Brazil to regulate betting ombudsman and player health channels later this year

The Lula government is preparing at least two new portarias for Brazil’s regulated sports betting market, with publication expected in the next few months, still in 2026. For operators and PSPs, the point is simple: the state wants to define what complaint handling and player-health support must actually do, not just exist on paper.

1. One draft would set rules for ouvidorias (ombudsman channels) and customer service functions on betting platforms. According to Estadão/Broadcast, the government wants these channels to allow complaints about specific bets, withdrawal problems, and registration issues, and it wants the ombudsman function to be independent.
2. The second topic is player-health support, which is treated internally as more sensitive. The government’s view is that some platforms already offer such a service, but without clarity on what it must include, which protocol it should follow, what guidance it should give, and even how prominently it should be shown to users.
3. There is no broad ban on betting in the short term. Lula has publicly criticized betting and has already defended a ban, but the government is not working on that scenario. Officials see a gradual tightening of the rules instead, using targeted restrictions rather than a sudden shutdown.
4. For context, the government is comparing betting regulation to the alcohol market, with strict rules but advertising still allowed alongside responsible-use messaging, rather than to tobacco, where restrictions are much tougher. That framing matters for PSPs and operators: the direction is tighter compliance, not immediate prohibition.
5. Advertising rules have already been tightened ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. One measure made warnings mandatory in ad creatives, including the message “Ministério da Fazenda adverte,” followed by one of three lines: “apostar pode fazer você perder dinheiro”; “apostar pode causar dependência”; or “aposta não é investimento”.

A second portaria, drafted with the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, also bans certain advertising claims. Licensed platforms cannot use expert comments that present betting as “technical,” and they are also barred from portraying betting as an investment return or any kind of financial solution for players.