Brazil’s MP says Virginia Fonseca misled followers into betting on Cape Verde against Argentina, and seeks R$ 120 million from Blaze

Brazil’s Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) says influencer Virginia Fonseca encouraged followers to bet on Cape Verde to beat Argentina in the World Cup knockout round last Friday (3), in content that was not marked as advertising. For high-risk operators, the point is obvious: prosecutors are now treating influencer-led betting promotion as a consumer-harm and disclosure problem, not just a marketing dispute.

1. The MP says Fonseca posted a video on the day of the match that appeared to show her betting on a Cape Verde win over Argentina, while the content was not labeled as advertising.
2. Argentina won 3-2, and the MP says followers who acted on the recommendation suffered a total loss. The office argues that Fonseca used emotionally loaded language around “hope” to push people into behavior that would cause financial losses, without disclosing the real odds.
3. The filing also says Fonseca’s conduct was not isolated. According to the MP, it was part of a “systematic and structured” model of bettor acquisition orchestrated by Blaze during the 2026 World Cup, with coordinated ad intensification around matches to exploit emotional exposure and collective engagement.
4. In a statement, Blaze said it had not been formally served and that it “remains committed to transparency and compliance with the legislation and regulations in force in the country.” The report says it is trying to reach Fonseca’s defense.
5. The MP’s public civil action seeks an emergency order requiring Fonseca to remove all betting-related promotional content from her social accounts if it promises unrealistic profits, misleads consumers, encourages bets on a specific team, event, or sporting condition, or uses disguised advertising in personal, family, travel, or similar content without clear disclosure. It also seeks collective moral damages of no less than R$ 120 million.

The action says the investigation began in 2023, when Blaze was operating without any federal authorization. It also cites a technical report with more than 42,000 complaints against the platform, plus consumer reports of systematic retention of deposited funds, account blocking, and generic explanations. For PSPs and acquirers, that combination of complaints, disclosure issues, and aggressive affiliate-style promotion is exactly where regulators tend to move from “bad campaign” to “structure of abuse.”