Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets, under the Ministry of Finance, has fined Blaze, a betting operator run by Foggo Entertainment Ltda., 2.3 million reais (396,000 euros) for broadcasting advertising aimed at minors.
According to Estadão, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets found 33 videos between March and July 2025, made in collaboration with Brazilian influencer João Caetano, that violated advertising regulations. The clips featured minors under 18 or were aimed at that audience, according to the gaming authority.
It is worth noting that the content creator has more than 15 million YouTube subscribers and 3 million Instagram followers. His main audience is young people and teenagers.
The regulatory body also noted that the videos were available for approximately four months, which constitutes a breach of the operator’s oversight obligations. The Betting Law and the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA) prohibit betting advertising from being directed at minors.
The sanction fell on Blaze rather than João Caetano because the company is responsible for complying with legal regulations and overseeing its entire commercial distribution chain. Likewise, according to the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets, the influencer acted under the direct coordination and control of the betting company, rather than independently.
The complaint was filed by Instituto Alana, a Brazilian non-profit organization founded in 1994 that works to promote and defend the rights of children and adolescents.
The decision was notified to Blaze on July 20. The company has ten days to file an administrative appeal.
When contacted by Estadão, Foggo stated that it “works continuously on the evolution and improvement of its processes and internal controls.” The company also maintained that it upholds “strict respect for due legal process.”
Prevent or Cure
In a LinkedIn post, psychologist Rafael Ávila, founding director of the Association for Player Protection and Support (APAJ), said that this type of case highlights the need for operators to improve risk prevention and control related to betting.
“Is investing in a Responsible Gaming department really an expense? How many professionals could have been hired with the amount of that fine to form a working team? Of course, I’m referring to a real department, with decision-making power, autonomy to veto advertising, direct communication with senior management, and the authority to intervene,” Ávila emphasized.
He added that responsible gaming should be understood as a strategic investment rather than an expense. “If we add up this fine and the legal penalties for non-compliance with responsible gaming regulations, is it cheaper to act preventively or to keep putting out fires?” he stated.
New advertising restrictions
Since July 17, operators must explicitly state in their ads that betting “can cause addiction,” “makes you lose money,” and “is not an investment,” after the Government tightened regulations for a sector that is under close scrutiny by authorities.
In addition to the mandatory warning, the new rules prohibit presenting betting as an investment, or sports commentators from encouraging users to bet during broadcasts.
Rio de Janeiro went even further and banned betting advertising in public spaces and at events sponsored by the municipality by decree. “‘Bets’ are a plague, and we have decided to make Rio the national example in this fight,” said Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere.
Belo Horizonte and São Paulo are moving in the same direction.