In addition to clubs and broadcasters, many of the digital influencers that produce football-related content on social media have agreements with companies in the segment. It's a growing market. The high investment in sports media carried out by the companies proves the role of economic protagonism of sports betting companies in Brazilian football, which moves BRL 53 billion (USD 9.4 bln) annually in the country, according to a study carried out by Ernst & Young Global Limited, in partnership with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
Due to the high investments, it is evident that the communication strategies adopted by companies in the sector seek to impact sports fans, expanding the betting culture and conquering new users in Brazil. According to Bruno Maia, a specialist in innovation and business in the sports industry, the new generation of football consumers seeks to be entertained and interact with data and statistics, characteristic factors in the betting world.
"The trend is for companies in this segment to connect more and more with media groups that have sport as an asset. Bets create micronarratives and promote a particular and parallel experience during a football match. We are in a time when statistics are turned into entertainment, there is a generation that consumes sports through games and is intensely interested in data consumption. Certainly the partnerships between companies and TV broadcasters will generate new and important revenues for these media groups," explained Maia.
In addition to generating new revenue for companies, partnerships between companies and TV broadcasters seek to normalize the practice in the Brazilian population. "I believe that the world of football and betting companies are great commercial allies. Although the activity is still a novelty in Brazil, the trend is that there will be a progressive popularization, especially after the regulation of the practice. We see a very promising future for the Brazilian market, we always seek to generate new experiences for fans, with actions that bring us closer to the public," explains Hans Scheiler, marketing director of Casa de Apostas, a company that sponsors Vitória and Bahia and has commercial agreements with the broadcaster Band.
Legislation
Currently, around 450 betting sites abroad operate in Brazil without any type of taxation. All these players are outside the country because there is no regulation sanctioned in the national territory. When realizing the opportunity to generate jobs, profitability and tax collection in the sector, the debate about the creation of an adequate regulation gained strength in the Brazilian political context. In 2018, the national congress sanctioned law 13,756/18, responsible for the creation of the "fixed-odd" betting modality, which currently includes online betting in Brazil. However, the standard still does not meet the particularities of the category, and the proper regularization of the activity should take place by the end of next year, taking into account the sporting, economic and tax factors of the segment.
"The sports betting market, when finally regulated in Brazil, will shake the media and entertainment market, opening up several new business fronts. One of them could be the creation of betting platforms by companies that own TV channels. This has already happened abroad, where powerful sports channels have taken this step, such as Fox Bet and Sky Betting. In Brazil, Globo, for example, already has a fantasy game, Cartola, which I have always seen as an experiment for other businesses in the betting sector. There is still a lot of water to roll under this bridge," said lawyer Eduardo Carlezzo, a specialist in sports law.
For Professor Marcelo Palaia, a specialist in sports marketing, the possibility of creating betting platforms belonging to TV channels really exists, but it depends on regularizing the practice. According to the executive, Brazilian football has some peculiarities that seduce betting companies.
"It's a market that will take off as soon as companies are operating legally in Brazil. The experience of watching a game and betting at the same time is very attractive, you do it with a click or two on your cell phone. In addition, we have a massive population, passionate about football, tournaments with a high level of competition, these factors make investment in Brazilian football opportune for companies in the segment. It will be increasingly common for companies to create new football activation strategies, in partnership with clubs and TV stations," said Palaia.
The possibilities for new advertising actions are vast, and according to professionals, there is a very high expectation in the market for regularization to take place in the near future. In the opinion of Renê Salviano, a professional with extensive experience in sports marketing, the media's approach to companies in the sector is due to the large investments in media made by companies, which seek to connect with sports fans in different ways. Na estimate by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) in 2018 pointed out that the market could move up to BLR 10 billion (USD 1.78 bln) per year.
"The betting companies are major investors in media, and TV stations are increasingly closer to this segment. In the last three years, we have noticed a great movement of everyone preparing for regulation, it is a great opportunity for the national market to develop in several aspects; I'm rooting for this to happen. When you regulate and the company is in Brazil, taxes will generate new revenue for the country and the government can apply this in education, sports, security, among other áreas," comments Salviano.
Thus, according to specialists, regularization has numerous benefits and should move the betting industry in Brazil. For having a population passionate about football, the trend is that the media increasingly establish partnerships with companies in the field, with the possibility of launching their own betting platforms, as happened in other countries. In addition to media organizations, clubs, competitions and influencers should also continue to receive investments from the main betting sites in the world, which see football as an important ally in the search for popularization and attracting new users.
Source: Marcius Azevedo - Estadão
