Digital influencer and presenter Virgínia Fonseca declared to the Bets CPI that her contracts with companies in the betting sector do not include clauses of profit based on the losses of her followers. The testimony was given last Tuesday (13), when she appeared as a witness.
In response to a request from Senator Soraya Thronicke (Podemos-MS), rapporteur of the CPI, Virgínia committed to providing parliamentarians with contracts with the companies Esportes da Sorte and Blaze, the latter still active as a partner.
During the hearing, she denied a report published by Piauí magazine in January, whose credibility was recognized by Soraya. Virgínia assured that “there is nothing abnormal” in the documents.
Virgínia declared: “If Piauí magazine wanted to act in bad faith, I’m not going to waste my time [suing]. I believe in God’s justice. If I doubled the [company’s] profit, I would receive 30% more.
This was a standard clause, at the time, with all my other contracts, not just bets. At no time did I [talk about] my followers’ losses, there was never [a provision] about this in the contract.”
The testimony complied with a request from Senator Soraya Thronicke. The committee is investigating possible irregularities in the betting sector, including the use of influencers to promote online games.
The sector’s legal activity began in 2018, with the publication of Law 13,756. Subsequently, new rules were established by Law 14,790, in 2023. The definitive regulation came into effect in January 2025, after a six-month transition period.
Virginia’s clarifications on social media and the opinion of the CPI rapporteur
Virgínia clarified that her current contract requires a weekly post on Instagram, where she has more than 50 million followers. She said that she began advertising bets in December 2022 and that she respects advertising rules as they are updated.
Virgínia stated: “When I post, I always make it very clear that it is a game, for fun, that [the user] can win and can lose. That it is prohibited for those under 18 years old, that if you have any type of addiction it is recommended not to enter, to play responsibly…
I include all the images required by Conar [National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation]. I never told anyone to join to make the most of their life. I’m not doing anything illegal.”
However, Senator Soraya Thronicke stated that she had difficulty locating these warnings in the influencer’s publications and highlighted that she “would like to find more” preventive messages.
During the meeting, she questioned a video shown at the meeting that did not provide clear guidance on the risks. Virgínia responded that the content predates the stricter rules.
According to Virgínia: “Back then it was different from what it is today. There were still no requirements from Conar that we had to talk [about responsible gaming] at the beginning of the video. Conar is always changing and sending more requirements. The betting houses already send everything exactly what they can’t talk about. For example, my daughters can’t appear.”
Conar is a private, non-profit entity responsible for self-regulation of the advertising sector. It currently maintains a partnership with the Ministry of Treasury in formulating guidelines for betting advertising.
Use of accounts for advertising
Soraya also asked if Virgínia uses a different account to create advertising content. The senator mentioned that there are reports of accounts made available by betting houses that manipulate results.
In response, Virgínia stated: “The account that is created for me to play is not necessarily a fake account. [I play] on the same platform [as all other users], I win and I lose.”
The rapporteur noted that investigations into possible algorithm manipulations are part of the scope of the CPI. Soraya assured that the commission’s final report will provide effective answers.
According to Soraya: “There are documents that are confidential and our team has been working on them for a long time. It will never end in failure. Only if they don’t approve the report.”
Meeting atmosphere
The chairman of the CPI, Senator Dr. Hiran (PP-RR), emphasized that Virgínia appeared protected by a habeas corpus issued by the STF, which prevents any detention. He reinforced that the purpose of the hearing was not to “point the finger” or “criminalize” the summoned person.
Senator Jorge Kajuru (PBS-GO) criticized Virgínia’s summons to the CPI and praised the influencer’s stance. He explained that he was pressured to make criticisms during the session, but did not see anything illegal in her actions.
Kajuru stated: “What she does is testify to a product. I ask: is the product she testifies to illegal? No.”
Furthermore, Virgínia assessed that changes in the sector must come through legislation, in an equal manner for everyone.
According to the influencer: “The solution has to come from within. We have to find a solution where everyone will do the same thing. [The relationship with betting] will be something I will think about, but I have a contract. It’s not easy to end a contract.”
Senator Izalci Lucas (PL-DF) wanted to know if Virgínia or her team had ever received complaints from followers who had been harmed by bets. She responded that she had no knowledge of such situations.
Deadlines and investigations
The Bets CPI has been given a 45-day extension and will have until June 14, 2025 to complete its work. The commission seeks to understand the impacts of digital betting on the lives of Brazilians, both financially and socially.
According to Soraya, the CPI’s goal is to improve laws so that the betting sector operates “in the least harmful way possible to Brazilians.”
The types of betting under analysis are called “fixed-odds betting” and involve predictions about sporting events and games that imitate virtual casinos. In these cases, the bettor knows in advance how much he can win if he gets the result right.
