Financial contributions are not disclosed by companies and samba schools, but all companies claim to have increased their investment in this year's carnival.
In São Paulo, the Anhembi Sambadrome parades will have unprecedented master sponsorship from galera.bet. The company, which currently sponsors the São Paulo rodeo circuit and the Brazilian Basketball Confederation, has signed a four-year agreement with the Independent League of São Paulo Samba Schools.
In return, the betting company will have brand exposure on parade days at Anhembi and at the Samba Factory, where costumes and floats for the parades are made, as well as an exclusive box at the Sambadrome. The company stated that it has quadrupled its investments in the festivities compared to last year when it was involved sporadically in VIP boxes in São Paulo and Salvador.
The platform does not disclose numbers, but it has been reported that the sponsorship for the São Paulo carnival involves an investment of R$ 1.5 million per year until 2027.
"The movement of sports betting companies in sports has reached the limit in the number of partner platforms. Rodeo and carnival are significant catalysts for new players. We see the audience for these events with enormous potential, as they are deeply rooted in the country's popular culture," says Marcos Sabiá, CEO of galera.bet.
The regulation of sports betting in Brazil was sanctioned by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on December 30. The government aims to increase revenue through taxation on betting amounts and prizes, with an expected collection of up to R$ 12 billion per year.
Authorized to operate in Brazil in 2018, betting companies proliferated even without regulation. TV commercials, partnerships with celebrities, and million-dollar sponsorships of football clubs and sports championships have made the platforms more well-known. Present in state and national tournaments, Pixbet reported expanding its participation in carnival through a contract with the Independent League of Samba Schools (Liesa) in Rio de Janeiro to sponsor the Special Group parades.
The betting company also entered individual partnerships with four schools belonging to the elite of the Rio de Janeiro carnival: Beija-Flor, Portela, Mocidade, and Imperatriz, the current champion of the competition.
As a result, the brand secured promotion at the samba courts, technical rehearsals, and parades. "Our main goal is to celebrate and support significant cultural events," Pixbet said in a statement without detailing financial agreements.
Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel wants to ensure that the partnership extends beyond the parade period. "We will do everything to create joint actions to show our strength and make the partnership even bigger and lasting post-carnival. Samba schools operate year-round and can be activated in the same way," says Bryan Clem, marketing director of the school in the western part of Rio de Janeiro.
Esportes da Sorte increased investments in carnival through partnerships with Salgueiro and Grande Rio samba schools. The betting house will be the official sponsor of the Recife carnival and the Galo da Madrugada for the second consecutive year, and will also be present in blocks in Salvador and Rio.
"More than increasing investment, we are becoming more assertive. We see carnival as a unique moment for our aspirations, especially as the biggest event on the entertainment calendar," says Darwin Henrique da Silva Filho, CEO of the Esportes da Sorte Group.
According to Liesa's marketing director, Gabriel David, the entry of betting companies into carnival is a natural trend. "It is a market that has been opening up a lot in Brazil, with a lot of money to invest in marketing. [Pixbet] is a partner that has entered the Liesa robustly with the expectation of more years of renewal," he says.
He added that the Liesa contract with Pixbet does not stipulate exclusivity for the platform to launch betting services on samba schools. "We understand that it is not possible to limit this, especially since we are talking about the internet."
Following the example of last year, some platforms have already started accepting bets for this year's Sambadrome parades.
Source: Valor
