Bookmakers in Brazil have adopted new marketing strategies. Thus, not being limited to traditional sponsorships of football clubs due to the high amounts required.
Instead, many of these companies began investing in “ambassadors”. For example, influential figures such as narrator Galvão Bueno and player Vini Jr., from Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team.
Furthermore, champion athletes such as Beatriz Souza, Ana Patrícia and Duda Lisboa were recently requested by companies following the results obtained in Paris.
This change of focus comes after the realization that club sponsorship values are inflated. As evidenced by the R$360 million contract signed between Corinthians and VaideBet, the largest in the history of Brazilian football.
However, the agreement was broken just five months later due to problems relating to controversial payments made by an intermediary company.
Diversification of bookmaker investments
Given this scenario, some bookmakers plan to resume investments in football clubs as soon as they implement sector regulations.
One example is Galera.bet, which, after sponsoring Corinthians and being a master sponsor of the Brasileirão, chose to diversify its operations, investing in the São Paulo Carnival and samba schools.
Marcos Sabiá, CEO of Galera.bet, revealed that the change was motivated by the market context and the inflation of marketing properties associated with football.
“When we chose to exit sponsorship of men’s football teams, we sought to focus on a strategy built according to the market context… but which are not ruled out in the near future, especially in the post-regulation scenario.”
Another company that follows this movement is Casa de Apostas, which does not invest directly in clubs. However, it is the master sponsor of the Copa do Nordeste and holds the naming rights for the Arena Fonte Nova, in Salvador, and the Arena das Dunas, in Natal.
“The search, based on these varied movements that we have made, is to be present in spaces where entertainment is”, says Anderson Nunes, the company’s business director.
Betting market
Despite this trend of diversification, the majority of Brazilian football’s Serie A clubs continue to be sponsored by betting houses. These companies invest more than R$500 million annually in this market.
Even though Brazil is not yet among the largest countries in terms of revenue in the betting sector, it stands out for its high audience on betting platforms, with 194.2 million monthly visits on average over the last 12 months.
Finally, this movement in the “bets” market reflects a search for new ways of connecting with the public, especially in a scenario where football and entertainment are increasingly interconnected.
