The government of Minas Gerais prohibits advertising of betting in public spaces and orders the termination of the contract with the Minas Gerais Lottery.
At Mineirão stadium, the field-side advertising boards light up during matches as the score progresses. Starting this Thursday (August 20th), this scenario needs to change, at least in the areas under the jurisdiction of the State of Minas Gerais.
Governor Mateus Simões (PSD) signed a decree prohibiting advertising, publicity, and promotional activities for betting on state-owned public property. The measure takes effect immediately and covers everything from stadium stands and facades to highway margins, bus stations, airports, and other buildings managed by the Minas Gerais government. The decree also mandates that the Minas Gerais Lottery terminate its sports betting operating contract and requires notification to concessionaires of public spaces to end contractual ties with betting companies.
The weight of gambling in state finances.
The fiscal context drove the decision. According to the government, Minas Gerais loses more than R$ 600 million per year in ICMS (Value-Added Tax) revenue due to distortions caused by the betting market. The sector's own figures help to illustrate the problem; data from the Ministry of Finance indicate that the state accounts for approximately 10% of all bets placed in Brazil.
Last year, gamblers in Minas Gerais wagered approximately R$ 22 billion in legalized bets. Of this total, about R$ 4 billion was retained by the operators as net losses for the players, resources that were diverted from consumption, savings, and—according to the government—the state's tax base.
What changes in practice
The ban covers a wide range of advertising formats; large screens, banners, stickers, audio announcements, and leaflet distribution are all prohibited in state-owned spaces. Mineirão and Mineirinho stadiums, bus stations, and state airports are among the locations directly affected. Concessionaires that manage these assets will be formally notified and may have their concessions revoked in case of non-compliance.
The Minas Gerais Lottery has received notification to immediately terminate its contract with the website LOTOMINAS.BET. The government argues that maintaining this operation has become incompatible with the policy now adopted by the State.
The decree, however, does not prohibit betting establishments as an economic activity; it only restricts their visibility in spaces under state management.
Mineirão: three situations, three answers
During the press conference, Simões detailed the three layers of intervention planned specifically for the Mineirão stadium. The first concerns the stadium's permanent structures: stands, external panels, and any fixed communication elements. "The stadium cannot be sponsored by betting companies; it's prohibited. So the concessionaire is being notified today about the need to remove any type of advertising that is part of the stadium," stated the governor.
The second layer involves the field-sideboards displayed during competitions. Unlike the stadium structures, these panels belong to the tournament promoters, not the concessionaire. Each tournament organizer will receive a specific notification. Simões admitted that he already expects resistance; "Unfortunately, I'm already anticipating a legal dispute over this."
To legally justify the notifications, the governor drew on his academic background. “My understanding, and I speak here as a lifelong law professor, is that promoting behaviors harmful to the individual is prohibited by law, not by decree. So my legal interpretation is clear: these advertisements could not be made anyway,” he declared. According to him, the decree does not create a new restriction; it merely makes explicit a prohibition that already existed. The argument is anchored in the Statute of Children and Adolescents (ECA); environments open to children, in the governor's assessment, were already prohibited from displaying advertising for activities he classified as addictive.
The third layer is the one over which the State admits it has no access: the sponsorships displayed on the players' shirts. Since the athletes' clothing does not constitute public property or space, the decree does not directly affect it. The government's response, in this case, is financial. "Any event that involves betting promotion will cease to receive any kind of support from the State Government. This means, for example, that federations of any sport will no longer be able to count on any type of state aid if they have any connection with betting advertising," said Simões.
The measure goes beyond Belo Horizonte.
The capital of Minas Gerais had already taken the first step. In July 2026, the Belo Horizonte City Hall banned betting advertising in municipal spaces, including bus shelters, squares, parks, schools, and health centers, with additional restrictions in the vicinity of places frequented by children and adolescents.
The state decree expands this logic to the territory of Minas Gerais and adds a multiplier effect; the government will send guidelines to other municipalities so that they adopt similar measures in their own public spaces, with an emphasis on stadiums and areas of collective use. What was previously limited to the municipal management of the capital can now become a policy disseminated throughout the state, even if not mandatory for municipalities.
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