Belo Horizonte approves ban on gambling advertising in first vote
The Belo Horizonte City Council approved in first instance Bill 362/25, which seeks to prohibit all forms of advertising and sponsorship by betting operators within the municipal scope. The measure, promoted by councilor Wagner Ferreira, could make the capital of Minas Gerais the first major Brazilian city to establish a total ban on the promotion of the sector.
The Belo Horizonte Council gave the green light, in a first vote, to Bill No. 362/2025, which proposes to completely restrict advertising of online and physical betting houses within the city. The initiative, now sent back to committee for review, must pass a second and final vote before becoming law.
If approved, the regulation will impose a comprehensive ban on advertisements in public spaces, covering billboards, hoardings, banners, street furniture, promotional material, and branded items. Additionally, it will prevent the municipal government itself from accepting sponsorships, donations, or financial contributions from betting operators, thus breaking any possibility of institutional collaboration with the sector.
The text also prohibits these companies from acquiring naming rights for events, cultural centers, stadiums, or public facilities, in order to avoid associating gambling brands with spaces of civic or sporting interest.
Councilor Wagner Ferreira, author of the project, argued that the proposal responds to growing concern about the impact of gambling on young people and vulnerable groups, pointing out that “the massive advertising of betting contributes to normalizing an activity that requires strict controls and clear limits.”
National context: regulatory boom and local tensions
The debate about betting advertising has intensified in Brazil since the enactment of Law 14,790/23, which regulated fixed-odds betting and online gambling.
While the Federal Government focuses on issues of oversight, taxation, and licensing, municipalities are beginning to explore complementary measures to restrict advertising and sponsorship, especially in public spaces or sporting and cultural activities.
In contrast, the mayor of Belo Horizonte, Álvaro Damião, had proposed earlier this year to reduce the municipal tax on betting as an incentive to attract investments and sponsorships. The new bill goes in the opposite direction, reflecting the political division over the sector’s role in the local economy.
If PL 362/25 is approved in the second vote, Belo Horizonte will become one of the first Brazilian capitals to establish a total ban on gambling advertising, a precedent that could inspire similar measures in other cities across the country.
Tags: Brazil, iGaming Brazil, Belo Horizonte betting regulation, Brazil advertising regulation