Brazilian prosecutors say Blaze used aggressive marketing, 42,000 complaints, and seek R$ 120 million in collective damages

Brazil’s public prosecutors have filed a civil action against Blaze, arguing that the company used aggressive acquisition tactics, kept users engaged through promotional emails, and exposed vulnerable consumers to impulsive betting behavior. For PSPs and high-risk operators, the useful part is not the courtroom drama; it is the very specific list of claims the MP says it can document.

1. To build the case, MP staff created accounts on the platform and monitored Blaze’s marketing activity. The document obtained by the newsroom says the company sent systematic promotional emails, which prosecutors describe as an “aggressive” strategy designed to force user engagement within the first minutes of access to the system.
2. According to the action, there are signs of “abusive practices, systematic retention of funds, and the imposition of apparently unattainable betting targets.” The investigation was triggered by two converging tracks: direct consumer complaints about retained deposits, blocked accounts, and generic explanations, plus a technical report listing more than 42,000 complaints against the platform.
3. The MP is seeking at least R$ 120 million in collective moral damages. It is also asking the court to remove advertising that promises fixed profits, guarantees winnings, or suggests extra income, and to fund and publish an educational counter-campaign on the risks of gambling addiction, overindebtedness, and consumer rights.
4. Prosecutors also focus on the role of influencers. In the filing, they argue that when an influencer promotes betting, followers are pushed to imitate someone they admire, making the wager look less like unpredictable gambling and more like a safe method. The document says consumers trust the recommendation not only because it comes from a successful public figure, but because it feels close, authentic, and relatable.
5. Blaze said in a statement that it had not been formally notified and that it remains committed to transparency and compliance with the laws and regulations in force in the country. The newsroom also said it was trying to locate Virginia Fonseca’s defense.

The filing also says the main targets of such campaigns are people in a state of socioeconomic vulnerability, where the promise of quick gains is framed as a solution to economic pressure. For high-risk payment providers, that is the bit to watch: prosecutors are not just talking about ads, but about onboarding, deposits, withdrawals, retention, and the way acquisition claims map onto consumer harm.