{"id":575425,"date":"2026-09-10T15:10:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reform.news\/?p=575425"},"modified":"2026-09-11T08:21:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T05:21:35","slug":"lukashenka-admits-his-family-strangles-and-harasses-him-over-goose-ad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/lukashenka-admits-his-family-strangles-and-harasses-him-over-goose-ad","title":{"rendered":"Lukashenka Admits His Family “Strangles” and Harasses Him Over Goose Ad"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At a meeting on licensing, Aliaksandr Lukashenka<\/strong> expressed outrage over gambling advertisements, particularly an ad by betting company MaxLine featuring a goose. He demanded an additional review of the operation and advertising of the gambling industry to ensure that “huge amounts of money” do not leave the country.<\/p>\n

Lukashenka said members of his family harass him over rumors that they are involved with the betting company.<\/p>\n

“What do you call it: ‘spin the goose’ \u2014 you’ve hung these ads everywhere. It’s gotten to the point where, apparently, my family is involved in this. My family… They’re actually the ones harassing me every day. They’re strangling me to get me to pay attention to this. Look at what’s happening in the country: everyone here is spinning this goose,”<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n

MaxLine uses a goose and the slogan “spin the goose” in its advertising campaign.<\/p>\n

Lukashenka instructed Head of the Presidential Administration Dzmitry Kruty<\/strong> to take the issue seriously.<\/p>\n

“What is this? We have online casinos, and casinos in general, and so on. I’m already confused by all these terms,”<\/em> Lukashenka complained.<\/p>\n

Kruty objected that the entire sector is heavily regulated, but Lukashenka disagreed.<\/p>\n

“Well, it may be regulated, but our country has turned into a casino. All these ‘Fonbets’ and others,”<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n

Lukashenka demanded that the State Control Committee also address the issue. He stressed that “huge amounts of money” are circulating in the sector and should not be allowed to slip away from the state.<\/p>\n

“It’s gotten to the point where you’re bringing some people to their senses,” <\/em>he said, addressing State Control Committee Chairman Vasil Herasimau<\/strong>. “They write to me: ‘You know, we’re losing some…’ And they write such nonsense, as if they’re going to put money into, invest in some ‘serious’ areas that we don’t need at all. And they give a figure saying their losses will be around $500 million.<\/em><\/p>\n

Just imagine the turnover involved! So there must be no deviation from the interests of the state. And pay attention to these ‘Fonbets’ and casinos. Yes, they pay money somewhere, yes, they do other things. But that doesn’t mean the whole country should be covered and plastered, especially in Kukharau’s city, with all these posters and advertisements. We have a clean, beautiful country for the people. Well, apparently, some things there are not for the people. As his inspections show, huge amounts of money are leaving our country,”<\/em> Lukashenka said.<\/p>\n

“I know you’ve started dealing with this problem. Bring in the appropriate people so that we don’t just have a complete picture, but actually make a decision. We shouldn’t chase this money everywhere,”<\/em> Lukashenka told Herasimau.<\/p>\n