Brazilian Judge Strips Influencers from Bettor's Gambling Lawsuit

A Brazilian judge has dismissed from a lawsuit three prominent social media personalities and two payment processing firms that a gambler had accused of contributing to his compulsive betting habit through their online promotions. The ruling removes Virginia Fonseca, Deolane Bezerra, and Carlinhos Maia from the case, along with the two intermediary companies.

The judge reasoned that the payment intermediaries lacked a direct contractual relationship with the plaintiff and simply executed financial transactions. For the influencers, the court found that their social media content did not form part of the essential legal relationship at the heart of the betting dispute. The dismissal was procedural and does not address the validity of the gambler’s allegations or whether the influencers bear any civil liability. The decision may be appealed to the São Paulo Court of Justice, which could revisit the question of legal standing.

The lawsuit will continue against one remaining company originally named as a defendant.

Separately, the judge denied the plaintiff’s request for free legal aid, a constitutional benefit intended for those unable to afford court costs. The court noted that the bettor himself admitted to moving substantial sums and losing more than R$100,000 ($19,673) on bets—circumstances the judge said demonstrated financial capacity above the legal threshold for assistance.

In a related development, Brazil’s Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Federal District (MPDFT) has requested copies of advertising contracts between the betting platform Blaze, football star Neymar Jr., and influencer Virginia Fonseca.