Brazil authorities target social media influencers
Brazil’s Ministry of Justice has requested the removal of 348 social media influencer accounts promoting illegal gambling platforms, with the targeted profiles collectively attracting more than 150 million followers.
The enforcement action, announced on November 10, follows the country’s September prohibition on betting operations and associated advertising under Provisional Measure 1,394/2026.
MORE: Online gambling in Brazil
The Ministry of Justice and Public Security said the targeted Instagram accounts included one influencer with approximately 1.4 million followers.
Authorities are working through the National Secretariat for Digital Rights, National Secretariat for Public Security and Cyber Operations Laboratory to identify gambling advertisements across social media platforms.
Justice Minister Wellington César Lima e Silva said removing illegal gambling websites alone was insufficient while influencers continued directing consumers towards unauthorised platforms.
The latest monitoring operation also identified 2,207 Facebook pages, 18 Telegram groups and 998 gambling-related websites on November 9.
Since September 25, authorities have identified more than 60,000 websites, pages, profiles and groups associated with irregular gambling promotions.
That includes 51,611 websites, 6,596 Facebook pages and more than 900 Instagram profiles.
The latest action represents a substantial expansion of Brazil’s campaign against illegal gambling advertising, with authorities increasingly targeting the promotional networks supporting unauthorised operators.
The ministry said its investigations would continue across social media platforms, messaging applications and gambling websites.
Brazil has recently banned online gambling and sports betting in a major blow to online casinos and sportsbooks that had entered the regulated market in the South American country.
