Both proposals were presented by state representative Beatriz Cerqueira.
Brazil.- Two projects presented to the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais (ALMG) establish rules to limit the advertising of betting services and create educational campaigns for children and adolescents about the risks associated with the practice that is currently booming in financial transactions in the country.
The two bills were presented to the Minas Gerais Legislature by state representative Beatriz Cerqueira. The first of these is PL 3.017/2024, which proposes the creation of a state campaign to raise awareness about the harms and risks of online gambling and betting in both public and private schools in the state.
The project foresees the development of educational materials and the creation of conferences, debates, and workshops to raise awareness about the risks of online gambling. The proposal also determines that education professionals receive training to recognize signs of problematic use and risk behaviors by students in relation to betting.
The justification presented by the parliamentarian specifically mentions a type of service known as “jogo do tigrinho”. According to Cerqueira, this type of online betting is particularly attractive to young people.
“The 'tigrinho' is an example of this type of game, appealing to the curiosity and impulsivity of children and adolescents, which was presumed on social networks, like Instagram. Exposure to gambling environments can be considered a violation of the fundamental rights of children and adolescents, entailing administrative and criminal sanctions, as provided in art. 243 of the ECA (Statute of the Child and Adolescent),” says an excerpt from the text presented by Cerqueira.
See also: Significant support: 30 Brazilian football clubs issued a statement backing the regulation of sports betting
On the other hand, Bill 3.033/2024 prohibits the advertising and promotion of betting and online games in Minas Gerais. The rule applies not only to advertising in communication vehicles and advertising in public places such as billboards, but also to the sponsorship of sports, civic, cultural events of any kind, as well as clubs, entities, companies, or any institution, whether public or private.
