The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) recently opened an investigation to investigate “irregularities” in the promotion of online gambling and sports betting in advertisements on YouTube.
As reported, the investigation continues alongside the negotiation of an agreement formulated by the Prizes and Betting Secretariat of the Ministry of Treasury with digital platforms to “promote a safe digital environment for online betting”.
Furthermore, the agency’s procedure also mentions the Digital Council. This is a collegiate body that brings together several digital platforms, including Google Brazil. The agency’s objective is to promote “a safe and responsible digital environment in the exploration of fixed-odds betting”.
In addition to “guaranteeing compliance with Brazilian legislation and protecting citizens’ rights, ensuring a regulated space aligned with national guidelines”.
The partnership between agencies and platforms should generate a work plan for implementing a series of measures in this area.
YouTube and the rules for advertising online games and betting
YouTube has already announced the implementation of mechanisms to block content related to illegal online gaming sites. According to the platform, the measure is in line with the complaints made by the Ministry of Sports about digital influencers.
According to the ministry, the sites promote bets with misleading promises of easy profit, without warning users about the risks involved.
Under the new guidelines, content creators on the platform will be prohibited from referencing or directing viewers to illegal gambling websites and apps. This includes URLs, links embedded in images or text, and even verbal mentions.
However, the National Secretariat for Sports Betting and Economic Development of Sports (Snaede), of the Ministry of Sports, identified a network that operates in the segment.
According to the department, a network of more than 53 accounts and 25 channels on YouTube promote bets with false promises of profit. From this, they attract audiences of more than 100 thousand viewers per broadcast.
For Snaede, digital influencers play a central role in this practice, giving the scheme an appearance of legitimacy. The channels were reported by MEsp to the Ministries of Justice, the Federal Police and during a public hearing at the Supreme Federal Court.
