Niterói bans betting advertising in public spaces in the city.
The city of Niterói has banned advertising for sports betting platforms and fixed-odds games, known as bets, in public spaces and in outdoor advertising within the municipality. The decree was signed by Mayor Rodrigo Neves and published this Wednesday (September 9th).
According to information obtained by Globo Online, advertisements already installed have ten days, starting from the publication of the decree, to be removed or adapted to the new rules. This deadline cannot be extended. During this period, the application of the fines stipulated will be suspended.
The ban covers trademarks, company names, digital platforms, betting websites and apps, as well as promotions, campaigns, bonuses and prizes. Logos, symbols, mascots and slogans that allow the companies or platforms to be identified, directly or indirectly, are also prohibited.
The measure applies to different formats of outdoor advertising and the use of public spaces. It also covers advertising campaigns and events contracted, sponsored, or held by the municipal administration, including when betting advertisements can be seen from outside the event area.
Protection of children and adolescents
One of the stated objectives of the city government is to reduce the population's exposure, especially that of children and adolescents, to gambling advertisements. The decree cites risks related to compulsive gambling and its potential impacts on mental health, debt, and social well-being.
Mayor Rodrigo Neves stated: “The expansion of online gambling is a reality that demands responsibility from the public authorities. We cannot normalize advertising that reaches our children and young people daily and that can encourage behaviors capable of generating addiction, debt, and suffering for many families. Niterói is using the instruments that the municipality has to protect the population and, especially, our children and adolescents.”
The decree does not interfere with the operation or authorization of betting companies. The regulation of this sector is the responsibility of the Federal Government; the municipal restriction is limited to local rules for outdoor advertising and the use of public spaces.
Inspection and penalties
Enforcement will be the responsibility of the Secretariat of Public Order (Seop), in coordination with the Municipal Secretariat of Urbanism and Mobility (SMU). In case of non-compliance, advertisers and those responsible for displaying the advertising will be subject to the sanctions provided for in the Municipal Code of Conduct.
Penalties include fines, immediate removal of the infringing advertisement, and revocation or annulment of the advertising permit. The new rules must also be observed by municipal government agencies and entities in contracts, concessions, permits, authorizations, and licenses involving advertising on public property and spaces.
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT OF NITERÓI
Actions of the Mayor
DECREE No. 960/2026
Prohibits the display of outdoor advertising and advertising in public spaces for fixed-odds betting platforms within the Municipality of Niterói, and provides other measures.
The Mayor of the Municipality of Niterói, in the exercise of the powers conferred upon him by the legislation in force, and
Considering the Municipality's competence to promote proper territorial planning, regulate the use of urban land, protect the urban landscape, and exercise administrative police power over the exploitation of advertising within its territory;
Considering the provisions of articles 30, I and VIII, and 182 of the Constitution of the Republic, which grant the Municipality the power to legislate on matters of local interest and to promote adequate urban planning;
WHEREAS Article 12, I and XXIV, of the Organic Law of the Municipality of Niterói grants the Municipality exclusive competence to legislate on matters of local interest and to regulate, license, permit, authorize and supervise the placement of posters, advertisements and banners, as well as the use of any other means of advertising and publicity in places subject to municipal police power, considering especially aspects of zoning, noise and visual pollution and environmental protection;
WHEREAS articles 228 and 229 of Municipal Law No. 2.624, of December 30, 2008 (Code of Conduct of the Municipality of Niterói), forming part of Title VII (On Means of Advertising and Propaganda), subject the dissemination of messages in public places and in locations exposed to the public to the rules established therein, with the objective of preserving the urban landscape from visual aggressions and providing the Municipal Administration with the necessary mechanisms to regulate this activity;
Considering the duty of full protection for children and adolescents, with absolute priority, as provided for in Article 227 of the Constitution of the Republic and regulated by Articles 3 and 4 of Federal Law No. 8.069, of July 13, 1990 (Statute of the Child and Adolescent);
WHEREAS health is a right of all and a duty of the State, in accordance with Articles 6 and 196 of the Constitution of the Republic, and overexposure to fixed-odds betting advertising has been associated with the worsening of addiction and the impairment of the mental health of the population;
WHEREAS the legal framework for communication, advertising, and marketing activities related to fixed-odds betting lotteries, as per Article 16, sole paragraph, III, of Federal Law No. 14.790, of December 29, 2023, must ensure that advertising and promotion of betting activities are exclusively aimed at adults, without targeting children and adolescents;
WHEREAS the present measure restricts only outdoor advertising subject to municipal administrative police power, without affecting the exploitation of the fixed-odds betting economic activity, regularly authorized and regulated by the Union under Federal Law No. 14.790 of 2023, observing the principles of proportionality and reasonableness;
WHEREAS the principles of precaution and prevention recommend that the Municipal Administration adopt measures aimed at reducing the population's exposure to social risk factors related to compulsive gambling, through the exercise of administrative police power over outdoor advertising,
DECREE:
Article 1 - The display of outdoor advertising and advertising in public spaces is prohibited throughout the entire territory of the Municipality of Niterói, in accordance with the Code of Conduct of the Municipality of Niterói (Municipal Law No. 2.624, of December 30, 2008), when aimed at promoting platforms intended for the operation of fixed-odds betting (bets), carried out through virtual means, in accordance with Federal Law No. 14.790, of December 29, 2023.
Sole paragraph. The prohibition contained in the heading of this article is based on the exercise of municipal administrative police power over outdoor advertising, aimed at preserving the urban landscape, territorial planning, and protecting the community, pursuant to Article 12, XXIV, of the Organic Law of the Municipality of Niterói and Articles 228 and 229 of Municipal Law No. 2.624 of 2008, as it is an activity that exposes the population, especially children and adolescents, to risks to mental health and social well-being.
Article 2 - The prohibition established in this Decree applies, among others, to the dissemination of:
I – trademarks;
II – Business names;
III – digital platforms;
IV – websites;
V – applications;
VI – commercial promotions;
VII – institutional or promotional campaigns;
VIII – bonuses, prizes or incentives related to betting activity;
IX – logos, symbols, visual elements, mascots, slogans or any other elements intended for the direct or indirect identification of legal entities authorized to operate fixed-odds betting or platforms intended for the operation of this activity, including when used in a manner dissociated from the main brand.
Article 3 - Failure to comply with the provisions of this Decree will subject offenders, including exhibiting companies and advertisers, to the administrative sanctions provided for in Municipal Law No. 2.624 of 2008 (Code of Conduct of the Municipality of Niterói), applicable to infractions relating to advertising and publicity media, without prejudice to the immediate revocation or annulment of the advertising authorization, the order for immediate removal of the irregular advertising device, and other applicable civil and criminal sanctions.
Article 4 - The Secretariat of Public Order of Niterói – SEOP, in conjunction with the Municipal Secretariat of Urbanism and Mobility – SMU, within the scope of their respective responsibilities for monitoring regulations and licensing advertising, shall oversee compliance with this Decree, adopt the administrative measures necessary for its execution, and order the immediate removal of advertisements that do not comply with its provisions.
Article 5 - The organs and entities of the Municipal Public Administration shall adapt, when legally possible, the contracts, concessions, permits, authorizations and licenses already in force that involve advertising exploitation in public assets or spaces subject to municipal police power, and observe the prohibition provided for in this Decree in the execution, renewal, extension or revision of new instruments of this nature.
Article 6 - The prohibition established in this Decree also applies to advertising campaigns and events contracted, sponsored, or held by the direct and indirect Municipal Public Administration, even if the advertising for fixed-odds betting is displayed or visible from outside the event venue.
Article 7 - This Decree shall apply immediately upon its publication, and advertisers and advertising or publicity companies are required to adapt the authorized devices to the terms of this regulation.
Sole paragraph. Those responsible for active advertisements that do not comply with this Decree must remove them within a maximum and non-extendable period of 10 (ten) days, counted from the date of publication of this Decree, during which period the application of the fines referred to in article 3 is suspended.
Art. 8 This Decree enters into force on the date of its publication.
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT OF NITERÓI, SEPTEMBER 08, 2026
RODRIGO NEVES
MAYOR
