Bookmakers dominate sponsorship spaces in Brazilian football. In 2023, companies in this segment will invest R$ 327 million (US$ 64.75 million) to sponsor 19 of the 20 teams in Série A of the Brazilian Championship.
The amount seems high, but divided among the 19 teams, it results in a monthly average of R$ 1.43 million (a little over R$ 283 thousand); and per year, the average is R$17.2 million per team (US$3.4 million).
Currently, Corinthians alone receives an annual sponsorship of more than 30 million reais, an amount that the government intends to raise in cash for the license that bookmakers will have to acquire to operate, for five years, in Brazil. That is, each bookmaker that intends to continue operating in Brazil through advertising will have to pay an amount greater than the value of the contracts it has with football teams.
Corinthians has a partnership with Pixbet, which gives the team 35 million reais a year. By displaying the bookmaker’s brand on the shoulders of its uniform, the club receives more than the main sponsorship paid by Neo Química, a pharmaceutical company that disburses R$ 17 million.
It is worth mentioning that the government wants to regulate the national sports betting market, and seeks to collect taxes and a license of R$ 30 million, valid for five years. This compromises the investment of the vast majority of clubs in Serie A of the Brazilian Championship, since the market is closely linked to sponsorships.
Research details partnerships of sports betting houses
A survey carried out by the sports marketing agency ‘Neo Brands’ details how the 19 teams that compete in Serie A of the Brazilian Championship maintain their partnerships, showing the brands of the betting sites.
In Serie A, only Cuiabá, in Mato Grosso, has no link with any betting company. The brands with the most sponsorships within the competition are Pixbet and Esporte da Sorte. The amounts invested by this market vary greatly, from R$5 million paid to Goiás and Red Bull Bragantino to R$35 million paid to Corinthians.
In most cases, the big brands are looking to be seen on club shirts. The most chosen places are the shoulder blade, back, shorts and front of the shirt. In addition to Cuiabá, which does not have an agreement with any betting company, Palmeiras does not print the brand of any of them because the contract does not include the display on the men’s team’s uniform.
In approximate values, the five brands that invest the most are:
- Pixbet – BRL 96 million;
- Lucky Sports – BRL 60.3 million;
- StarBet – BRL 36 million;
- Betfair – BRL 33 million;
- PearMatch – BRL 27.5 million.
The total value of the investment, from all bookmakers, reaches BRL 327 million, according to research by Neo Brands.
In the first division of the Brazilian Championship, sports betting houses occupy the master sponsorship space in 12 of the 20 teams, being the segment most present in Brazilian teams. Botafogo is the club with the biggest master sponsorship contract from a bookmaker: 27.5 million reais with the company Parimatch.
If all market segments are considered, Botafogo has the third largest main sponsorship contract in the league, behind Palmeiras, with Crefisa/FAM, and Flamengo, with BRB. São Paulo is just behind Botafogo, with a R$ 27 million contract with Sportsbet.io. But in the case of the SPFC, the sponsorship, in addition to being master, is stamped on the back of the players’ shirts.
The team with the highest main sponsorship in the league is Palmeiras, which receives 80 million reais a year from Crefisa (which also belongs to the club’s president, Leila Pereira). Flamengo follows, which receives 30 million reais from the BRB bank.
Considering all market segments, the total amount spent on major sponsorships of Serie A clubs in the Brazilian Championship is R$356.4 million. When only sponsorships from bookmakers are analyzed, the total exceeds BRL 200 million, that is, well over half of what was invested by companies from other sectors to appear in the area with the highest value of club shirts.
