Brazil Tightens Betting Ad Rules for Influencers and Child Protection

Brazil’s advertising self-regulator, CONAR, has approved an updated framework for betting promotions. The changes expand oversight of influencer and affiliate advertising, strengthen action against promotions for illegal betting sites, and add more detailed safeguards intended to reduce children’s exposure. For operators and creators, the practical message is that a paid betting post is not exempt from the standards applied to a conventional advertisement.

CONAR announced on 27 August that its Content Council had approved changes to Annex X of the Brazilian Advertising Self-Regulation Code and a new Betting Advertising Self-Regulation Framework. The work drew on consumer complaints, earlier Ethics Council decisions, consultation with public authorities and international safeguards, according to the official notice.

The framework covers five connected areas: advertising for unauthorised betting sites; mandatory risk warnings; influencer and affiliate promotions; responsible-gambling standards; and protection for children and adolescents. CONAR also said the framework provides for a credentialling programme for influencers permitted to advertise betting, together with monitoring of their posts. The announcement establishes that direction, but advertisers should confirm the current programme requirements and implementation material before describing a creator as accredited.

Annex X already requires third-party advertising by influencers, ambassadors, partners and affiliates to be immediately distinguishable from surrounding editorial content. The advertiser must also be clearly identifiable. This matters for short videos, livestreams and social posts where a commercial relationship can otherwise be obscured by entertainment or personal commentary.

The updated framework adds closer control and monitoring rather than creating a separate, lighter category for creators. Operators remain responsible for the promotions carried out for their brands, while creators and affiliates must follow the applicable disclosure, licensing, audience and responsible-gambling rules. A profile with an adult audience does not remove the need to label advertising clearly or to avoid misleading claims.

CONAR says operators must hold the authorisation or licence required by the competent public authority and keep it active while operating and advertising. When CONAR detects an advertisement for an unauthorised operator, Annex X provides for notification to the platform or media outlet so that the promotion can be stopped, as well as notification to the relevant authority.

The new framework is intended to expand detection, removal, prevention and deterrence of advertising for illegal sites. For consumers, a familiar influencer, club sponsorship or polished advertisement is still not proof of authorisation. The exact operator and domain should be checked against the current federal list maintained by Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting before registration or payment.

CONAR linked its updated approach to SPA/MF Ordinance 1,964/2026. That federal measure requires one of three warnings: that betting can cause dependence, that betting causes the customer to lose money, or that betting is not an investment. The warning must be horizontal, clear, legible and proportionate, and must occupy at least 10% of the length or size of the advertisement. The warning rule took effect on 17 July 2026.

Annex X also prohibits claims that betting offers certain, easy or unusually high returns; that repeated play improves the chance of winning; or that betting is a route to wealth, income or investment. Advertising must not suggest that a customer can categorically control or predict an uncertain result. These are not merely wording issues: images, editing, demonstrations and implied claims can also create a misleading impression.

Betting advertisements must carry an 18+ symbol or an equivalent notice, and people shown betting or playing a prominent role must be and appear older than 21. The code prohibits content designed to attract minors, including youth-oriented characters, language, graphics and other creative devices. CONAR’s new checklist specifically highlights humanised animals as a potential source of child appeal and recommends limiting such material to operator-controlled channels protected by age gating.

Placement matters as much as the creative. Betting promotions should not appear in channels, programmes or media made for minors, immediately around child-directed content, or through social profiles and influencers whose target audience is not adult. Operators are expected to use available age controls, audience segmentation and block lists. Betting branding should also not be placed on commercial products intended specifically for children or adolescents.

CONAR is an advertising self-regulatory body, not the federal licensing authority. Its code operates alongside Brazilian legislation and SPA rules. A campaign can therefore face a CONAR complaint or recommendation while also engaging separate obligations enforced by public authorities and platforms. Conversely, complying with one checklist does not cure an expired operator authorisation, unlawful targeting or a misleading offer.

For operators, agencies and creators, the sensible compliance review covers the authorised entity and domain, visible commercial disclosure, adult audience targeting, mandatory warning size, licence identification, offer terms and the overall impression created by the campaign. Records of approvals, targeting settings and published versions should be retained because a social post can change after its initial review.

Players should treat advertising as an invitation to verify, not as evidence of safety or likely returns. Confirm the exact site on the current government list, read withdrawal and identity-check terms, and reject any promotion that presents betting as income, an investment or a solution to financial pressure. No warning or licence removes the risk of loss. Betting is for adults only, and anyone struggling to stop should use current blocking, self-exclusion and support options rather than chase previous losses.

Sources: CONAR, “CONAR atualiza as regras para a publicidade de apostas” (27 August 2026, official announcement); CONAR, “Código Brasileiro de Autorregulamentação Publicitária”, Annex X — Betting (official code, current file accessed 31 August 2026); Brazilian Official Gazette, “Portaria SPA/MF nº 1.964, de 3 de julho de 2026” (published 10 July 2026, official federal warning requirements); and Poder360, “Conar cria credenciamento para influenciadores que divulgam bets” (28 August 2026, secondary reporting). Advertising and accreditation requirements can be updated; operators, creators and consumers should use the current CONAR code, SPA rules and federal authorisation list.