Belarus has drafted rules that would suspend most online gambling advertising, including promotions for casino products and sports betting, while also curbing lottery ads. The proposal would go further by barring celebrity, person and animal imagery in gambling promotions, part of a broader effort to reduce exposure to gambling and rein in problem gambling.
According to Reform News, the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade prepared the bill on advertising gambling and gambling establishments. The draft has been submitted to relevant authorities for approval, and it is not yet signed into law.
The bill would not only target online ads. It also covers gambling and electronic interactive games, and it would prohibit advertisements from containing information about bonuses that can be used to place bets at gambling establishments.
Gambling News reported that the aim is to limit consumers’ exposure to excessive gambling rather than simply suppress illegal advertising. It said the changes are intended to tighten the channels available to licensed operators as well, leaving them able to advertise only within strict windows and without access to all of their previous outlets.
The restrictions on imagery reflect the view, set out in the reporting, that gambling can seem more harmless when promoted with familiar faces or animals. The article also noted earlier January guidance from Google that gambling ads in Belarus may be shown only after operators obtained the relevant authorisations from Belarusian agencies.
The proposed rules would put Belarus closer to other European jurisdictions with tighter limits on gambling promotion, including Italy. They would also move it away from Spain’s later decision to loosen a blanket ad ban after a Supreme Court intervention.
