Brazil Blocks 506 Betting Sites, Finds Nearly 2,000 Google Ads

Brazil has begun cracking down on betting following the ban on wagering and online casinos. Authorities have already blocked 506 sites showing signs of illegal activity and reviewed betting promotion on Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram.

The ban has been in effect since September 25 and applies to sports betting, online casinos, and their advertising. New deposits to betting platforms were banned immediately, existing ads must be removed by October 5, and websites and apps of previously authorized operators must be taken offline starting October 6.

Содержание

1. Nearly 2,000 Ads in Google Ads

2. Telegram Had 43 Channels With 212,000 Members

3. Advertising Could Bring Up to 6 Years in Prison

Nearly 2,000 Ads in Google Ads

From September 25 to 27, Brazil’s Ciberlab found around 1,960 ads from seven domains that were shown to users in Brazil on Google. They included ads for registration, deposits, Aviator, and other games.

At the same time, authorities are not yet classifying all discovered ads as violations. Google Ads Transparency Center shows the date an ad was last displayed, but does not indicate when a specific ad was launched. As a result, some ads may have appeared before the ban and could still fall under the transition period.

Meta had seven ads. Two of them were launched on September 25, after the ban took effect. The other five appeared earlier and continued running after the new rules were introduced.

In some ads, the page name did not match the advertised brand, while the domain in the link did not match the brand itself. According to authorities, this could have been used to hide the real advertiser and the final site traffic was sent to.

TikTok was also reviewed, but it was not possible to properly examine the ads. Brazil is not among the countries available for searches in the public TikTok Ads Library.

Telegram Had 43 Channels With 212,000 Members

At the same time, Ciberlab identified 43 active Telegram channels and groups linked to the promotion of betting and online casinos. They had 212,634 members. Nine channels with audiences of more than 10K people accounted for 172,359 users, or 81% of the total audience found.

The channels distributed referral links, betting “signals,” and “bots,” promising up to 260% profit per month and win rates of up to 99.8%.

One channel drove users to a platform without the .bet.br domain required for legal operators and received a commission for referred players. Another directed users to a website that authorities identified as a fake Sportingbet.

Ciberlab also found websites and domains showing signs of illegal activity and passed the information to the relevant agencies.

Monitoring of Google, FB/Instagram, and TikTok will continue. Separately, authorities propose discussing with platforms how to block new betting ads, identify brand substitution and cloaked links, and track promotion through affiliates and influencers.

Advertising Could Bring Up to 6 Years in Prison

Separately, the government submitted a bill to Congress that would introduce criminal liability for betting advertising and player acquisition. It proposes 2 to 4 years in prison and a fine. If compensation is tied to the registration of new players, the proposed penalty would increase by half, to 3-6 years.

For now, this is only a bill. The advertising ban itself has been in effect since September 25 under a temporary presidential measure.