Instagram recommends illegal gambling profiles to 84% of users in Brazil.
Simply following a betting account on Instagram is enough for the platform's algorithm to start recommending dozens of similar profiles. What the user doesn't see is that, within this ecosystem, four out of five operators recommended by the social network operate illegally in Brazil.
A study by the Rede em Jogo project, from CondadoLab at PUC-Rio, published by The Intercept , mapped more than 55 Instagram accounts and arrived at a number that exposes the scale of the problem: 84% of the operators most recommended by the platform operate without authorization in the country . The research cross-referenced the data with the official list from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets to identify which companies operate irregularly.
The 100 profiles most recommended by the algorithm already have over 6 million followers and 114 posts. They are divided into three categories: betting operators, specialized content creators, and media focused on the gambling market.
The machinery of "professional gamblers"
Pedro is one of these creators. On his Instagram stories , he announces what he calls a "super promotion for a premium group with higher odds": access that normally costs R$ 397,00 per month, which he offers for R$ 14,91 per month on the annual plan. The group operates on Telegram and is where he distributes sports predictions, tips on bookmakers, and higher odds.
Pedro's profile is just one example of what Instagram's algorithm presents to any user who follows a betting site. The platform's recommendation logic pushes users towards similar accounts, including creators who call themselves tipsters, sports traders , or "professional bettors." The recurring promise is always the same: "get out of your cushy job," guaranteed financial return, and access to "the income of your dreams."
The product they sell is supposed expertise, materialized in subscriptions, automated spreadsheets, bots, and access to closed groups. To convince the public, they resort to screenshots with testimonials from supposed students who allegedly obtained high profits by following their predictions. The narrative of proven success is a central strategy of this segment, which tends to treat gambling addiction problems as isolated cases, unrelated to the "profession."
Humor reinforces this construct. Memes, skits, and short videos trivialize risky practices and hinder the identification of compulsive behaviors, according to the study's conclusions. The result is a redefinition of gambling: activities that depend exclusively on chance are presented as competitive games, and success in gambling is recharacterized as skill and competence.
From sports to Tigrinho
The same pattern repeats itself in profiles dedicated to online casinos. João, a creator focused on the Tigrinho game, publishes videos in the style of live streams that simulate sessions with high winnings, always pointing out which operator or game "is paying the most." In another format, he shares with subscribers of his Telegram group the times of "highest winnings" for certain games and teaches them how to identify supposed patterns in the interface, such as animations on the tiger's face or specific screen flashes that would indicate a large imminent prize.
On the operators' own pages, the content varies between humorous videos, banners with artificial intelligence, casino promotions, and sports betting odds. According to the study, most of these accounts belong to international companies that may be regulated in their countries of origin, but do not have authorization from the Brazilian Prize and Betting Secretariat to operate in Brazil.
Specialized media, comprised of channels, portals, and sports gossip profiles, completes this ecosystem by promoting betting platforms with the appearance of journalistic coverage. In these spaces, advertising for online betting sites is presented as information, reporting on odds, operator features, and cases of bettors with significant wins or losses.
Meta's role in systemic risk
A common characteristic among the different profiles identified by the research is the generic reference to bodies such as the National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (Conar) and the Betting Management System (Sigap), in addition to mentions of so-called "responsible gambling." In many cases, this regulatory language appears associated with illegal operators, functioning as a legitimizing mechanism. Some of these operators even use the term "authorized" in their communication and the .bet extension in their domain, even without a valid license in Brazil.
Meta's gambling policies require operators to obtain prior authorization from the platform, prove they have an operating license, and not target content to individuals under 18 years of age. During the registration process, companies sign a contract releasing Meta from liability for content violations and any potential legal or administrative proceedings.
Regarding organic content, the platform's policies state that they encourage safety and display material only for those over 18, but they do not mention responsible gaming practices, do not detail legal and regulatory obligations, and do not specify how they validate certifications, monitor licenses, or identify irregular operators. Meta did not respond to contact made before the publication of the study.
The study points out that the absence of governance policies aligned with current regulations, combined with the platform's algorithmic recommendations, constitutes a systemic risk in which Meta is a major player. To address this, the research advocates for expanding the regulatory obligations of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting and the National Data Protection Agency, with the mandatory inclusion of technological and social mechanisms for monitoring, identifying, and moderating this ecosystem, going beyond current transparency reports and the removal of content only after notification of administrative decisions.
