Brazil Tightens Betting Ads and Redirects Bet Revenue to Federal Police

Finance Minister Dario Durigan announced that, from 17 July, all online sports‑betting companies must include mandatory warnings in their advertising, such as “betting makes you lose money”, “can cause dependence” and “is not an investment”. The new rules also ban portrayals of bets as easy income, urgency tactics, and the use of commentators, influencers or experts to induce gambling. Ads may not target children or adolescents. Companies violating the rules face administrative penalties of up to 20 % of revenue, suspension of activities for up to 180 days or revocation of licences. The ministry reported that 56 000 illegal betting sites, about 1 000 influencer accounts and roughly 1 million self‑exclusions have already been acted upon.

In parallel, the Senate approved MP 1.348/2026, which redirects a portion of the quota‑fixed betting levy to the Federal Police’s operational fund (Funapol). The allocation will rise from 1 % of bet revenue in 2026, to 2 % in 2027 and 3 % from 2028 onward, with up to R$200 million extra funding from the Treasury. Previously the share went to the social‑security system and will now finance health expenses for Federal Police personnel and related police forces.

The government also issued notifications to 37 fintechs that processed transactions for unlicensed betting operators, warning of possible fines and blockades if they do not cease the activity. This broader crackdown targets illegal betting platforms that handle a large share of Brazil’s estimated R$30 billion‑a‑month betting market.