The proposal to limit advertising by betting houses, better known as bets, during sports broadcasts has provoked strong resistance in the football world. This Wednesday (28), the Senate Sports Committee will analyze the report by Senator Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ). The project intends to ban all advertising for bets during matches. Only five minutes before or after the games would be allowed for this type of advertising.
The teams’ reaction was immediate and forceful. The clubs are warning of a possible breakdown in the revenue model for television broadcasts. The amount paid by broadcasters is directly linked to the volume of advertising shown during the 90 minutes of the game. Data from Libra (Brazilian Football League) shows that the current revenue from advertising for sports betting reaches R$1.6 billion.
“If you limit it to 5 minutes, no betting company will pay that amount”, a manager protested to the column. “Only football will pay the bill for the addiction. The government continues to collect, the betting companies continue to operate. It doesn’t solve the problem of addiction, but it does ruin Brazilian football”, he added.
The mobilization involved Libra – which brings together teams such as Flamengo, Palmeiras and São Paulo – as well as 50 other clubs. In a joint document obtained exclusively by the Estadão website, the clubs expressed their opposition to the project. “Such a limitation will result in the financial collapse of the entire sports ecosystem and, in particular, of Brazilian football”, the text states.
Senator responds to criticism and defends measure against betting advertising
Carlos Portinho maintains a firm stance in the face of objections. “Brazil is experiencing a pandemic of gambling addiction. If they are winning all this, it is because many people are losing. Many families are being destroyed. It is time for the clubs to take social responsibility,” the parliamentarian told the column.
The senator argues that clubs have survived decades without betting resources and can reinvent themselves again.
Portinho is optimistic about the proposal’s progress and suggests that it could be toughened up in the Committee. “Today, if you put a bill here in the Senate to end betting, it will pass. No one can stand it anymore. Everyone has already understood the size of the problem. In the Chamber, I don’t know. But in the Senate, it will pass,” he concluded.
