The agreements have different aspects and some cannot appear on the uniform, as is the case with Palmeiras, which gives Crefisa exclusivity on the shirt. The alternative in this case is to activate the partnership with Dafabet on the website, in the stadium and in other actions on social networks, for example.
There is, however, a strong presence as main sponsors as well. Atlético Goianiense, which in recent days announced Amuleto Net, joins Bahia (House of Bets), Atlético-MG and Fluminense (Betano), Sport (Galera.bet) and São Paulo (Sportsbet.io).
"We see a favorable scenario for this market not only related to forms of sponsorship, but in actions with the clubs, as we did with Bahia and Vitória, in addition to activations with our television media partner," points out Hans Schleier, Casa de Apostas’ business director, who is also a master in the shirt of Vitória in Serie B.
Recently, Denilson became a poster boy for Sportsbet.io, and Cafu for Rivalo. Sportingbet has also sponsored several athletes from different sports.
Market may grow after regulation
The betting market is not yet fully regulated in the country. In December 2018, the federal government sanctioned Law 13,756/2018, authorizing the so-called Ministry of Finance to create rules for the licensing of fixed-quote sports betting operations in Brazil. According to the government's own portal, the modality would be an exclusive public service of the Union, whose commercial exploitation would take place throughout the national territory, in any commercial distribution channels, physical and also in virtual media.
The forecast in Brazil was that this legislation would come into force in 2019, but it was postponed to 2020 and still awaits an end point. For sports law lawyer Eduardo Carlezzo, a specialist in this sector, the expansion of sponsorship in the betting market was already expected, despite not being fully regular.
"It is interesting to note that this strong expansion in sponsorship takes place in the midst of an unregulated, not to say irregular, market. This is because, although a law dating from the end of 2018 has opened the door for the regulation of sports betting, for its full effectiveness it depends on a concession process that is taking slow steps in the federal government and that will very likely not come out this year,” says Carlezzo.
"With that, they all lose: the government loses, with the generation of taxes, the economy loses, with the generation of businesses and jobs, and they also lose the clubs, since with a licensed market in Brazil, we would also have the large global operators here sponsoring the clubs, which would inevitably have the capacity to increase the amounts involved in these transactions," adds the lawyer.
Recently, when they sold the broadcasting rights abroad, the clubs chose not to include streaming to bookmakers in the same package. The idea was that the market could grow much more with the enacted law. Because of this, even the winner of the competition changed. The analysis by Pedro Trengrouse, professor of sports management at FGV and also a specialist in this market, goes in the same direction as that made by the clubs.
"With intelligent regulation, the impacts can be great. It is a market whose potential is much greater than the lotteries collect today, mainly due to the greater engagement of young consumers and because it represents a new way of experiencing the sport. Furthermore, the country may have new tax revenues, funding sources for public causes, creation of jobs, increased competitiveness in the lottery market, new leisure options, expansion of responsible gaming policies, promotion of integrity measures in sport and attraction of foreign investment," says Trengrouse.
The expectation now is that clubs will be able to increase revenues as the market progresses. "Fortaleza was one of the forerunners in this partnership model, and today it is a reality not only in Brazil, but worldwide. I do not see this type of sponsorship only as a vector of investment, but also of engagement through other platforms digital and interaction with the fans," explained the president of the club from Ceará, Marcelo Paz.
"The betting companies have brought new sponsorship opportunities for clubs, enabling new entrants to the Brazilian market and offering fans alternatives to engage with their clubs," says Jorge Avancini, vice president of marketing at Internacional.
In Serie A: 19 clubes
Dafabet (América-MG, Palmeiras and Santos)
Casa de Apostas (Bahia)
Betano (Atlético-MG and Fluminense)
Betmotion (Atlhetico PR)
Betsul (Ceará, Chapecoense, Fortaleza, Grêmio, Internacional)
NetBet (Red Bull Bragantino)
Sportsbet.io (Flamengo e São Paulo)
Galera.bet (Corinthians e Sport)
Amuleto Bet (Atlético-GO)
Marsbet (Juventude)
Source: UOL
