Brazilian lawmakers have advanced a bill that would sharply restrict how licensed betting companies can advertise, promote products and sponsor sport, potentially reshaping one of Latin America’s largest regulated gambling markets.
The Senate’s Science and Technology Committee (CCT) approved PL 2,470/2026 on 2 September, together with a request for urgent consideration in the Senate plenary. The proposal has not yet become law and must continue through the legislative process.
Introduced by Senator Damares Alves and six other senators, the bill would amend Brazil’s 2023 fixed-odds betting law. Senator Alessandro Vieira presented a substitute version that was approved by the committee following a public hearing involving government officials and gambling-industry representatives.
Advertising restrictions would cover most major channels
Under the approved text, direct and indirect commercial advertising for fixed-odds betting and online gaming would be prohibited across television, radio, newspapers, magazines, outdoor media, streaming services, podcasts, social networks, video platforms, apps, websites, blogs, search engines and other digital environments.
The restrictions would also extend to SMS, email, instant messaging, push notifications, algorithmically targeted advertising and behavioural profiling. Betting promotion through video games, esports, sports equipment, public transport, affiliates, tipsters and comparison websites would also be covered.
Operators would additionally be prevented from using bonuses, free bets, promotional credits, cashback, free spins, rewards or loyalty schemes to encourage customers to register, continue gambling or return to betting.
Marketing that describes gambling as risk-free, a reliable source of income, a solution to financial problems or a guaranteed way to recover losses would also be prohibited.
Licensed operators could still provide limited institutional information through their own websites, apps and customer-service channels. These communications would be restricted mainly to company identification, access rules, official channels, self-exclusion tools and mandatory responsible-gambling warnings.
Sports sponsorship faces a 24-month phase-out
The proposal would also prohibit gambling-company sponsorship of sports clubs, federations, leagues, competitions and broadcasts.
Restrictions would extend beyond sport to cultural events, concerts, educational and social projects, charities, civil-society organisations, political parties and election campaigns. Betting companies would also be barred from sponsorship agreements involving influencers, athletes, artists and other celebrities.
The ban would cover shirt and brand exposure, naming rights, licensing agreements, ambassador partnerships and other promotional associations.
Existing sponsorship arrangements would receive a 24-month transition period. New, renewed or extended agreements would only be permitted where the contract expires within that same transition window.
Sponsorship involving children, schools or youth sports would be expressly prohibited. Betting brands would also be prevented from attaching their names to projects involving mental health, suicide prevention, financial education, gambling-disorder treatment, social assistance or protection against excessive household debt.
Operators face tougher player-protection obligations
PL 2,470/2026 would strengthen rules governing vulnerable customers. Operators could not use data belonging to self-excluded players, people undergoing treatment or users who have blocked marketing in an attempt to reactivate their accounts.
Repeated promotional contact with customers showing warning signs — including substantial losses, reduced playing frequency or use of betting limits — would also be restricted.
Operators would need permanent age-verification systems, self-exclusion mechanisms and voluntary limits covering gambling time and spending. The proposal also envisages self-exclusion applying across all federally authorised operators.
The bill would prohibit betting with credit, predictive systems designed to identify moments when players are particularly vulnerable, and platform features that deliberately make it harder for users to stop gambling or activate limits.
Highest-risk online games could be prohibited
Another major element of the proposal is a formal risk-classification framework for betting and gaming products.
Factors would include very rapid outcomes, repeated short betting cycles, randomised results, variable rewards, near-miss mechanics and features that encourage players to chase losses or continue gambling impulsively.
Products would require assessment by a federal authority before being offered. High-risk products could face additional harm-reduction requirements, while products classified as excessively risky would be prohibited.
The approved Senate text specifically identifies games with random outcomes, continuous cycles and variable rewards, including roulette, slots, crash-style games and simulated virtual sports, as examples that could fall into the excessive-risk category.
Illegal betting promotion could become a criminal offence
Vieira’s substitute also creates a specific criminal offence for promoting unauthorised betting operators.
The proposed penalty is one to five years in prison, with tougher punishment possible when illegal gambling is promoted by influencers, athletes or other high-profile individuals with significant public reach.
Digital platforms, hosting providers and media intermediaries would meanwhile be required to remove unlawful advertising after receiving a specific notification from the relevant authority.
Operators would remain subject to Brazil’s existing administrative sanctions framework under Law 14,790/2023, where fines can reach BRL2 billion.
The bill also proposes a 24-month cooling-off period restricting movement between betting companies and government bodies responsible for licensing, regulation and supervision.
With the CCT approving an urgency request, PL 2,470/2026 now moves toward consideration by the full Senate. Its progress will be closely watched by licensed operators and Brazilian sports organisations, many of which currently rely heavily on betting sponsorship revenue.