Brazil Senate Panel Approves Betting Ad Restrictions
Brazil's Senate Committee on Science, Technology, Innovation and Informatics (CCT) approved a bill on September 2, 2026 that would ban most advertising and sponsorship by licensed betting operators, according to the bill's own record on the Senate's website.
Bill 2.470/2026 was authored by Senator Damares Alves alongside six co-sponsors and amends Law 14.790 of December 29, 2023, the statute that regulates Brazil's fixed-odds sports betting market. Senator Alessandro Vieira, the rapporteur, presented a substitute version that the committee approved unanimously in favour, along with a request to fast-track the bill for Senate Plenary analysis.
The committee held a public hearing on September 1, 2026, where government officials and betting sector representatives set out opposing positions before the vote. The bill's own Senate record shows it moving next to the Committee on Social Affairs (CAS), which will issue a final, terminative decision before it can reach the full Senate floor.
What The Bill Would Ban
The approved text prohibits betting advertising across television, radio, print, streaming, podcasts, social media, apps, websites, search engines and other online channels, along with targeted messaging through SMS, email and algorithm-driven ads. It also bans advertising tied to electronic games, esports, sports kits and equipment, and paid promotion through affiliates, tipsters and comparison sites.
Bonuses, free bets, cashback, free spins and loyalty rewards used to attract or reactivate customers would no longer be allowed under the bill. Operators could still communicate through their own official channels, such as apps and websites, but only to cover identification, access rules and mandatory warnings, not promises of winnings or bonuses.
Sponsorship of sports clubs, leagues, competitions, cultural events, athletes, influencers and political campaigns would also be banned, with a 24-month window for existing contracts to wind down or be terminated. Operators and affiliated companies would be barred from buying or licensing broadcast rights to sporting events held in Brazil.
The bill sets fines of up to BRL2 billion, equivalent to around $392.8 million, under the existing sanctions regime in Law 14.790. It also creates a new criminal offence for promoting unauthorised betting operators, carrying a prison term of one to five years, which can rise by up to two-thirds when the promotion comes from an influencer, athlete or other well-known figure.
A Non-Partisan Push, With Industry Pushback
Vieira's report frames the measure as a response to the scale of gambling-related harm rather than a partisan initiative, stating that it stems from society's current understanding of the damage caused by betting.
The committee's own record shows the rapporteur's version also adds a 24-month quarantine on movement between betting companies and the bodies that regulate them, in both directions.
The bill still has to clear the Senate's Social Affairs Committee before reaching a floor vote, and its 24-month transition window gives sponsors and operators time to adjust rather than an immediate cut-off.
