Apple faces $59 Million lawsuit in Brazil over gambling apps allegedly accessible to minors

Apple is battling a new lawsuit in Brazil that alleges the App Store fails to safeguard minors from accessing casino games and betting apps, and fails to verify users’ ages. Child Advocacy groups are seeking $59 million in moral damages and demand stricter age verification from the Cupertino-based tech giant or face daily fines of nearly $100,000 after court orders.

Reported by Tilt (UOL), the lawsuit was filed on July 30 by four child-advocacy groups: Anced (the National Association of Centers for the Defense of Children and Adolescents), Visao Mundial, Educafro Brasil, and the Santo Dias Center for Human Rights. The groups are seeking an estimated R$300 million, or about US$59 million, in moral damages, and want the court to require Apple to implement robust age verification for casino and gambling apps on its storefront.

Brazilian regulators had raised concerns about casino and gambling apps on the App Store as early as April. The country’s digital rights and consumer protection agencies flagged numerous gambling apps that allowed minors to play betting games. In July, the agencies gave Apple five business days to explain its safeguards.

Not an isolated incident on the App Store?

A separate investigation by 9to5mac also found that nearly 100 gambling and casino apps had been disguised as harmless utilities and games to bypass Apple’s App Store review system.

The new complaint cites one app in particular: “Casino Roulette: Roulettist.” Although the app carried an 18+ rating, the filing says it never asked users to submit ID, consent to facial recognition, or otherwise verify their age. The game allowed users to play baccarat, roulette, slots, and poker, with in-app purchases reaching R$599, or roughly US$118.

The complaint argues that Roulettist is only one example, with similar apps still easily accessible for minors despite adult ratings. Beyond moral damages, the suit asks the court to require Apple to block new unverified casino apps from the App Store. If Apple fails to comply within 10 days of a ruling, the groups want the court to impose a daily fine of R$500,000, or about US$100,000.

Apple responded to the complaint by pointing to its existing Family Sharing parental controls and said it is working on a dedicated age-verification system for Brazil, which it plans to make “available for all users through a software update in the coming months.”