Viih Tube and Mel Maia were used to being mentioned in reports about their careers in the entertainment industry and were examined by Fantástico this Sunday (17). They appeared in the electronic magazine because they used their social networks to promote the “little plane game,” which is illegal in Brazil.
The report also named names such as Rico Melquiades, Jon Vlogs and Juju Salimeni for their connection to the Blaze bookmaker all of whom are under police investigation for promoting the game, according to Globo. The star Neymar, who also promotes the company, and Felipe Neto, who has already engaged in virtual fights and is arguing with Record over the betting company, were not mentioned in Fantástico.
Globo explained that Brazilian law allows betting at socalled fixed odds, that is, when the participant risks the outcome of a sports game. The fantasy modality is also available, in which the user puts together a virtual team and collects points when the selected athletes present good results in the case of Cartola, from the broadcaster itself.
However, the little airplane game promoted by influencers will not be released in the country as it relies entirely on luck. In the game, the player lets his plane take off and the more it flies, the more money can be delivered. However, you must complete the “flight” before the plane suffers a collision otherwise the user loses all value.
From September to today, the São Paulo court has blocked R$101 million from Blaze and ordered the website taken offline. The decision had no effect. According to police, influencers who engage in advertising are a key mechanism for the spread and growth of illegal gambling.
Contacted for the report, Viih Tube said that when she learned of the allegations against Blaze, she requested the termination of her contract with the company in fact, she shared stories on her Instagram on Saturday (16) celebrating that According to the betting site, he got rid of it and felt guilty about advertising gambling to his followers.
Jon Vlogs' advisor stated that he has had a contract with Blaze since 2021, but the relationship is strictly that of an influencer, with no involvement. The team did not comment on the investigation. According to Globo, Rico Melquiades, Mel Maia and Juju Salimeni did not return contact.
After the report was shown, Marcos Mion's former stage assistant made fun of the situation. “Oh guys, I performed at Fantástico for the first time in my life. Big shit, I never needed Globo to be who I am,” she posted on Instagram Stories. She accused the broadcaster of hypocrisy for criticizing Blaze but allowing its program to be sponsored by other bookmakers. “None of them are based in Brazil, not even the ones that appear on Globo, they are all in Curaçao. This is very ridiculous, very hypocritical.”
Mel Maia stated that she responded to the Fantástico report and that she did not know why her position was not reported. She shared the note on her Instagram profile. In the message he states that he is not aware of any investigations against Blaze and that he was only hired for advertising purposes. “She will wait for the outcome of the investigation to take appropriate action,” her lawyers said.
Rico Melquiades said he was contacted by the report on Friday evening (15) and had not had time to learn about the case. “Its legal team is in contact with the said company to investigate the matter.”
Blaze's lawyers claimed that the company was based in Curaçao and that the activity did not constitute a crime, even if the bettors were Brazilian. They highlighted that in another similar case, the São Paulo State Ministry had asked for the police investigation to be closed and a judge overturned the decision to block the website.