With Palmeiras about to sign a new sponsorship with Sportingbet, bookmakers are consolidating themselves as the main advertisers in national football. Currently, around 80% of Brazilian Championship Series A clubs have agreements with betting platforms.
The influence of bookmakers on the club economy
The scenario just two years ago was very different. But now, 67% of clubs have already signed master sponsorship agreements with companies in the betting sector, totaling 15 teams in the first division and 12 in Series B.
The growth in football betting is evident. Only Palmeiras, Cuiabá (Série A) and Guarani (Série B) have not yet signed partnerships with bookmakers. Guarani even had to terminate the contract with Dafabet.
Because the company did not comply with the requirements of the Ministry of Treasury to obtain an operating license and chose to close operations in Brazil. This rapid transition reflects a significant cultural change in Brazilian sport.
Vinicius Nogueira, CEO of BETesporte, which sponsors teams such as Vila Nova and Goiás, states that “club investments have increased, the level of signings is higher. All of this reflects on the field and in the relationship with the fans.” According to him, this type of sponsorship not only generates revenue, but also engages fans on betting platforms.
However, not everyone is optimistic about this trend. Amir Somoggi, partner at the consultancy Sports Value, considers the relationship between clubs and bookmakers to be complicated. He mentions that leagues like the NBA attract a greater diversity of sponsors.
“The NBA in Brazil is a good example. There is a bet brand, which hardly appears, while companies like XP, Popeyes and Gatorade invest heavily in publicity”, observes the consultant.
Flamengo and Corinthians have the biggest contracts with betting companies
But for the betting sector, the diversification of sponsorship at clubs promises significant economic expansion. Currently, Flamengo is the club with the largest master advertising contract, receiving R$117 million from Pixbet.
Corinthians, which appears next, closed a R$103 million deal with Esportes da Sorte. Palmeiras is about to close with Sportingbet. This could position the club as third in this ranking, with a contract worth R$100 million. However, the Verdão women’s team is a partner of Esportes da Sorte until December.
In total, more than R$612.6 million has already been invested in master sponsors in Brazilian football. This number exceeds R$850 million when accounting for other types of partnerships.
Currently, five Serie A teams do not have a betting house as a master sponsor, but this does not mean that this type of company is not part of the list of partners of these clubs. Internacional, Grêmio and Bragantino have EstrelaBet, Esportes da Sorte and mr.Jack, respectively, on other parts of their shirts.
José Francisco Manssur, partner at CSMV Advogados, reinforces the importance of the betting sector in financing sports: “There is no other segment with the capacity and interest in contributing sponsorship resources to sports that comes even close to betting companies.”
It is worth remembering that Manssur was a special advisor to the Ministry of Finance until the beginning of this year, contributing significantly to the development of rules for the online betting sector in Brazil. Therefore, this demonstrates how regulation can be vital for the development of this segment.
Ranking of Brasileirão Série A master sponsorships
Recently, Lance! published a list with the likely values of master sponsorships for Series A teams:
- Flamengo – Pixbet (R$ 105 million per year)
- Corinthians – Esportes da Sorte (R$ 103 million per year)
- Palmeiras – Crefisa (fixed R$81 million per year, which can rise to R$120 million with sports bonuses provided for in the contract)
- Vasco – Betfair (R$70 million per year)
- São Paulo – SuperBet (R$52 million)
- Fluminense – SuperBet (R$52 million)
- Grêmio – Banrisul (R$30 million per year)
- International – Banrisul (R$30 million per year)
- Botafogo – Parimatch (R$ 27.5 million per year)
- Cruzeiro – Betfair (R$25 million per year currently – R$42 million from 2025)
- Fortaleza – Novibet (R$ 20 million per year)
- Bahia – Esportes da Sorte (R$ 19 million per year)
- Atlético-MG – Betano (R$ 18 million per year)
- Athlético-PR – Esportes da Sorte (around R$ 16.5 million per year) (contract suspended)
- Juventude – Stake (R$ 15 million per year)
- Atlético-GO – Blaze.com (R$ 14 million per year)
- Vitória – Betsat (around R$10 million per year)
- Cuiabá – Sicredi (R$8 million per year)
- Criciúma – EstrelaBet (R$6 million per year)
- Bragantino – Red Bull (values not disclosed)
