BRASILIA, July 10 (Reuters) – Brazil’s government will impose strict advertising rules on online betting companies starting next week, Finance Minister Dario Durigan said on Thursday, requiring health warnings and banning claims that betting offers easy money.
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The government will mandate warning labels on all betting advertisements about addiction risks and potential financial losses, Durigan told journalists.
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The rules will also prohibit presenting online betting as an easy way to make money and ban expert commentators from inducing bets.
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The government will target not just betting operators but also third parties in the advertising chain that amplify messages inducing gambling, the minister added.
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The new rules take effect July 17, just two days before the World Cup final, a sports event featuring heavy betting sponsorships.
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Last month, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a decree allowing the government to freeze funds from companies operating illegal online betting platforms.
Reporting by Bernardo Caram in Brasilia; Writing by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Cynthia Osterman.
