Brazil Gives Apple Five Days to Explain App Store Betting Safeguards


Brazilian officials have given Apple five business days to provide more details about how the App Store blocks minors from accessing betting apps. The latest request follows an earlier inquiry that raised concerns about weak age controls and the availability of gambling-related apps without clear authorization.

Brazil’s National Secretariat for Digital Rights and National Consumer Secretariat first contacted Apple and Google in April. Both agencies questioned how betting apps remained available to younger users and how the companies checked whether operators had proper federal approval.

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Brazil recently introduced ECA Digital, a law that requires app stores to limit minors’ access to gambling content. Apple later added age-assurance measures for apps rated 18+, although officials still found betting apps that appeared to lack proper restrictions or regulatory approval.

The Ministry of Justice and Public Safety said Apple answered a large part of the original inquiry, but regulators now want clearer information about its review and enforcement process.

Officials asked Apple to explain how it verifies regulatory approvals, separates simulated betting games from real-money gambling apps, and detects features that developers hide or add after approval. They also want details about active monitoring, removal times, risk priorities, and the schedule for planned software changes.

The agencies also asked Google for more complete answers about operator checks, expired licences, enforcement results, and protections for minors.

Brazilian officials requested that both companies publish their responses, while allowing them to submit confidential business information separately under restricted access.

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