In early 2023, betting on football matches became a topic for the federal government, which is preparing regulations for sites and operations. At the same time, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Goiás discovered a bid and result manipulation scheme that affected the Brazilians from Serie A and B.
The two themes generate concern in clubs and in the CBF. It explains: the segment of betting sites has become relevant as a source of income for football.
It is estimated that the sector invests R$ 3 billion (US$ 595m) in sponsorships and advertising per year, including team shirts, championship plaques and media spaces (televisions, websites, YouTube videos). The number is from the federal government that collected data on the subject to regulate it.
In national and state championships, the sports betting segment has become the main investor in license plates. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) championships themselves, such as the Copa do Brasil, have the naming rights sold to a bookmaker.
The assessment at the top of the CBF is that the problem of manipulation of bets was generated by the federal government's delay in regulating the sector. The law that legalized sports betting dates back to 2018, but the government of Jair Bolsonaro did not regulate the sector. In the view of the CBF, this caused the current problem.
The clubs themselves went to the Ministry of Economy to talk about betting regulation for fear that the new rules would affect their revenues. The main concern is related to sponsorships. That is, there would be no chance of a sponsorship restriction, as is done in the Premier League, when most of the shirt master spaces are occupied by bookmakers.
The CBF hires the audit firm Sportsradar to monitor the bets and identify possible irregularities. Reports are sent to public investigative bodies and the STJD. But members of the Sports Justice understand that the reports are not very consistent to initiate investigations, which require the power of the police to advance in investigations.
Bookmakers point out that they are harmed by manipulation of bets, after all, they lose money. Bets on yellow cards, corners or penalties - popular on the sites - are easy targets to generate schemes, more than changing scores, wins and losses.
Exposing the extent of the game manipulation scheme creates a dilemma for football. Federal government, CBF, clubs and the entire media lose with any restriction of sponsorship to betting sites that boost the sports sector. At the same time, if game manipulation is not contained, Brazilian football is threatened by a loss of credibility with the public.
Source: UOL
