Of the 20 clubs in Série A of the Brasileirão, only three of them (Corinthians, Palmeiras and Cuiabá) are not sponsored by bookmakers. But this number is about to fall, as Corinthians negotiates with Parimatch, which already invests in Botafogo.
Annually, betting websites invest R$497.5 million in the 17 Series A clubs of which they are partners.
The impact of bookmakers
Esportes da Sorte leads the number of sponsors in Série A, supporting Athletico-PR, Bahia and Grêmio. In addition, the company invests in the Palmeiras women’s team and in advertising at Allianz Parque.
The company disbursed R$20 million to become the master sponsor of Palmeiras’ women’s shirt and intends to expand sponsorship to the men’s team next year.
“The visibility that football and major championships bring to a brand is undeniable,” says Sofia Aldin, marketing director at Grupo Esportes da Sorte. She highlights that partnerships are made with teams that “completely align” with the company.
Vinícius Nogueira, CEO of BETesporte, shares the same thought. The company sponsors clubs such as Aparecidense, Goiás, Ypiranga-RS and Caxias. “Our objective goes beyond the financial return that the partnership can generate. We believe it is a way of getting closer to that fan base, community and region”, he explains.
Inflated Investments
Some bookmakers avoid investing in Series A teams due to inflated values. The biggest example is VaideBet, which paid R$360 million to Corinthians, in the biggest contract in the history of Brazilian football. However, the agreement broke down after five months due to controversial payments.
“It all depends on the strategy, market appetite and the company’s moment”, comments Sofia Aldin. She highlights that, while some companies see sense in investing in football, for others, the reality may be different.
With the regulation of the sports betting sector, some companies plan to invest again in the country’s main clubs. Galera.bet, for example, which already sponsored Corinthians and was a master sponsor of the Brasileirão, is waiting for regularization to decide its next steps.
According to Marcos Sabiá, CEO of Galera.bet, the sector is full of operators “eager for a share of the football spectator’s attention”. “This inflated the values, detaching them from a more careful and rational analysis of the return and purpose of this investment.”
Future of bookmaker sponsorship in the Brasileirão
The sector was regulated after the law was approved by Congress at the end of last year. The law, sanctioned on December 29 by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, establishes criteria on taxation and rules for the commercial exploitation of fixed odds bets.
The government postponed the rules that were supposed to come into effect at the end of the first semester. The regulation should only be completed next year.
Therefore, to have a license in Brazil, bookmakers will have to comply with requirements from the Ministry of Finance. Bookmakers must pay a grant of up to R$30 million, among other requirements.
Therefore, for experts, just because of this requirement, it is believed that the number of betting houses on the market will decrease. Therefore, with fewer competitors, advertising values may consequently decrease.
“We noticed that club shirts have increased in value in recent years, mainly due to the incessant arrival of companies from the betting industry in the Brazilian market”, comments Anderson Nunes, business director at Casa de Apostas.
Thus, the company, which gives its name to two stadiums in Brazil, Arena Fonte Nova and Arena das Dunas, will pay R$52 million over the next four years for the naming rights of Fonte Nova and R$6 million for Arena das Dunas.
Sponsorship values
The amounts that bookmakers pay to Série A clubs in the Brasileirão are significant:
- Flamengo – Pixbet – R$ 105 million
- Vasco – Betfair – R$70 million
- Fluminense – Superbet – R$52 million
- São Paulo – Superbet – R$52 million
- Botafogo – Parimatch – R$ 27.5 million
- Cruzeiro – Betfair – R$25 million
- Grêmio – Esportes da Sorte – R$ 25 million
- International – EstrelaBet – R$ 24 million
- Fortaleza – Novibet – R$ 20 million
- Bahia – Esportes da Sorte – R$ 19 million
- Atlético-MG – Betano – R$ 18 million
- Athletico-PR – Esportes da Sorte – R$ 16.5 million
- Youth – Stake – R$15 million
- Atlético-GO – Blaze – R$ 14 million
- Criciúma – EstrelaBet – R$6 million
- Bragantino – mrJack.bet – R$5 million
- Vitória – Betsat – R$ 3.6 million
Therefore, bookmakers are deeply integrated into Brazilian football, but sector regulation promises to bring significant changes.
