Rio de Janeiro has enacted a ban on sports betting advertising in public spaces, marking the first time a Brazilian state capital has introduced such a restriction. The regulation, formalized through Decree No. 58,274 published on Monday, applies to street furniture, city-sponsored events, and any area requiring municipal authorization.
Enforcement began on the same day, with municipal officers covering or removing existing billboards. In the Copacabana district, the Siqueira Campos subway station saw a betting platform billboard replaced by a municipal banner. This new signage highlights potential risks, stating that online betting can cause addiction, debt, financial instability, and family breakdown.
Alignment with Federal Rules
The local ban coincides with recent federal measures. Three days prior, the government issued two ordinances tightening advertising standards for licensed betting operators nationwide. Interministerial Ordinance No. 73 bars ads that portray fixed-odds betting as an investment, additional income, or a remedy for financial problems.
It also prohibits content that encourages immediate wagers or uses live sports analysis to prompt betting.
Under Finance Ministry Ordinance No. 1,964, licensed operators must now include mandatory warning labels on all promotional materials. These labels are required to display the specific statements "betting is not an investment" and "betting makes you lose money."