Brazil: Viçosa City Council to vote on gambling addiction awareness bill

Bill No. 78/2025, made by Councilman Cristiano Gonçalves, is set for a vote during Viçosa City Council’s next regular session on August 4. 

The legislation would establish April 1 as the “Municipal Day of Awareness and Confrontation of Addiction to Online Betting and Games of Chance” in the city.

The initiative follows growing concern about the psychological and social toll of online gambling platforms, particularly among younger demographics. 

According to Gonçalves, electronic betting addiction has escalated into a public health issue and needs to be responsibly addressed.

Originally read in plenary, the bill passed through permanent committees and is now ready for plenary consideration.

If approved, the law would allow the Executive Branch to organise educational actions, information campaigns and open discussions in schools, community centres and other public venues during the first week of April. 

These activities could be developed in collaboration with schools, municipal councils, civil society organizations and private entities.

Good to know: The mayor of Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, the same state as Viçosa, recently proposed a betting tax cut to attract operators

The symbolic and purposeful choice of April 1, widely known in Brazil as April Fools’ Day, reinforces the bill’s core message. 

“Gambling addiction is built on an illusion,” said Gonçalves. “It promises easy wins, but takes a heavy toll on real life. That’s why there’s no better date to expose this false promise.”

Carlos Mendez

Writer

For Carlos Mendez, betting markets are best understood as conversations between numbers and behavior. His work focuses on interpreting what odds reveal about risk, pricing, and public sentiment rather than chasing short-term outcomes. Growing up in Buenos Aires, Carlos was immersed early in football culture...

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