Meta continues to display gambling ads in Brazil weeks after a government-mandated deadline to remove them expired on October 5.
The restriction stems from a provisional measure signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on September 25 that prohibits fixed-odds betting and online casino promotions directed at Brazilians. Platforms face an obligation to prevent the circulation of such content and remove offending ads upon notification.
In November, independent checks by journalists revealed more than 700 active advertisements offering online casino games and bonuses.
Ministério da Justiça notifica Meta sobre anúncios de apostas
The Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública notified Meta in October to demand the removal of listed ads and explanations regarding preventative measures. Meta responded that all indicated links were inaccessible to users in Brazil.
Subsequent checks showed that while some flagged advertisements became unavailable following contact with Meta, new promotions emerged from the same pages.
Did You Know?
Dados do Ministério da Fazenda mostram que havia 8,1 milhões de CPFs que fizeram apostas esportivas e 8,5 milhões que apostaram em jogos online em junho.
Social Media Influencer Account Suspensions
The Ministério da Justiça also identified 348 accounts used to distribute illegal betting content and requested their removal from Meta platforms.
Other figures impacted by the federal crackdown include Merianne Silva, Nayara Souza, Ítalo Wendel, and Jéssica Santos.
Expert Insight:
The Ciberlab is a unit specialized in combating crimes committed in the digital environment and acts in the identification of content related to clandestine betting platforms.
Perguntas frequentes sobre apostas ilegais
Who was targeted in the government’s account takedown requests?
The Ministério da Justiça requested the removal of 348 influencer profiles and pages that promoted unauthorized betting platforms across social media.
How many betting registrations has the government recorded?
The Ministério da Fazenda identified 8,1 milhões de CPFs that made sports betting and 8,5 milhões that played online games in June.
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