Belarussian regulator drafts a partial outdoor ban on gambling ads

MART has sent a draft that would take gambling off billboards, after years with no cap on how much of that advertising can run.

The Law on Advertising is already with other agencies and the government. It would restrict outdoor ads for gambling venues, including virtual ones, and require a warning that a win is not guaranteed and money can be lost.

MART — Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade.

As for now, placement volume is uncapped today. Exceptions would cover signs, including advertising-character signs on vehicles, at stops, stations, apartment buildings, shops, restaurants and malls. The draft follows a presidential instruction and is aimed at tightening gambling regulation and limiting gambling addiction, especially among young people.

Outdoor gambling ads after the 2021 law

Law 82-Z took effect on 8 July 2021 and let bookmakers and tote operators run name-and-mark spots on TV and radio around sports broadcasts. Outdoor ads for gambling venues stayed legal outside schools, clinics, cultural sites and a short list of other places.

Licensed brands took the spend

Compared to September 2026, Blask Index in Belarus is 3.5 times January 2021. But the jump did not land in July 2021 — it was built through 2022–2024, while tracked brands rose from 28 to 44.

After July 2021 the licensed stack took the spend. Onshore CEB is about 11 times the July 2021 print and reached $88.6M in August 2026. Offshore CEB fell to $4.7M.

💡 Key point: onshore CEB in Belarus is about 11 times the July 2021 print. It reached $88.6M in August 2026. Offshore CEB fell to $4.7M.

The crossover landed in late 2022: Blask Index in October, CEB in November. That window was the first FIFA World Cup — from 20 November to 18 December 2022.

Onshore names hold 96.5% of Blask Index, up from 30.2% in July 2021. Fonbet did not take a new licence: in November 2020 it moved onto BIZON BET’s January 2018 permit. It took almost all of the March 2023 onshore search jump, with BAP from 5.3% in August 2022 to 17.2% in March 2023 after 7.6% in November.

The government treats outdoor volume as the gap in the current law. Search demand has already flattened from last winter. The draft has to clear the government.