Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko criticized the country’s gambling advertising on September 11, saying Belarus had “turned into a casino” and singling out Maxline’s advertising and goose logo.
On the same day, Belarus’s iGaming search demand rose to 203.7K, according to the Blask Index, approximately three times the market’s typical daily range of 60,000 to 80,000. Search activity returned to its usual level within two days.
The comments formed part of a broader government campaign against gambling advertising. Authorities have removed gambling billboards in Minsk, while gambling-branded vehicles and advertising on roads outside the capital reportedly remained in place during the reporting week.
Belarus’s iGaming search demand jumped by 64.7% week-on-week during the reporting period. However, that figure was heavily influenced by the single-day spike and does not indicate a sustained change in market activity.
The search-demand spike also coincided with Aryna Sabalenka’s victory over Jessica Pegula in the US Open semifinal. The Belarusian player reached her fourth consecutive US Open final, creating a potential sports-related trigger for increased betting searches in her home market.
Sabalenka lost the September 12 final to Elena Rybakina. No brand-level data is currently available to determine how much of the September 11 increase was associated with the president’s comments, the advertising campaign or interest in Sabalenka’s semifinal.
