To combat the spread of irregular betting sites, the Office of the Attorney General of the Union (AGU) notified Google due to channels teaching how to create illegal casinos on YouTube.
The video platform was also informed about the presence of channels promoting the online “jogo do bicho,” which is prohibited in Brazil, and the AGU also demanded the removal of such content.
In the AGU’s request, made by the National Attorney’s Office for the Defense of Democracy (PNDD), the agency asked that the profiles in question be removed immediately, and that otherwise, Google could also be held liable.
Marketing strategies were targeted by the request
According to the AGU’s claim, a series of channels on YouTube, identified by Agência Lupa, published videos about “how to create a casino platform” and marketing strategies for the online “jogo do bicho.”
However, such practices are prohibited by law. As set forth in Decree-Law No. 3,688/1941, “exploiting or running the lottery known as ‘jogo do bicho,’ or carrying out any act related to its operation or exploitation” is a crime in Brazil.
Regarding illegal casinos, the AGU claimed that the content about creating such sites does not take into account obtaining a license from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), a requirement established by Law 14,790/2023, known as the Bets Law.
The AGU also stressed that such content violates responsible gaming and consumer protection rules, as well as the platform’s own usage rules.
In addition, such content could also be connected to crimes such as money laundering and tax evasion.
Joint liability
A key point of the AGU’s notification to Google/YouTube regarding illegal casinos and the promotion of “jogo do bicho” is related to joint liability.
In other words, in Brazil, platforms, social networks, and app stores can also face legal action over content published through them.
Even though the Brazilian Internet Civil Rights Framework (Law No. 12,965/2014) implies that providers are not automatically responsible for content produced by their creators, a potential failure to comply with the AGU’s notification could result in liability.
As for the online “jogo do bicho,” the situation may change after the Federal Supreme Court’s (STF) ruling on the ban of “jogo do bicho,” bingo, and casinos, scheduled for August 5.
If the Supreme Court finds that the Criminal Misdemeanor Law is unconstitutional regarding this matter, promoting content that teaches how to run a “jogo do bicho” business could cease to be illegal.