Brazil’s Attorney General presses Meta to pull ads for unauthorized betting sites

Brazil’s top legal office has given Meta 48 hours to remove online advertisements promoting gambling services that lack government approval, warning the company to stop boosting content from unlicensed operators.

The order was issued in an extrajudicial notice sent by the Office of the Attorney General of the Union (AGU) through its National Attorney’s Office for the Defense of Democracy (PNDD). Officials said the directive follows findings that hundreds of active ads on Instagram and Facebook accounts promote fixed-odds betting platforms without authorization from the Ministry of Finance, reports Games Magazine Brasil.

Brazilian legislation, including Law No. 14,970/2023 and SPA/MF Ordinance No. 1,207/2024, allows fixed-odds betting only with prior ministerial approval. Authorized operators must use a “.bet.br” web domain. Platforms without such clearance are considered to be running illegal operations, meaning their advertisements also breach the law.

“This is, therefore, an evidently illegal activity (as these profiles are not authorized by the Ministry of Finance) – which may also be connected to tax evasion, money laundering, crimes against consumer relations, fraud, and other illegal practices – making their advertising an equally illicit activity,” the notice states.

The AGU cited a recent Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruling on Article 19 of the Brazilian Internet Bill of Rights (Marco Civil da Internet), which determined that digital platforms can be held responsible for unlawful paid content and boosted posts. Under that ruling, companies must show they acted “diligently and within a reasonable time to make the content unavailable.”

According to the notice, Meta must also put measures in place to ensure that future promotions do not feature any operators outside the Ministry of Finance’s approved list.

While acknowledging Meta’s recent announcements, including planned updates to its gambling advertising policies, the AGU said the company’s verification processes remain insufficient and require further tightening to prevent illegal promotions from appearing on its platforms.