Apple Faces R$300M Brazil Lawsuit over Casino App Age Checks

SÃO PAULO, Brazil: Apple faces a civil lawsuit seeking R$300 million over alleged failures to stop minors accessing casino-style App Store games. The case could force tighter age checks, continuing app monitoring and recurring compliance reports across Apple’s Brazilian marketplace.

The action was reportedly filed on July 30 by the National Association of Centers for the Defense of Children and Adolescents, Educafro Brasil and the Santo Dias Center for Human Rights. The groups allege that an 18+ rating alone does not provide meaningful protection when users can access casino content without proving their age.

Related: Judge Orders Tech Giants Apple, Google and Meta to Court over Illegal Gambling Claims

Lawsuit seeks stronger age verification

The lawsuit identifies Casino Roulette: Roulettist, an app offering poker, baccarat, roulette and slot-style games. Although the listing is restricted to users aged 18 and older, the complaint reportedly says users were not asked to provide identification, facial verification or other proof of age before accessing the content.

The app also offers in-app purchases costing as much as R$599.90, approximately $118. An attorney representing Anced said at least six other casino simulation apps were available for minors to download despite carrying an 18+ rating.

The plaintiffs reportedly want Apple to introduce effective age checks for casino games, block new titles that lack those controls and maintain continuous oversight of existing listings. They are also asking for enforcement reports every six months and a daily R$500,000 penalty if Apple fails to implement court-ordered measures within 10 days.

Brazil had already questioned Apple’s safeguards

The lawsuit follows a July request from Brazil’s National Secretariat for Digital Rights and National Consumer Secretariat. The agencies gave Apple and Google five business days to provide more information about age verification, regulatory authorization checks and the monitoring of betting apps distributed through their stores.

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security said its questions covered apps that conceal or change gambling functions after approval, average removal times and measures intended to stop minors finding or downloading restricted content. The request formed part of an administrative information-gathering process and did not itself impose a sanction.

The scrutiny comes as app-store access plays a growing role in Brazil’s effort to separate licensed gambling products from unauthorized services. Regulated betting apps have gained formal routes onto major platforms, while authorities continue to strengthen protections intended to prevent underage access.

Apple says new system is being tested

A separate 9to5Mac investigation found more than 60 apps that appeared to disguise betting platforms as simple games, weather tools or utilities when reviewed outside Brazil. Apple later said it removed the apps identified in the investigation and had already acted against 25 similar titles and their associated developer accounts.

In response to the new lawsuit, Apple pointed to parental controls available through Family Sharing. The company also said it is testing age verification in Brazil and plans to make it “available to all users through a software update in the coming months.”

The court must now decide whether to grant the requested measures and whether Apple can be held responsible for the alleged access failures. The R$300 million figure is a damages request from the plaintiffs, not a fine or judgment already imposed against the company.

RELATED TOPICS: Regulation