Instagram Recommendations Lead Users to Illegal Betting Operators in Brazil
A new study has found that 84% of betting operators most frequently recommended by Instagram are not authorised to operate in Brazil.
The research was conducted by the Rede em Jogo project at CondadoLab, PUC-Rio. Researchers analysed more than 55,000 Instagram accounts and compared betting operators with the official list of companies authorised by Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA).
The study found that Instagram can begin recommending more gambling-related profiles after a user follows just one account connected to betting. These recommendations include operators, influencers and media pages focused on gambling.
The 100 most recommended profiles identified in the research had more than 6 million followers and 114,000 posts combined.
Researchers also found accounts promoting gambling as a possible source of income. Some influencers sell access to Telegram groups with sports predictions, betting tips and higher-value odds. Other profiles focus on casino games such as Fortune Tiger and share supposed strategies for identifying when a game may pay out.
Many international operators appearing in these recommendations are not authorised by the SPA. A licence issued in another country does not allow an operator to legally offer betting services in Brazil.
The research also raised concerns about Instagram’s controls for gambling content. Meta requires approval and proof of an operating licence for paid gambling advertising, while its policies restrict gambling-related organic content to users aged 18 or older.
