By Mateo Bueno Sá
The Instagram account of Paulo Augusto, a contestant on Big Brother Brasil 26 (the Brazilian edition of the reality show Big Brother), was restricted in Brazil on Wednesday after he promoted illegal betting platforms. The block came from a request by Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security to digital platforms, part of a wider push by the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against influencers who advertise unlicensed bets.
Instagram notice names the government lab
Users who tried to open the profile saw this message: "Account not available in Brazil. This is because we are complying with a legal request from Ciberlab to restrict this content." In other words, the platform itself displayed the name of the laboratory linked to the ministry on the screen.
The restriction applies only within Brazilian territory. According to the platform, it does not necessarily mean the account was permanently deleted.
348 influencer profiles and 150 million followers
Paulo Augusto is only the best-known case of a larger offensive. The ministry asked for the removal of 348 influencer profiles used to promote illegal betting sites, which together have more than 150 million followers. Since September 25, government monitoring had already counted more than 60,000 websites, pages, profiles, groups and servers tied to the promotion of irregular betting.
The provisional measure behind the crackdown
The campaign rests on Provisional Measure (MP) No. 1,394/2026, published on September 25. A provisional measure is a presidential decree with the force of law. This one banned the operation, offering, brokering and advertising of fixed-odds bets in Brazil. The rule covers sports betting and online casinos, including platforms based outside Brazil that offer services to the Brazilian public.
Justice Minister Wellington César Lima e Silva said: "It is not enough to take illegal betting sites offline if these platforms keep reaching the population through influencers and social networks." For the government, the influencer has become the main target. The initiative brings together the National Secretariat for Digital Rights (Sedigi) and the National Public Security Secretariat (Senasp), through Ciberlab.
What comes next
The open question is how far the enforcement will go. As long as the provisional measure remains in force and monitoring continues, other high-audience profiles could be added to the list. Influencers who still promote betting now face a concrete risk of being blocked, beyond questions of reach.
VDD Analysis
Fighting illegal betting is a legitimate goal, but the case shows how much power over social media the Lula government has come to exercise: one request, one block and 348 profiles targeted at once, with the agency's name displayed on the user's screen. Those who defend freedom must demand transparency on the criteria, deadlines and right of defense for those targeted.
