Study: Is your affiliate program ready for Brazil’s new regulations?

Brazil is on the verge of introducing the most impactful regulations for its iGaming industry. From the 1st of January 2025, brands will need to have a license to operate in the country. There will also be rules for advertisers and marketers, which will likely shake up how online advertising is executed.

Why it matters - Brazil’s booming market

According to Statista, the Brazilian iGaming market is currently estimated at  US$1.97bn (€1.82bn or £1.52bn) in 2024*. This is predicted to grow to US$4.03bn by 2029 (€3.73bn or £3.11bn) – effectively doubling in 5 years and likely to attract a variety of marketing activities.

How Brazil’s regulators, specifically the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets of the Ministry of Treasury (SPA/MF), will seek to control its iGaming activity is yet to be seen. Typically, when new online regulations are introduced in a country, there is a flurry of fines and prosecutions. This is a way for regulators to ‘set the tone’, sending a clear message to all stakeholders. It remains to be seen how the SPA/MF) will seek to control the market. 

Changing affiliate landscape

Affiliate websites are seeing their dominance in search engines being challenged by high-authority websites. News and sports-focused websites in Brazil are using their popularity and significant authority to rank content for popular ‘iGaming themed’ keywords.

Websites such as metropoles.com, gazetaesportiva.com, and em.com.br now dominate popular keyword terms. Although these sites are not typically associated with igaming, they hold many of the top positions in Google.com.br for popular keyword terms.

Average position of websites in google.com.br over keywords analysed

Responsible gaming messaging

As part of this study, we reviewed the top 30 organic positions in Google.com.br for relevant keywords to identify high-ranking websites. These websites were then checked to see if they had already adopted some of the suggested responsible gaming messaging requirements that  regulators would want to see in marketing 

Key findings

1. Age Restriction Messaging (89%) The most common responsible gaming practice among these websites promoting iGaming products is displaying an icon or message that their content is intended for users aged 18+.
    
2. "Jogue com responsabilidade" Messaging (77%) A significant majority of websites include the phrase “Jogue com responsabilidade” (Play responsibly), a standard message aimed at encouraging safe play.
    
3. Terms and Conditions Messaging (74%) Approximately 74% of the websites clearly state that “Aplicam-se os Termos e Condições” (Terms and Conditions apply). This disclaimer is essential for setting expectations and ensuring users understand the rules governing bonuses, bets, and other platform features.
    
4. Link to the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (46%) Less than half of the analysed websites provide a direct link to the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR), a leading organisation dedicated to promoting responsible gambling practices in Brazil.
    
5. "Conteúdo Comercial" Confirmation (20%) Only 20% of websites explicitly identify their material as “Conteúdo Comercial” (Commercial Content). This statistic suggests that most platforms do not openly acknowledge their promotional nature, which could mislead users about the intent of their content.

Conclusion

The findings reveal that while many Brazilian-facing websites incorporate some responsible gaming elements, there is still room for improvement. Age restriction messaging and calls to play responsibly are nearly standard, but less than half provide links to trusted resources like IBJR, and a minority acknowledge their content as commercial. 

As Brazil’s regulated igaming market grows, integrating comprehensive and consistent responsible gaming practices will be crucial to protect users and build long-term trust. It will be up to the regulators to decide how they monitor what is expected to be a surge in marketing activities l, something that is likely to present them with significant challenges over the years to come.