Brazil Court Orders Apple to Tighten Age Checks for Casino Apps

SÃO PAULO, Brazil – A Brazilian court has ordered Apple to strengthen age controls for a casino-style app available through the country’s App Store.

Apple has five days to restrict new downloads by registered minors and introduce age verification for purchases of virtual casino chips.

The interim ruling targets Casino Roulette: Roulettist, an 18+-rated app offering simulated casino games including roulette, poker, blackjack and baccarat. The order is not a final judgment on Apple’s liability in the broader case.

Apple Faces Five-Day Deadline

Justice Egberto de Almeida Penido of the São Paulo Court of Justice’s Special Chamber partially granted emergency relief in a collective action brought by child and adolescent rights groups. Apple must prevent users registered as minors from newly downloading the app.

The company must also introduce age verification before users can purchase virtual chips with real money to continue playing or expand their in-app experience. The court ordered Apple to preserve records connected to the app and provide a technical report explaining the measures it implements.

Failure to comply can result in a daily fine of R$100,000. The court also temporarily barred Apple from admitting new apps with equivalent casino-style mechanics unless they include effective age controls.

The order is narrower than some of the measures sought by the plaintiffs. It does not require Apple to remove all casino-style apps from its Brazilian marketplace or impose court-supervised monitoring across the entire App Store.

Ruling Follows R$300 Million Lawsuit

The decision advances a case filed against Apple in July over alleged casino app age-verification failures. The plaintiffs are seeking R$300 million in damages and argued that an 18+ age rating alone was insufficient if minors could access casino-style content without proving their age.

Evidence submitted in the case reportedly showed that the Roulettist app could be downloaded, its simulated gambling products accessed and virtual chips purchased without an additional age-verification step. The court found that evidence sufficient at this preliminary stage to support targeted emergency measures.

The R$300 million figure remains a damages request rather than a fine or judgment against Apple. The court has not yet determined whether the company bears civil liability for the alleged access-control failures.

Apple Already Introduced Brazil Age Controls

Apple had already announced additional age-assurance measures for Brazil before the latest ruling. Since February, the company says users in Brazil cannot download apps rated 18+ unless they have been confirmed as adults using what Apple describes as reasonable age-assurance methods.

The company has also introduced tools allowing developers to receive age-range information with user or parental consent. Apple says developers may still have separate legal obligations to independently verify whether users are adults.

The São Paulo case now tests whether those controls are sufficient when casino-style apps offer paid virtual currency. Apple had not publicly responded to the latest interim order when the decision was reported, while the wider collective action remains before the court.

RELATED TOPICS: Regulation