Google will stop advertising unregistered bets in Brazil

Google announced on Friday night (27), in an official statement on its platform, that it will ban in Brazil from Monday (30) all advertisements for bets, online gaming platforms, that are not registered at the Ministry of Finance.

The statement was published in an update to the Google Ads Gambling Policy. According to the text, “on September 30, 2024, the Google Ads Gambling Policy will be updated in response to new regulatory requirements in Brazil”.

For bets to run advertisements for online sports betting or online gambling services after September 30, 2024 on Google, advertisers must demonstrate that they have requested authorization from the Ministry of Finance to operate these services.

“Advertisers must apply for and obtain certification via the gambling application form to advertise online sports betting and online gambling services after September 30, 2024,” the statement describes.

According to Google, requirements for horse racing and lottery operators will not change, but advertisers will need to reapply and obtain certification to continue advertising in Brazil early next week. “Gambling aggregators of any type will no longer be able to advertise in Brazil after September 30th”, completes the statement.

Gambling aggregators are websites that offer information or comparisons about other gambling services, but they themselves do not offer activities that require a license to operate.

Google’s announcement about bets is in line with the federal government’s ordinance determining that, starting next Tuesday (1st), anyone who has not requested authorization to operate will have their operations suspended.

“If the company even came to ask for authorization, we cannot recognize that it wants to adapt,” said lawyer Regis Anderson Dudena, secretary of Prizes and Bets at the Ministry of Finance in an interview with Brazil Agency this Saturday.

According to the ordinance, the activities of these betting platforms will remain suspended until they obtain permission from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA).

By December, the Ministry of Finance must complete the process of analyzing the first requests received and, from January 1, 2025, when the regulated betting market will begin in Brazil, only companies that comply with Law no. 13,756/2018, Law No. 14,790/2023 and regulatory ordinances created by the MF.

“Still this year, approved companies will have to pay the grant of R$30 million to start operating and, from January onwards, they will need to comply with all the rules to combat fraud, money laundering and abusive advertising, among others. ”, describes the Ministry of Finance when warning that from Tuesday, companies that have not requested authorization will be classified as illegal until they obtain authorization. “Those who requested authorization, but were not yet operating, will have to wait to start the operation in January, if they obtain authorization from the MF, upon compliance with all requirements”, explains the MF.