Sportingbet (7%), Betnacional (5%), Esportes da Sorte (4%), bet365 (4%), and Superbet (3%) were the other companies mentioned in sequence.
Betano's position in the survey aligns with internal studies conducted by the company, according to its Country Manager, Guilherme Augusto Figueiredo, who spoke to InfoMoney.
The betting operator, controlled by Greece's Kaizen Gaming, claims to have recently reached this level, largely due to its marketing investments associated with sports in Brazil since its arrival in 2020.
From 2021 to 2024, the brand was featured on the jerseys of Atlético-MG and Fluminense, which were replaced by new betting sponsors for the 2025 season.
However, its most recent deal was struck with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). The betting company secured the naming rights for the main tournaments organized by the confederation: the second division of the Brazilian Championship, now called Série Betano; the Copa do Brasil; the Supercopa do Brasil; and the crown jewel, Série A.
"Although we sponsored Fluminense and Atlético for a long time, we have been working to position ourselves as a sponsor of Brazilian football as a whole," Figueiredo points out.
This strategy ensures broader brand exposure, albeit with lower engagement compared to passionate football club fanbases. "Club-related content reaches fewer people, but it is very deep. We clearly see engagement rates that are twice or sometimes almost three times higher than those of competitions. The secret is balance."
The company does not rule out resuming direct sponsorships with clubs, with which it maintains ongoing discussions.
Strong money in football
In recent years, betting companies have dominated sponsorships in Brazil’s most traditional sport. The inflated marketing contracts have led these companies to secure major sponsorships for no fewer than 18 of the 20 teams in the Brazilian Championship’s Série A.
Although the survey results indicate Betano's leadership, the margin is small compared to other industries. "This reflects a highly fragmented market, with Top of Mind responses spread across more than 100 brands," explains TM20 CEO Eduardo Tomiya.
"In more mature categories, the leading brand usually has a Top of Mind percentage above 40%, which highlights the enormous growth potential for brands in this segment," he says.
Respondents spontaneously mentioned 124 different betting brands. According to the sector’s regulatory framework, in effect since early 2025, each licensed betting company operating in Brazil can have up to three brands—currently, there are 142 in the country.
Since fixed-odds betting was legalized in 2018, both national and foreign operators have aggressively targeted football advertising. On the eve of regulation, between 2023 and 2024, a wave of new entrants looking to expand their customer base led to contract inflation, with deals surpassing R$100 million (US$17.6m) annually.
"We have an internal view that the stabilization trend is eventually a decline, but it’s not black and white. It depends a lot on who the new entrants will be," says Figueiredo.
"There are many brands that may emerge from Brazil, and many major global brands that will face the same challenges," he adds.
The survey also measured the brand strength of betting companies based on brand equity criteria, considering aided awareness, betting consideration, preference, trust, recommendation, and lack of rejection. "All brands are assessed against their competitors, resulting in an index ranging from 0 (weakest brand) to 100 (strongest brand)," explains Tomiya.
According to the survey criteria, Betano has a brand strength score of 97, meaning the company leads in nearly all evaluated brand equity attributes.
The study surveyed 2,000 people from social classes A, B, C, D, and E between February 6 and 20. The responses were collected virtually from participants across all five regions of Brazil.
Source: InfoMoney
