Brazil Moves Toward Mandatory Digital Age Checks for Betting and Adult Sites Under ECA Digital Decree

Brazil’s federal government is in the final stages of preparing a decree that would formally require digital age verification for online betting operators and pornographic websites, marking a significant expansion of child protection rules into the country’s digital sphere.

The measure is tied to the rollout of the ECA Digital law and would oblige platforms to confirm users’ ages using officially recognized credentials rather than relying on simple self-declaration mechanisms.

According to government sources familiar with the draft, the proposed decree would abolish basic age confirmation tools that currently allow users to merely click a box affirming they are over 18. In their place, platforms would have to adopt verifiable, government-recognized identification systems to ensure that users meet the legal age threshold.

Among the options under consideration is the integration of Brazil’s CPF taxpayer identification number into the verification process. Under this model, user information would be checked against public databases to confirm whether an individual is legally eligible to access age-restricted services.

The scope of the proposed obligation would extend beyond gambling and adult-content providers. Websites that display advertising connected to electronic gambling or pornography could also be brought within the framework, significantly widening the compliance net. If enacted, the rules would establish a unified national standard governing age verification practices across sectors deemed sensitive due to their potential impact on minors.

The decree is designed to regulate the implementation of ECA Digital, legislation approved last year. ECA refers to Brazil’s Statute of the Child and Adolescent, the country’s foundational legal instrument that enshrines the priority of rights for individuals under the age of 18. The statute formally recognizes children and adolescents as full holders of rights under Brazilian law.

By extending the statute’s protections into online environments, ECA Digital reflects growing political concern over minors’ exposure to harmful digital content. Lawmakers and regulators have increasingly focused on the accessibility of gambling services and sexually explicit material to underage users.

For Brazil’s newly regulated betting market, the draft decree would introduce an additional compliance layer at a time when federal authorities are tightening supervision of operators. The government has been steadily building out its regulatory framework for online wagering, and mandatory age verification would become another core requirement for licensed platforms.

Officials involved in drafting the decree have emphasized that privacy safeguards will be embedded in the system. Under the framework currently being discussed, platforms would be expressly barred from tracking users’ identities or browsing activity beyond what is strictly necessary to establish age eligibility. Authorities have stated that the objective is to ensure that verification mechanisms serve only their limited and defined purpose.

The measure is expected to be signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as part of a broader content moderation agenda centered on protecting minors. Lula has previously voiced concerns about children’s access to online gambling services and sexually explicit material, positioning the initiative within a wider policy push to strengthen digital safeguards.

Government deliberations suggest that the regulatory scope could expand even further.

Discussions have included the possibility of imposing stricter access controls for underage users on alcohol-related content, dating applications and firearms platforms, potentially broadening the age-verification framework across additional high-risk categories of online activity.

By fLEXI tEAM