ESPM São Paulo’s Law Department brought together key industry voices for an event on consumer protection in betting. The prestigious communication university partnered with the Brazilian Institute of Education, Development and Research (IDP) and Vezzi Lapolla law firm.
The opening panel featured Regis Dudena from Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, where he serves as Secretary of Prizes and Betting. Gustavo Godinho joined as DPO and Legal Counsel at Blaze.
Laura Morganti represented the operator perspective as Director of Consumer Relations at BetBoom. Professor Eric Hadmann Jasper from IDP moderated the discussion – he’d previously worked at Brazil’s Ministry of Justice on competition and consumer protection.
Why Brazil’s Market Needs Better Consumer Protection
The event, called “Bets and Consumer Protection: Challenges and Perspectives,” aimed to examine safeguarding challenges in Brazil’s expanding betting market. Students got to hear directly from regulators and operators about real industry issues.
Early years without clear regulation created serious problems. Dudena explained this led operators to split into three distinct groups: “serious actors, opportunists and those operating outside the law, the harmful ones.”
Even though consumer law was always active, there was “a perception that there were no rules,” according to Dudena. This damaged trust across the entire sector.
What the Panel Revealed About Industry Challenges
Speakers tackled several hot topics, starting with advertising concerns. Morganti warned that total advertising bans might actually strengthen illegal companies rather than help consumers.
Godinho had colourful language for poorly regulated operators, comparing them to “gremlins” that re-emerge and multiply on new platforms without proper oversight.
Consumer indebtedness dominated much of the discussion. Godinho stressed the need for better alignment between processes, systems and education initiatives.
Morganti pushed for stronger financial literacy among Brazilian consumers as a key solution.
How Accountability Could Transform the Sector
Dudena made it clear that operators bear regulatory responsibility. This includes providing exclusion tools and deposit limits to players.
“There is no such thing as responsible gaming without operator accountability,” he stated firmly.
Professor Jasper shared his takeaway exclusively with Gaming America after the panel ended. “The most important thing is to have an impartial, scientific debate, based on data, where consumer rights and regulated markets can converge in defense of the consumer.”
But that raises a bigger question about Brazil’s regulatory future. Can impartial regulation ever truly exist in gambling, or will commercial interests always influence the process?
The answer could determine whether Brazil’s betting market matures into a properly protected consumer environment or continues struggling with the three-way operator split Dudena described.
