Bookmakers have become a valuable source of income for Brazilian soccer teams. Of the 20 elite clubs in national football, 19 of them have agreements with companies in the sector. In the first three divisions of the Brasileirão, of the 60 teams involved, 51 are sponsored by betting groups.
According to O Globo’s Panorama Esportivo column, bookmakers also sponsor competitions and have players as ambassadors.
A survey carried out by the sports marketing agency NeoBrand pointed out that ten companies injected more than 325 million reais into clubs to advertise their brands in seven different spaces on the uniforms. Of the sponsorship deals, 11 are major.
Experts point out that bookmakers tend to reduce investment in football
The sector is currently growing, however, experts understand that it may reach another level at some point. This new stage means that bookmakers will no longer need to expose themselves so much. Consequently, they will reduce offers to teams through partnerships, which will also happen in smaller numbers.
“The betting segment has put a lot of money into sponsorships. They are contracts with total nonsense of the amounts charged for other segments, that is, the market is heated for bookmakers. And as the sector is still not regulated, the big players haven’t set foot in Brazil yet. When everything is defined, they will want to sponsor”, said Fábio Wolff, managing partner of Wolff Sports & Marketing in an interview with O Globo column.
According to Fernando Trevisan, specialist in sports management and marketing and director of Trevisan Escola de Negócios, football is becoming overly dependent on the betting sector.
“It is very important to diversify sources of income. And Brazilian football is excessively dependent on a single sector, which is a sector that is boiling and that a lot still needs to happen”, said Trevisan to Panorama Esportivo.
For the expert, the regulation of bookmakers in Brazil may result in some restrictions, as already occurs in other parts of the world.
“If we look at the more developed markets, how will our future be, for example what happened in England, which ended up banning Bet companies from being master sponsors. They may have sponsorship deals, but not on the front of their shirt, not as a main sponsor.”
