Apple faces legal challenge in Brazil over gambling app age verification

Apple is being taken to court in Brazil by three child protection organisations that want stricter age checks for gambling apps on the App Store. For PSPs and app-distribution teams, the point is simple: Brazil’s new ECA Digital framework is pushing platform-level verification from policy language into enforceable obligations.

1. The lawsuit was filed by Anced, Educafro Brasil and Centro Santo Dias de Direitos Humanos. They argue that Apple’s current App Store safeguards are not enough to stop minors from accessing gambling-related applications, because the system mainly relies on age ratings shown in app listings rather than identity verification at the point of access.
2. The organisations want Apple Brasil to introduce robust age verification procedures within ten days if the court grants the request. They are also asking the court to order Apple to block any new gambling or casino apps from being published unless they include adequate age-related safeguards.
3. The filing asks for ongoing judicial oversight, so this would not be a one-off compliance fix. The complaint is aimed at keeping protective measures in place over the long term, which is the part platform operators usually hate most: a technical control is one thing, court supervision is another.
4. If Apple fails to comply with a court order, the proposed financial penalty could reach approximately €85,000 per day. That is not a theoretical footnote for anyone distributing age-restricted content through a platform: it turns verification failures into an operational cost line.
5. The complaint specifically mentions Casino Roulette: Roulettist, which it says offers roulette, poker, baccarat and slot-style games. According to the filing, users can buy virtual gaming chips through in-app purchases, with purchase options reportedly ranging from approximately €3.38 to €101.98 depending on quantity.

The dispute lands as Brazil continues implementing its new ECA Digital framework, which puts greater responsibility on technology platforms to keep adult-only services away from underage users through effective verification systems. For gambling operators and the PSPs that serve them, Brazil is signaling that age gating cannot be just a label in the store anymore.