Belarus Moves to Suspend Most Online Gambling Advertising, Including Sports Betting and Lottery Ads

Belarus is preparing to suspend most online casino promotions and gambling advertising more broadly, with sports betting and lottery ads also set to be restricted. For licensed operators and the PSPs that support them, the practical point is simple: fewer approved marketing channels, tighter creative rules, and a harder path to customer acquisition.

1. The proposed changes come from the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade and are still awaiting approval from the relevant government agencies and bodies. In other words, this is not law yet, but it is far enough along to matter for operators planning media spend and for payment providers assessing exposure to the market.
2. If adopted, the rules would restrict online casino advertising as well as ads for gambling and electronic interactive games. Lottery ads would also face restrictions, with the stated aim of reducing consumers’ overall exposure to gambling.
3. The ad rules would apply broadly, not just to illegal gambling promotions. That means licensed operators in Belarus would also face tighter limits on where and how they can advertise, which is a different problem from standard compliance cleanup: it directly cuts into acquisition reach.
4. The draft would also limit ad imagery. The use of celebrities, people in general, and animals would be prohibited, removing some of the usual shortcuts operators use to make gambling products look familiar or harmless. Licensed companies would still be able to advertise, but only within strict windows and without access to all of their previous channels.
5. The move follows a January confirmation from Google that gambling ads may only be shown after operators obtain the relevant authorizations from Belarusian agencies. Belarus is also following a broader European pattern: Italy has a similar ban, while Spain has loosened its gambling ad restrictions after an intervention from the Supreme Court.