The ban on betting advertising in Rio and Belo Horizonte could generate a financial impact of up to R$ 200 million.

Two decrees issued one day apart promise to remove sports betting from the most visible shop windows in two of Brazil's largest cities. The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Cavalcante, signed the decree on Tuesday (July 13th). The following day, Álvaro Damião did the same in Belo Horizonte. In both cases, the public justification is the protection of urban space and citizens. The cost of the decision, however, will be borne by an extensive production chain that goes far beyond the betting platforms themselves.

Together, the two cities generated millions in confirmed sponsorship contracts for public events alone. The confidentiality of these contracts prevents the determination of an official figure, but market estimates point to something around R$ 100 million when sponsorships for the Rio Carnival are included. Sources consulted by BNLData suggest that the two cities are likely to lose R$ 200 million in investments and opportunities across the entire production chain in the next 12 months. Advertising agencies, event producers, outdoor media companies, block organizers, infrastructure suppliers, and even the municipal coffers themselves are among those potentially harmed by the new rules.

What the decrees actually prohibit

The Rio de Janeiro decree is the more comprehensive of the two. It prohibits the display of advertising for fixed-odds betting platforms in public spaces and in all outdoor advertising that requires authorization, license, permission, or concession from the municipality. The prohibition covers trademarks, logos, company names, apps, websites, promotional campaigns, bonus offers, slogans, and mascots that directly or indirectly identify the platforms, and extends to events sponsored, contracted, or promoted by the city government itself. Advertisers and advertising companies have up to ten days to remove or adapt the displayed materials before fines come into effect.

In Belo Horizonte, the decree published on Tuesday (July 14th) adds a territorial layer; in addition to prohibiting betting advertising on street furniture, municipal buildings, and events promoted by the public authorities, the rule creates a 100-meter protection radius around schools, museums, and public facilities aimed at children and adolescents. Municipal bodies have 15 working days to review existing contracts.

A critical point, however, delimits the real scope of the measures; neither decree prohibits the operation of betting establishments nor advertising in digital media, television, or strictly private events. The target is assets and spaces under municipal control. It is precisely this delimitation that fuels the sector's reaction, which already classifies the measures as "unconstitutional" and "electoral opportunism," arguing that the competence to regulate advertising in the betting sector belongs to the Federal Government, not the municipalities.

The chain that loses revenue.

The impact isn't limited to betting. Ten business categories are directly or indirectly exposed to the new rules.

Operators are losing high-traffic channels; bus stops, billboards, urban digital panels, and events that depend on contracts with the city government will no longer be available for brand exposure. Advertising agencies specializing in out-of-home (OOH) media and brand activation at events will need to reallocate budgets to digital, TV, and private sponsorships outside the municipal umbrella.

Urban furniture and advertising panel companies are losing a growing client. Eletromidia, for example, is mentioned in a lawsuit filed by city councilors in Belo Horizonte against betting advertisements on buses and shelters, which already indicated the scale of the business in the city.

Event producers and organizers of Carnival street parties are facing a concrete budgetary problem; street parties that depend on municipal authorization to occupy public roads are prevented from accepting visible sponsorship from betting companies during this part of the event, affecting the budget allocated to infrastructure, stage, sound, and security. The same applies to shows and festivals with institutional support from the city hall, such as New Year's Eve and the Arraial de Belô festival, which lose the possibility of having betting companies as visible sponsors.

Suppliers of tents, stages, screens, signage, and set design are experiencing a reduction in demand linked to this client category. Local broadcasters and producers of public event transmissions are losing branding revenue from screens and coverage materials. Organizers of street races that depend on municipal permits to close roads are prevented from displaying betting brands on start and finish arches, kits, and course materials. Influencers and ambassadors hired for in-person activations in public spaces are losing the physical execution channel for part of their campaigns.

The numbers that contracts hide

There is an irony in the budget crisis that the decrees may cause; the municipalities themselves are among those who will be harmed.

In Belo Horizonte, the only confirmed figures show that Esportes da Sorte paid for the "Collaboration Quota" for the 2026 Carnival and invested as a "Master Sponsor" in the Arraial de Belô 2026. The city hall expected to raise at least an additional R$ 14,5 million in other Carnival quotas that were not filled, indicating that the appetite of bettors for BH fell short of the municipal target.

In Rio, Superbet has sponsored Liesa since 2023, with renewal for 2026, having acquired the naming rights to the Allegria VIP box (renamed “Superbet Allegria”) and purchased advertising space on light rail vehicles and at Galeão and Santos Dumont airports via Eletromidia. In 2025, only the N1 VIP box, the most expensive in the Sambadrome, signed an advertising contract with a betting company. Esportes da Sorte holds the master sponsorship of the Rio street carnival. The mayor's decree will exclude the Rio "package," which includes sponsorship of the league, VIP boxes, transportation and airports, plus the street carnival.

The history of sports betting platforms sponsoring events in Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte reveals the extent of the economic damage that opportunistic electoral measures can cause to both cities. What is already known is enough to make the debate more complex than the protectionist rhetoric suggested by the decrees.