The Office of the Attorney General of Brazil (AGU) has launched an investigation into Meta, demanding the removal of illegal online gambling promotional content published within Brazil's territory within 48 hours. The investigation found hundreds of ads from unauthorized operators running in the advertising libraries of Facebook and Instagram, which are owned by Meta.
The National Office of the Public Prosecutor for the Defense of Democracy (PNDD) has issued an extrajudicial notice to Meta, clearly stating that these operators have not obtained permission and authorization from the Ministry of Finance, thus engaging in illegal advertising and transaction activities in Brazil. The notice emphasizes that these illegal operations may involve tax evasion, money laundering, consumer rights violations, fraud, and other illegal activities. Legitimate gambling websites in Brazil can be easily identified by the URL suffix “.bet.br”.
In recent months, Meta has faced similar issues in Asia and did not attend investigations regarding unauthorized gambling platform advertisements as per regulatory requirements in India. In the Philippines, Meta has taken steps to remove Facebook pages of influential figures promoting illegal online gambling, including well-known personalities such as Sachzna Laparan.
The AGU points out that according to Article 19 of the Brazilian Internet Civil Rights Framework, digital platforms are responsible for the illegal content they host. Although Meta has committed to updating its terms of use for gambling advertisements, the AGU reiterates that social media must act within a reasonable time to ensure that non-compliant content is inaccessible. This action requires Meta to delete all non-compliant promotional activities within 48 hours.
