Brazil ESPM event: Saying ‘play responsibly’ shifts blame onto consumers

At ESPM’s event on betting regulation in Brazil, the second panel focused on consumer vulnerability due to advertising practices.

ESPM São Paulo hosted an event on betting and consumer protection to discuss the country’s betting scene on August 19. 

The second panel of the day, Offer and advertising in digital betting: challenges and perspectives, featured Luiz Orsatti Filho, Executive Director of Procon-SP, São Paulo’s consumer protection agency; Juliana Albuquerque, Vice President of Conar, the Brazilian National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation; and Luis Fernando Baby Miranda, Public Defender of the State of São Paulo. 

The session was moderated by Ricardo Morishita Wada, Professor of Consumer Law at IDP.

Speakers highlighted the tension between advertising practices and consumer vulnerability in Brazil’s digital betting market. 

Luiz Orsatti Filho stressed that “every bettor is also a consumer,” emphasizing the need for protections beyond simple disclaimers. 

Miranda then argued that, for a long time, “there was no progress in regulation,” weakening consumer protection frameworks. 

Besides that, he also criticized the common industry phrase “play responsibly” as misleading, saying it unfairly shifts the burden onto consumers, who are “always the vulnerable side in a consumption relationship.”

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Albuquerque also pointed to the rapid rise of influencer marketing as a complicating factor, underscoring the reputational risks for both consumers and brands.

After the panel, Laura Morganti, Director of Consumer Relations at BetBoom, in an exclusive comment to Gaming America, said, “many consumers do not yet master the complexity of the betting sector but still want, and have the right, to participate. Still, it would be far better if they could do so in an informed way.”

Moderator Ricardo Morishita closed the discussion by insisting that combating illegal operators should be a priority and called for unified protocols to guide advertising practices.

Carlos Mendez

Writer

Odds tell a story long before the result does. When bettors learn to read that story properly, betting becomes a matter of discipline and value rather than emotion or guesswork.

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