Those who follow the Brazilian Football Championship notice the increase in the presence of sports betting houses in the stadiums, in the players' uniforms and in the broadcasts of the matches. In 2023, these companies sponsored 19 of the 20 teams in Serie A of the Brazilian Championship, for a record amount of R$ 330 million (US$ 68.3m).
In terms of comparison, the biggest individual sponsor of a Brazilian Championship team is Crefisa, which pays Palmeiras, for the master sponsorship quota, around R$ 80 million per year (US$ 16.5m).
In the advertising field, the injection of capital by sports houses is also abundant. A survey carried out by TunAd, a company that provides digital planning services, pointed out that, from January to March 2023, a single company was responsible for 13,317 of the advertising insertions in the Brazilian market (Betnacional), followed by Betano (9,514), Sportingbet (7,816) and Lucky Sports (3,931).
All these thousands of advertisements promising easy money were broadcast in Brazil without regulation and very little control and inspection. Some of these companies are based in tax havens like Curaçao and Malta.
The Federal Government is trying to regulate the matter with a provisional measure (PM), but is fighting this battle in the midst of strategic discussions in Congress. Conar —National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation—, an entity that for more than 40 years has led all discussions on advertising in Brazil, has just taken a position in this sector that calls for regulation.
This June, Conar signed an agreement with the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) to work together in the creation and implementation of rules related to advertising in the betting sector. The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) joined the agreement, expanding the sector's participation.
Conar's objective is to ensure that the marketing and advertising actions of sports betting companies are responsible and ethical, can be inspected and are subject to applicable penalties when they contain misleading, offensive or abusive content, aiming to protect children, adolescents and the vulnerable public.
The initiative, like so many others from Conar, deserves applause, because it tries to establish clear and standardized rules for an increasingly popular activity in the country.
After 38 years dedicated to the body, Edney Narchi, its executive vice-president, stepped down from the command of Conar, passing it on to Juliana Albuquerque, who shares the same ideals.
Edney has been at the forefront of the battle for self-regulation in advertising across all industries. It had a strong team and valuable presidents, who were committed to firm and respectful management. He defended the constitutional prerogatives of commercial advertising and led the debate on numerous contemporary issues.
The proposed regulation of the betting sector follows this legacy and, once again, places Conar in the international leadership.
Taís Gasparian
Lawyer, partner at RBMDFG - Advogados and co-founder of Instituto Tornavoz
Carolina Rosa Brandao
Partner at Rodrigues Barbosa, Mac Dowell de Figueiredo, Gasparian – Advogados
