Belarus Drafts Law to Ban Most Online Gambling Advertising
Belarus's Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) has drafted a law that would ban advertising for most online casinos, betting products, electronic interactive games and lotteries, according to reports this week citing the state news agency BELTA. The draft, sent to relevant government bodies for approval in late August 2026, is not yet in force.
What The Draft Law Proposes
Under the proposal, advertising for gambling and electronic interactive games would be prohibited online outright, while advertising for lotteries and physical gambling establishments would face significant new restrictions, with limited exceptions still being worked out.
The draft also extends the ban to advertising placed in public transport and adds new limits on when gambling and lottery ads can air on television and radio.
Separately, licensed operators would be barred from using images of people or animals in their marketing.
Part Of A Wider Clampdown
The advertising proposal follows Presidential Decree No. 226, which took effect on March 11, 2026, and already tightened requirements on Belarus's gambling sector.
Belarusian banks have separately been required to block payments from citizens to foreign online casinos, a move designed to push gambling activity toward locally licensed operators.
In January 2026, Google updated its Belarus advertising policy to allow properly licensed gambling operators to advertise online, a shift the new draft law would largely reverse.
What Happens Next?
The draft law still needs sign-off from the relevant Belarusian government agencies before it can be considered by lawmakers, and its wording could change during that process.
If enacted as proposed, licensed operators would keep the ability to advertise, but through a considerably narrower set of channels than they use today.
You can find more on this and further coverage on gambling.com news.
