Olimpbet and Oltinbet have been operating legally in Uzbekistan since July 2026 under a license from the NAPP. However, they are not allowed to promote their services on billboards, social media, or through bloggers — the advertising law explicitly prohibits this, and in the first half of the year, authorities have already blocked over 50 websites for violating this ban.
In the previous article comparing Olimpbet.uz and Oltinbet.uz, we examined the differences between the two only legal bookmakers in Uzbekistan. However, there is a flip side to the legalization of the market that is easy to overlook: obtaining a NAPP license does not, by itself, give a company the right to freely advertise its services. In Uzbekistan, two parallel regulatory regimes are in effect — and they do not coincide.
We explore why a legal bookmaker cannot simply launch an advertising campaign, what recent statistics on blockages show, and why legalization has become not a source of new budgets for the advertising market, but a new compliance challenge.
In Brief
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Legal bookmakers in the NAPP registry | 2 — Olimpbet.uz and Oltinbet.uz |
| Is advertising their services allowed? | No, it is prohibited by Art. 46 of the "Advertising Law" |
| Does the ban extend to internet advertising? | Yes, it is explicitly stated in the law |
| Inspections in the first half of 2026 | 165 |
| Cases of advertising for pools and bookmakers identified | 82 |
| Websites referred to the authorized bodies | 76 |
| Websites subsequently blocked | More than 50 |
| Fine for legal entities for violations | 100 basic calculation units |
Two Parallel Regimes That Do Not Coincide
The legal restructuring of the market began with the decree of the President of Uzbekistan No. UP-68 dated April 19, 2024, which provided for the introduction of a licensing procedure for betting activities and risk-based games via the internet starting January 1, 2025. The National Agency for Prospective Projects (NAPP) became the market regulator.
However, another law is responsible for advertising. Article 46 of the "Advertising Law" of Uzbekistan explicitly prohibits the advertising of gambling and other risk-based games — including those organized through telecommunications networks and the internet. As of the end of August 2026, this provision continues to be in effect unchanged.
Control is Tightening, Not Easing
Recent months' practices show that the ban is not a formality that can be ignored. On June 9, 2026, shortly before the World Cup, the Competition Development Committee and Consumer Rights Protection separately warned about the increase in advertising materials promoting betting services on social media, websites, and Telegram, and announced systematic monitoring of such publications.
On August 25, 2026, the Committee published even more revealing statistics: in addition to websites, three bloggers were identified who posted video materials promoting gambling and bookmakers — administrative protocols were drawn up against them. This shows that not only the operator's activities are monitored, but also the dissemination of advertising messages through intermediaries, platforms, and content creators.
Who is Responsible for Violations
The "Advertising Law" distributes responsibility among all participants in the advertising chain, not just between the operator and its marketing department:
- Advertiser is responsible for the content of the provided information;
- Producer — for the production of the advertisement;
- Distributor — for violations related to the time, place, and method of its dissemination.
For legal entities, disseminating advertising for products that are prohibited or restricted by law may result in a financial sanction of 100 basic calculation units. This means that the advertising agency or owner of the advertising structure bears the risk equally with the bookmaker itself — having a NAPP license does not exempt the client from checking the specific layout.
What This Means for the Advertising Industry
The legalization of bookmakers did not open a new major product category for the outdoor advertising, digital agencies, and bloggers — contrary to what one might expect from the emergence of two licensed operators with marketing funds in the country. Instead of an advertising boom, the industry received a new compliance task: now for an agency or owner of an advertising structure, it is not enough to obtain documents about the company and licenses from the client — it is necessary to separately assess whether a specific advertising material falls into the prohibited category, regardless of the advertiser's status.
The law also distinguishes advertising from certain types of information — for example, analytical and reference-information materials or information about products on the company's own website generally do not qualify as advertising. But this should not be seen as a universal way to circumvent Article 46: the content of the material and the purpose of its dissemination are decisive, not the formal title of the section on the website.
Timeline
```html- April 19, 2024Presidential decree No. UP-68 provides for the introduction of a licensing regime for betting activities starting January 1, 2025.
- July 31, 2026NAPP issues the first licenses — Olimpbet and Oltinbet (Aurum Vale).
- June 9, 2026The Competition Development Committee warns of an increase in bookmaker advertising on social media and Telegram ahead of the World Cup.
- August 25, 2026The Committee publishes statistics for the first half of the year: 165 inspections, 82 violations, 76 websites handed over to authorities, over 50 blocked, 3 bloggers received administrative protocols.
- August 31, 2026The industry publication OOHMAG publishes a detailed analysis of advertising restrictions for the new market.
How this relates to the rest of the market
A similar logic of "legally operating ≠ legally advertising" has been observed in other countries in the region — for example, in the case of Fonbet's advertising in Russia, where the FAS deemed outdoor advertising featuring a coach inappropriate due to advertising law requirements, rather than the operator's status. In this sense, Uzbekistan is building a similar two-tier protection model: licensing activities separately from permission to promote them.
What will happen next
- Will Article 46 of the law "On Advertising" change as the legal market develops;
- Will there be specific exceptions for licensed operators, as has happened in other jurisdictions in the region;
- Will the current pace of inspections and blockages be maintained in the second half of 2026;
- How will relationships develop between Olimpbet, Oltinbet, and the advertising industry under the current ban;
- Will there be new cases of administrative liability for bloggers and advertising platforms.
Conclusion
The legalization of the betting market in Uzbekistan has created a state register, clear requirements for operators, and two legal players — Olimpbet and Oltinbet. However, advertising their services remains under a direct ban of Article 46 of the law "On Advertising," which makes no exceptions for licensed companies.
As long as the current version of the law is in effect, mass promotion of betting services in Uzbekistan remains a closed category — and fresh statistics show that the state is indeed applying this model in practice, rather than just keeping the norm on paper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Olimpbet and Oltinbet advertise their services in Uzbekistan?
No. Despite having a NAPP license, Article 46 of the law "On Advertising" explicitly prohibits advertising of gambling and risk-based games, including advertising through the internet and telecommunications networks.
Why does a legal license not grant the right to advertise?
Because Uzbekistan operates under two independent regulatory regimes: NAPP decides who can provide betting services, while the advertising law separately determines whether these services can be promoted. Having a license does not negate the requirements of the second law.
How many websites were blocked for advertising bookmakers in 2026?
According to the Competition Development Committee and Consumer Rights Protection, over 50 websites out of 76 handed over to authorized bodies were blocked in the first half of 2026.
Are bloggers at risk of liability for advertising bets?
Yes. As of August 25, 2026, three bloggers who posted videos promoting gambling received administrative protocols.
Who is responsible for illegal advertising of a bookmaker?
Responsibility is shared: the advertiser is responsible for the content, the producer for the production of the advertisement, and the distributor for the time, place, and method of its placement.
What penalty is imposed for placing prohibited advertising?
For legal entities — a financial penalty of 100 basic calculation units.
Can the ban be circumvented by promoting the bookmaker under a different name?
Formally, this is risky: the law separately prohibits promoting a product under the guise of advertising another product using an identical or similar trademark of the prohibited product.
Is information about a company on its website considered advertising?
Not always — analytical and informational materials generally do not relate to advertising, but the content and purpose of disseminating the material are decisive, rather than the formal status of the page.
Sources
- OOHMAG — "How the legalization of the betting market is changing Uzbekistan's advertising industry," August 31, 2026
- Competition Development Committee and Consumer Rights Protection of the Republic of Uzbekistan — advertising monitoring statistics, August 2026
- Presidential decree of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. UP-68 dated April 19, 2024
- Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Advertising," Article 46
- UzDaily.uz — NAPP license register, August 2026
This material was prepared by BET RATING based on publications from the industry publication OOHMAG and data from government bodies of the Republic of Uzbekistan as of September 2026. Advertising legislation requirements may be clarified by the regulator.
Gambling is associated with the risk of losing money.
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