TITLE: Brazil's Ministry of Justice Notifies Apple and Google Over Unauthorized Gambling Apps
BODY:
On July 13, 2026, Brazil's Ministry of Justice notified Apple and Google of violations related to unauthorized gambling applications available on their respective app stores. The National Secretary of Digital Rights, Victor Oliveira Fernandes, and the National Consumer Secretary, Ricardo Morishita, signed official documents indicating that both companies maintain betting apps that breach Brazilian gambling regulations.
Under Brazilian law, online betting websites and applications require authorization from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets of the Ministry of Finance (SPA/MF) to operate legally. Additionally, the Digital Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA), which came into effect in March 2026, mandates that betting platforms implement age verification mechanisms to prevent access by users under 18 years of age. The Ministry of Justice identified numerous applications on both app stores that promote, offer, or enable access to fixed-odds betting and lottery modalities without SPA/MF authorization and without effective age control mechanisms.
This notification follows previous communications sent in April 2026, when ministry technicians identified similar irregularities during routine monitoring. At that time, the Ministry requested information about Apple and Google's policies for betting apps and their screening mechanisms for regulatory compliance. A subsequent survey conducted on June 29, 2026, revealed that irregularities persisted on both platforms. The Ministry has now requested additional information from Apple and Google regarding the mechanisms they have adopted to ensure minors cannot access inappropriate gambling content. The notification does not constitute a formal punishment but represents an enforcement action by Brazilian authorities to ensure compliance with national gambling and consumer protection legislation.