The Belo Horizonte City Council has approved, in a first-round vote, a bill that seeks to ban advertising from online operators across the city.
The proposal, PL 362/25, authored by councillor Wagner Ferreira, was approved and will now return to the Committee for review before facing a second and final vote.
If passed, the bill would impose wide-ranging restrictions on how betting brands can promote themselves in the capital of the Minas Gerais state, whose Mayor, Álvaro Damião, has proposed a betting tax cut to attract operators earlier this year.
The bill prohibits all physical advertising, including billboards, banners and branded merchandise. It also bars the city administration from entering into sponsorship or advertising contracts with betting operators.
The measure would also forbid betting companies from acquiring naming rights to public events or facilities, preventing them from associating their brands with cultural or sporting spaces.
The city Government would be barred from accepting donations, sponsorships or any financial contributions from these companies, effectively cutting off formal partnerships between the betting sector and municipal institutions.
The debate around betting advertising has intensified in Brazil since the regulation of fixed-odds betting came into force in the country.
While the Federal Government has focused on taxation and compliance, local governments are increasingly exploring restrictions on marketing and sponsorships, especially in public spaces.
If approved in a second vote, Belo Horizonte would become one of the first major Brazilian capitals to introduce a municipal-level ban on betting advertisements, setting a precedent that could influence other cities across the country.
A federal bill proposing a nationwide ban on online betting is also under debate in Congress
