CONAR, the Brazilian National Council for Advertising Self Regulation, a private body that enforces the advertising industry's own code of conduct, approved on August 27, 2026 an update to Annex X of the Brazilian Advertising Self Regulation Code, the annex that governs fixed odds betting advertising. CONAR announced the decision on August 28, 2026, and the text takes effect thirty days after publication, although the body urges advertisers to comply immediately. In practice, anyone running campaigns has a short window to review what is already on air.
What was approved, and by whom
The update was approved by CONAR's Content Council. According to the body's president, Eduardo Simon, the new rules respond to a call from public authorities, in particular the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting of the Ministry of Finance, known as SPA/MF, the federal agency that regulates fixed odds betting in Brazil. CONAR reports having opened more than 160 proceedings involving betting advertising, most of them already examined by its Ethics Council.
One distinction matters: CONAR is a private self regulation body and its measures are ethical in nature, such as recommending that an ad be changed or pulled from the air. They do not replace state regulation, but they reach advertisers, agencies and media outlets, and they usually shape market conduct before any administrative or court discussion begins.
What changes in Annex X
- Age of people on screen: only people who are and look over 21 may take part in the ads.
- Appeal to minors: content and elements with strong appeal to children and teenagers, humanized animals in particular, may not be used, and their use is limited to the operators' own channels with age restriction mechanisms.
- Prominent warnings: the text sets criteria for presenting the warnings about the impact of betting in a clear and prominent way, in line with SPA/MF Ordinance No. 1,964 of July 3, 2026.
- Influencers and affiliates: it encourages systems for regular monitoring of ads and creates an accreditation and professional qualification program.
- Record of safeguards: it recommends that those responsible for campaigns keep a record of the measures adopted to target adult audiences and prevent harmful behavior.
Two layers of rules over the same creative
The update follows a semester of changes in state regulation. SPA/MF Ordinance No. 1,964 of July 3, 2026 standardized responsible gaming warnings in advertising, effective since July 17, 2026, and Interministerial Ordinance MF/SECOM/MJSP No. 73 of July 10, 2026 widened the duties of the whole distribution chain, including prior verification that the advertised operator is licensed. Advertisers now answer both to the regulator and to self regulation.
What this means in practice
In the reading of Oliveira & Jacobovitz, Annex X has stopped being a statement of principles and become a checklist of verifiable requirements, and that is how it will be enforced. Three concrete consequences follow:
- A full inventory of creatives, not a spot check. Casting, mascots, characters and soundtracks with child appeal must be reviewed across every active campaign, including those run by affiliates, not only in brand pieces.
- Affiliate and influencer contracts become compliance tools. With the accreditation program, the operator needs to know who promotes its brand, under which rules, with what prior approval and with what power to take content down immediately.
- Recording is defending. The recommendation to keep a record of measures and safeguards effectively creates the file a company will use to defend itself in a CONAR proceeding or in an administrative case before SPA/MF. Whoever keeps no record cannot prove compliance.
For operators, agencies and affiliates, the thirty day window is the time available to run the diagnosis and adjust contracts and creatives. Each case requires individual analysis, and this text does not replace specific legal advice.
