restrictions to be eased in the future.