Lukashenko orders fresh review of Belarus gambling advertising rules after criticism of visible sportsbook and casino ads

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called for another review of the country’s gambling advertising rules, after complaining that gambling promotions are now too visible in public life. For PSPs, acquirers, and banks connected to Belarus-facing gambling, the useful signal is simple: advertising policy may tighten again, and the state is explicitly looking at turnover and money flows.

1. According to Belta, the state-controlled news agency, Lukashenko raised the issue during a discussion on gambling advertising and singled out a heavily marketed Maxline game that involves “spinning a goose.” He said the ads had been placed “everywhere” and claimed the matter had reached the point where his family was being blamed for it.
2. Dmitry Nikolaevich Krutoy, Lukashenko’s chief of staff, reportedly said the market is operating within the existing framework: “Everything is regulated, Comrade President.” Lukashenko pushed back, arguing that formal regulation was not answering public concerns.
3. The president said, “It may be regulated, but the country has turned into a casino,” and specifically mentioned “This Fonbets [a bookmaker operating in Belarus] and the rest.” That is the part operators and their payment partners should read as the policy direction, not the rhetoric.
4. Lukashenko also addressed Vasily Gerasimov, chairman of the State Control Committee, and referred to earlier regulatory interventions against gambling operators. He instructed officials to examine “the amount of money flowing through the industry, and out of the country,” and said there must be no departure from “the interests of the state.”
5. He ended by ordering regulators to carry out a thorough assessment of the market and prepare concrete proposals for action. No specific rule changes were announced in the text, but the instruction itself is enough to tell operators and PSPs that a fresh review is now on the table.