Celebrity Advertising Bans For Sports Betting
Brazil’s journey to a legalised sports betting market has certainly been a tumultuous one, and there could be more obstacles and changes on the way before it finally ends.
A proposal to ban celebrity advertising for sports betting, similar to bans seen elsewhere in the world, has now been added to the agenda.
A Difficult Issue
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for the Brazilian sports betting market, which industry experts believe has the potential to be one of the biggest in the world, is advertising regulation. There has been a lot of discussion about how tightly the industry will be regulated, and it now looks as though celebrity advertisements could be banned.
This proposal will be put forward in Bills 4,052/2023, with Eduardo Girao, a Senator from the NOVO party, supporting it. Girao has a strong history of opposition to gambling and has publicly opposed the legalisation of the sports betting market on several occasions. He has stated that passing this bill would help to protect the people of Brazil from the potential harms of gambling.
An Emerging Trend
If the bill is passed, Brazil would not be the first country to stop celebrities from advertising sports betting or gambling. Ontario, another relatively new betting market, has passed a bill that prohibits celebrities and athletes from any form of advertising.
Likewise, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands have also passed bills that prevent celebrity involvement, with the latter two countries passing much stricter laws that prohibit a lot of other gambling advertisements.
Despite these late changes, it looks as though sports betting is finally going to be legalised in Brazil later this year. The market, despite its high tax proposals, is expected to be one of the biggest in the world, with the nation having a strong sports culture and history. It is predicted that over 130 operators will apply for a license, generating millions in revenue for the South American nation.
