Belarus is moving closer to introducing an almost complete ban on outdoor and transport gambling advertising under revised amendments to the country’s Law “On Advertising”.
The Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade, known as MART, has circulated the revised draft to government bodies. The proposal would restrict advertising for casinos, bookmakers and virtual gambling establishments across several public locations.
MART advertising department consultant Yulia Khvalyuk announced the development on 21 September. The draft follows complaints about the widespread presence of casino and bookmaker marketing across Belarus.
Gambling adverts would disappear from major public locations
The amendments would prohibit gambling advertising on billboards, inside and outside public transport, at bus stops and railway stations, and on residential building facades.
Advertisements would also be banned from shopping centres, restaurants and other catering establishments. Signage displayed directly at licensed gambling venues would remain permitted. Gambling advertisements would be required to carry a warning that winnings are not guaranteed and that participation involves the risk of losing money.
MART has not provided a timetable for completing the interagency review or adopting the amendments. “Gambling advertising in the country is practically unrestricted right now, but the rules will soon change,” said Yulia Khvalyuk.
Belarus already prohibits gambling promotion near schools, healthcare facilities, cultural venues and sports institutions. It is also banned from children’s media, while television and radio advertisements are restricted to the period between 9pm and 7am. Outdoor advertising on city streets remains outside those existing restrictions.
Public complaint and presidential criticism accelerated the proposal
Belarusian resident Igor Borisenok formally complained to the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Information and MART about the volume of casino and bookmaker advertising.
MART said it shared his concerns and had already prepared proposals to tighten the rules. Progress accelerated after gambling advertising received attention at the highest level of government.
President Alexander Lukashenko criticised the sector’s advertising during a meeting in Minsk on 10 September. His comments focused on a viral Maxline campaign using the slogan “kruti gusya”, translated as “spin the goose”. Independent outlet Nasha Niva reported that the phrase has a suggestive meaning in youth slang.
“What is happening in this country: everyone is spinning this goose… you’ve hung these ads everywhere,” Lukashenko complained. He instructed presidential administration head Dmitry Krutoy to investigate gambling advertising. The draft subsequently moved to the interagency coordination stage.
Analytics platform Blask estimated Maxline’s market revenue benchmark at $187.93 million on 28 September, up 98.39 per cent year on year. The timing does not prove that advertising caused the increase, but it shows the commercial scale behind the promotions facing restriction.
Advertising restrictions form part of wider gambling controls
Blask ranks Belarus as the 36th-largest gambling market among 142 countries it tracks. The platform records 50 active brands, an estimated market revenue benchmark of $1.21 billion and potential new-player inflow of 1.81 million. The market grew 20.02 per cent year on year.
Official operator filings also show growth. Statuskvo, which operates Betera, increased revenue by 73 per cent to two billion Belarusian rubles, approximately €580 million, during 2024. INHO, the operator behind Maxline, increased revenue by 280 per cent to 363 million rubles, around €105 million.
Belarus has introduced other controls this year. Since 11 March, banks have refused customer transfers to foreign unlicensed online casinos.
Operators must also maintain minimum financial reserves with Belarusian banks. Casinos and other gaming venues require at least 4.05 million rubles, approximately €1.17 million, while bookmakers and totalizators accepting bets only on sporting events require around 900,000 rubles, or €261,000.
The draft advertising amendments are open for public consultation from 23 September to 23 October 2026.
Belarus is moving from limited location and broadcast controls towards restricting gambling’s visibility across everyday public spaces. The proposal gained momentum after presidential intervention, but the market data shows why operators have invested heavily in advertising. The main question is how reducing public exposure will influence acquisition practices.
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