The National Association of Gaming and Lotteries (ANJL) is challenging, in court, Law No. 16.508/2026, enacted in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which bans lottery advertising in the state.
The entity has filed a Direct Action of Unconstitutionality (ADI No. 7971) before the Federal Supreme Court (STF), arguing that the state law interferes with matters under federal jurisdiction, particularly by imposing restrictions with direct effects on broadcasting activities and on the placement of advertising in media outlets regulated at the federal level.
The central issue in the dispute goes beyond the lottery market.
The controversy primarily concerns the limits of state authority over advertising content broadcast on radio, television, and other media subject to nationwide federal regulation.
By establishing a broad advertising ban, the state law creates practical obstacles for broadcasters, media outlets, agencies, and operators acting in compliance with federal legislation, generating legal uncertainty about which messages can be transmitted, through which channels, and under what conditions.
According to the association, the state restriction also creates a significant regulatory issue: by preventing advertising from companies authorized and supervised at the federal level, the law reduces the communication capacity of the legal market without effectively addressing illegal platforms operating outside the regulatory framework and ignoring public authority restrictions.
In practice, the measure may shift the debate away from consumer protection toward a generalized restriction on communication, with direct impacts on broadcasting and on the freedom to advertise lawful products.
For ANJL, responsible advertising is an essential tool to differentiate licensed operators from illegal websites.
It is through advertising that consumers can identify regulated companies, protection mechanisms, official channels, and responsible gaming practices.
A broad ban, on the other hand, tends to create asymmetry: while legal companies lose the ability to communicate through formal and auditable channels, unlicensed operators continue using aggressive, unregulated strategies often aimed at vulnerable audiences, without any state control.
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