Brazil Gives Apple 5 Days on Betting App Child Safeguards

Apple has five business days to answer new questions from Brazilian regulators about betting apps that may still be accessible to minors through the App Store.

The latest request comes nearly three months after Brazil’s National Secretariat for Digital Rights (Sedigi) and National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon) first contacted Apple and Google in April over an alleged lack of age controls in betting apps. According to the agencies, there were “countless apps” that either offered or facilitated minors' access to betting platforms.

Brazil recently passed ECA Digital, a law requiring app stores to restrict minors' access to gambling content. Apple responded by rolling out age-assurance measures for 18+ apps in the country. But officials said their initial review still found numerous betting apps that appeared to lack proper age restrictions or federal authorization, raising fresh doubts about how those safeguards are being enforced.

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The Ministry of Justice and Public Safety, cited by Canaltech, said regulators now want Apple to spell out:

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• how it validates the regulatory authorizations of apps offered in Brazil
• the technical criteria it uses to distinguish simulation apps from apps involving bets with economic value, including cases where features are hidden or changed after approval
• the mechanisms used to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content
• its active monitoring procedures, risk-prioritization criteria, and average removal times after detection
• the timeline for announced corrective measures, including a software update meant to stop users under 18 from downloading apps classified as not recommended for that age group

The agencies said Apple had answered a significant portion of the original questions, though there is little public detail on that response. They were less satisfied with Google’s reply and asked for more information on how the company verifies authorized operators, tracks apps whose licenses are suspended or expire, measures enforcement effectiveness, and prevents minors from finding or downloading betting apps.

Brazilian officials also asked for both companies' responses to be made public, while allowing confidential material to be filed separately under restricted access.