The Portuguese Online Gambling Industry Association APAJO has filed criminal lawsuits against several social media influencers, accusing them of promoting unlicensed gambling sites to Portuguese players.
APAJO urges authorities to intervene to stop influential individuals from marketing illegal iGaming services.
The complaints target internet celebrities Bruno Savate, GODMOTA, Cláudia Nayara, and Numeiro, as well as brands Vem Apostar!, Betify, Monro, Weiss, BC Game, Starda, Stake, and Wolfi. APAJO claims that these influencers have attracted a total of 2.8 million followers on platforms like Twitch and TikTok, which may include many minors.
APAJO states:
Recently, we have initiated criminal proceedings against several content creators who promote illegal gambling to millions of followers via social media. These online gambling operators do not have a license to operate in Portugal.
The association estimates that the black market for gambling causes a tax loss of 100 million euros annually to Portugal. The association calls for granting more power to the national gambling regulatory authority, Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ), and adopting measures used by other European regulatory bodies to address this issue.
APAJO President Ricardo Domingues emphasizes:
It is a priority to combat illegal online gambling through legal and other means. The licensed industry wants to highlight the importance of this issue, as it is largely still overlooked.
In May, Spain confirmed that it would implement regulations targeting social media influencers under the newly introduced "Audiovisual Communication Law." This law is considered the first in Europe specifically aimed at the industry and will require social media influencers to comply with existing gambling advertising rules and other measures.
The law, drafted by the Ministry of Economy, aims to establish legal rights for content creators, video bloggers, and internet celebrities interacting with Spanish audiences on social media. This includes intellectual property rights. However, the law also stipulates provisions to protect minors from adult content. Key content creators will need to register their business and media details with the national audiovisual provider registry and disclose all revenue-generating activities. They will also bear editorial responsibility for the content of their channels.
