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Belo Horizonte, the state of Minas Gerais’ capital city, has imposed restrictions on betting ads, banning promotional materials on municipal assets, urban furniture, and the city government’s events.
The decision was made via Decree No. 19,654, signed by Mayor Álvaro Damião and entered into force on July 13, 2026. The new restriction amends Decree No. 14,060 regulating the Code of Ordinances of the municipality and expands the existing rules regarding the display of advertisements on public infrastructure.
Restrictions cover both static and digital formats of advertising, including billboards, signs, screens, panels, and other objects used for the promotion of commercial goods and services within municipal territories.
Municipal Properties and Events Covered by Restrictions
According to the new decree, operators won’t be allowed to advertise their services in the territory of the city using urban furniture and municipal infrastructure under the control of the city government.
In addition, the restrictions cover all advertisements placed through concessions, permits, and authorizations issued by the municipal administration. Moreover, betting promotions will be banned at the events organized or sponsored by the municipal authorities of Belo Horizonte.
Thus, companies running municipal properties and providing municipal services won’t be allowed to use their infrastructure for betting advertising and promotion campaigns covered by the new rules.
Ads Must Stay 100 Meters Far from Educational Institutions
The decree also provides geographic limitations of the betting ad display in order to reduce the visibility of such ads around institutions frequented by minors.
The placement of advertising structures of betting services is restricted within a 100-meter radius of schools, museums, and other institutions aimed at working with children, adolescents, and youth.
For the implementation of the new regulation, all municipal agencies and institutions have been granted 15 working days for reviewing existing administrative acts and contracts. Within this period, the city administration has to identify and suspend the advertisement that violates the new requirements.
The new regulation has been enacted instantly and requires the municipal administration to adjust affected contracts in the period specified above.
Within Larger Regulatory Trend
The decision made by Belo Horizonte is consistent with the decision adopted by the City of Rio de Janeiro on the same day. Via Decree No. 58,274/2026, Rio has banned betting ads in outdoor public spaces controlled by the municipal authority.
The joint publication of both decrees increased the expectation that Brazil’s largest cities might be implementing a joint approach to the restriction of betting advertising at the municipal level.
Moreover, both municipal initiatives followed the recent decisions of the Federal Government, which imposed additional restrictions on the advertising of betting services after disputes caused by betting promotions during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
At the same time, several bills are now being discussed at the Chamber of Deputies and Federal Senate that propose a ban on betting advertising throughout the whole country.
Representatives of the regulated betting industry have criticized such proposals, saying that licensed operators should be allowed to promote their services according to the existing Brazilian betting legislation.
Source: SBC Noticias
