Among the stars who had a commercial agreement with the betting operator are Neymar Jr. and the influencer Felipe Neto.
Brazil.- The Court of Justice of the State of Rio de Janeiro (TJRJ) ordered the ambassadors of the online sports betting and casino operator Blaze to present the contracts signed with the company. The decision was published by the 5th Civil Court of the Leopoldina Region after a case was opened by Erick Paiva, a resident of the state who claims to have lost everything after being encouraged to bet by the platform's representatives.
According to UOL Brasil, the TJRJ demanded to see the contracts of Neymar Jr., Felipe Neto, Jhon Vlogs, Nanna Chara, Juju Ferrari, and other digital influencers who signed with Blaze. According to the plaintiff, these celebrities advertised the betting platform, suggesting that players would have extra income or easy money.
Paiva claimed in the lawsuit that, influenced by videos with Neymar, Felipe Neto, and other ambassadors, he had spent R$62,000 (USD11,000) on bets at Blaze, which was all the money he had, trusting in the supposed security offered by the influencers.
In the process, Erick requested free legal assistance, which is a constitutional right for citizens who could not afford legal expenses. The Rio de Janeiro resident asked for compensation of R$1m (USD180,000). UOL contacted the influencers mentioned in the process, but they did not comment.
In June of this year, Bruna Biancardi (Neymar Jr.'s ex-partner and mother of his daughter), Gabi Martins, and five other influencers became the target of a complaint to the National Council of Advertising Self-Regulation (Conar) for advertisements of Blaze.com on their Instagram profiles.
The complaint occurred just a week after the Brazilian justice ordered the unblocking of the online platform and social networks of the betting site following an investigation for alleged fraud and legal non-compliance.
According to consumer complaints, the ads lacked age restriction warnings such as the "18+" symbol or "prohibited for minors under 18 years," and were not accompanied by warning clauses about the impacts of gambling, for example, "play responsibly." The Conar management added to the complaints a question about a possible poor identification of the advertising, a standard that is the starting point for correcting commercial communication on social networks.
See also: CONAR of Brazil suspends advertising to three betting houses
The rapporteur of the investigation considered that all the advertising pieces analyzed in some way violated the current regulations. In her vote, she recommended changing the advertising to include age restriction warnings and messages that promote responsible gaming in a clear and visible manner, in addition to being paid advertising. She also warned Blaze and the influencers.
