Brazil Plans New Regulations for Betting Customer Support and Health Assistance Channels

The federal government of Brazil is developing at least two new regulations for its legal sports betting industry, set to be published later this year. The moves will create guidelines for “assisting bettors” in terms of operators’ ombudsman services and health support channels, reports said.

It is part of the government’s ongoing plans to improve consumer protection in the regulated gambling market. There is a need to establish more transparent rules on what services betting platforms should offer, especially in terms of complaints and responsible gambling.

As part of the plans, the operators’ ombudsman offices would be mandated to operate independently and provide customers with a fair platform to file complaints of any kind, including requests for withdrawals, disputes over winnings, account registration issues and more.

Focus on Health Support and Responsible Gambling

It is said that one of the most sensitive areas in the new agreement is the control of health assistance channels. There are currently no consistent guidelines for what services authorities feel these gambling operators should offer, although several licensed operators already have resources in place for responsible gambling.

The new legislation should help to bring clarity to the processes, such as user support, referrals and how they are communicated to the customer. The goal is for all licensed operators to have access to, understand and use responsible gambling tools in a consistent manner.

The move comes after a string of recent steps to further bolster consumer protection in the regulated betting sector in Brazil.

No Plans for Broad Industry Restrictions

While currently expected to stay a prominent issue in Brazil’s next presidential elections, the federal government has no plans to overhaul the betting industry or even ban it in the near future.

While President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has publicly voiced opposition to gambling, he had previously advocated for its prohibition, but it is unlikely to happen, reportedly, according to officials. Rather, the government prefers to gradually tighten the regulations in a more targeted manner to increase oversight without impacting the regulated market.

Current government plans for betting regulation would allow it to mimic the approach taken towards alcoholic drinks (very strict but with responsible gambling standards) rather than the approach taken towards tobacco (very strict and no responsibility requirements).

Advertising Rules Continue to Evolve

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Brazil has already implemented more stringent rules on the advertising of licensed betting operators. Another of the new rules is to put health warnings on gambling ads, including the words: The Ministry of Finance warns, with the following messages: “Betting can cause you to lose money“, “Betting can cause addiction“, or “Betting is not an investment”.

In addition a separate ordinance was drafted jointly by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security which further tightened the limits on betting advertisements. Now licensed operators are forbidden from claiming that betting is an investment opportunity or a financial solution, and advertisements are banned from using expert comments that suggest betting is a mainly technical or risk-free pursuit.

As a whole, these measures represent a strategy that has Brazil progressively pushing for the establishment of regulation, emphasizing the importance of the consumer protection measures, the responsible gambling programs and the more effective operational conditions for the licensed betting industry, without the need to impose general restrictions on it.

Source: BNL Data

Brazil Plans New Regulations for Betting Customer Support and Health Assistance Channels

Focus on Health Support and Responsible Gambling

No Plans for Broad Industry Restrictions

Advertising Rules Continue to Evolve

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