Paraíba court orders Pixbet suspension due to lack of age verification

On 14 July, João Lucas, the judge of the Juvenile Court for Children and Youth in the District of Campina Grande, ordered the suspensionof online betting platforms operated by Pixbet Soluções Tecnológicas Ltda, throughout Brazil.

The order remains in effect until it is demonstrated that effective measures have been implemented to prevent children and adolescents from accessing betting sites.

Pixbet suspended throughout Brazil

The ruling was issued as a public civil action. The lawsuit was initially filed by the Padre Ezequiel Ramin Human Rights Defence Center; the Francisco de Assis Association for Education, Citizenship, Inclusion and Human Rights; and Father Júlio Renato Lancellotti. They argued that the platforms failed to implement sufficient mechanisms to prevent minors from registering for and using their services.

The judge emphasised that both the Constitution and the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA) guaranteed comprehensive protection and absolute priority for children and adolescents. This position is reinforced by the “Digital ECA” framework, which mandates that providers prevent minors from accessing games and betting services.

“Daily experience and online news reports demonstrate that children and adolescents continue to access betting platforms with relative ease,” the ruling noted.

“They use the tax IDs (CPFs) of parents, guardians, or third parties – often without any effective biometric verification at the time of registration or during subsequent transactions.”

Daily fine of BRL100,000

In justifying the measure, the judge cited Ordinance No. 73/2026, issued by the Ministers of Finance, Justice and the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon). The ordinance reinforces the obligation of betting companies to adopt effective measures to prevent minors from accessing their services. It also prohibits advertising campaigns aimed at children and adolescents.

The judge ordered the company to suspend its platforms operating in the country within 48 hours of being served notice. Operations may only resume after the company demonstrates to the court that it has implemented technological mechanisms deemed effective – such as facial recognition with a “liveness check” for every login and financial transaction.

Pixbet was required to perform biometric verification, cross-referenced with official databases, and automatically block registrations made using the tax IDs of minors.

Failure to comply will result in a daily fine of BRL100,000 ($19,561), initially capped at BRL100 million.

The ruling mandates notifying Anatel (Brazil’s national telecommunications agency) to block the platforms should the order not be obeyed, as well as the Secretariat for Prizes and Bets and the National Data Protection Authority so they may take appropriate action.