The Brazilian government has moved to ban sports commentators and media pundits from appearing in advertisements and campaigns for sports betting firms.
This new regulation, formalized in the last few days through a decree from the country's Ministries of Finance and Justice, comes as part of a wider set of new regulations brought in to try and put a lid on a rapidly expanding industry sector in Brazil.
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Through the new law, sports commentators, experts, and other personalities in sports media and broadcasting are forbidden from involving themselves in campaigns which have the intention of making people place bets.
They will not be able to even recommend methods that would enable potential bettors to pick winners.
This new law comes into effect during the last few days of soccer's 2026 FIFA World Cup, in which tournament, multiple Brazilian influencers have been perceived to be involved in such campaigns.
Specifically, heavyweight Brazilian streaming platform CazeTV has been the subject of a probe by the country's National Consumer Secretariat – part of the Ministry of Justice – for promoting betting partners during its coverage of the World Cup, to which it holds live rights.
Dario Durigan, the Brazilian minister of finance, has said the rule is designed to stop personalities regularly seen on sports broadcasts from being able to influence the audience into betting.
In addition to this element of the regulation, betting advertisements will be forced to carry warnings about the various risks associated with gambling, while bets may not be shown as an investment option or a potential source of income, in future.
Brands and companies that do not adhere to these new regulations could be fined, suspended, or lose their operating license.
The fine could be for up to 20% of a company's revenue, while their activities could also be suspended for as long as six months.
Across the broadcasters showing the World Cup in Brazil – Globo, SBT, and CazeTV – seven betting brands are involved in sponsoring their coverage.
The aforementioned investigation into CazeTV's practices has already resulted in that streamer – run by the LiveMode agency – announcing changes to the way it will activate for its betting sponsors.
Brazil has become the third-largest market globally for sports betting, after the practice was legalized in 2018.
Brazilian fintech firm Klavi found – in late June – that the number of Brazilians placing bets had gone from 11% of the population in late May, to 35% as the World Cup entered its knockout stages at the end of last month.
Betting and gambling, according to a non-profit organization, are estimated to cost Brazilian society around $7 billion annually.
Elsewhere in sports betting, the UK government is reportedly preparing to clamp down on the sponsorship of major sports teams by unlicensed casinos.
The Guardian has reported that a consultation is set to be launched by the end of this week around how unlicensed operators are still able to sponsor major sports properties in the UK.
Such a consultation, if it goes ahead, would come after cryptocurrency casino Stake.com and Premier League soccer club Everton unveiled a three-season sleeve sponsorship deal in late June. Stake.com has no license to operate in the UK, with that having been withdrawn last year.
Originally, the UK's Department for Culture, Media, and Sport had said a review into the operations of unlicensed betting firms within UK sport would begin in the spring.
Although sports teams and their executive teams could potentially be prosecuted if they involve themselves with unlicensed gambling firms that contravene UK law, there is no specific regulation that prevents these companies from sponsoring sports teams – as long as they do not attempt to operate within the country (Stake.com, for example, says it does not accept bets from within the UK).
