Growing up, I remember the 1994 World Cup Final between Brazil and Italy. Before the game, my family passed a little piece of paper around to write down their predictions for the final score. As a matter of fact, nobody put 0x0.
Today, Brazilian football fandom looks entirely different. But the passion remains the same. A Vizrt report found that 70% of fans believe that immersive visuals, such as augmented reality graphics, enhance their enjoyment of sports broadcasts.
Fans expect engaging, digital experiences that enhance the competitions they love. Following the launch of Brazil's regulated online sports betting market earlier this year, ENV Media reports that 91% of bettors wager on the Brazilian Serie A.
The potential of online sports betting in Brazil is huge, and the Serie A is going to be a key driver. So what should sportsbooks and sports bettors expect now Brazil’s top football league is back underway?
Online betting is a live experience
Sports betting is a key part of the matchday ritual for many Brazilian fans. The shift to regulation is a unique moment that is growing this further. An increasing number of fans are becoming familiar with online betting. It’s an activity that allows them to apply their football knowledge and add excitement to the live viewing experience, as they watch on TV or in the stadium.
Brazil has one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in the world, with a study finding Brazilians own more smartphones (258 million) than people. Meanwhile, high-speed internet access is fast increasing. Added to Brazil’s football romance, these are the perfect conditions for in-play sports betting – which is the most popular betting format in European markets like the UK.
Today, pre-match betting is the most popular betting format in Brazil. However, in-play betting is fast-growing. For sportsbooks, in-play betting via mobile apps is a crucial way to drive revenues. For sports fans, there’s no better way to add excitement to the live game in real-time than betting on live events, like the “Next Goalscorer” or “Match Result”.
Engaging in-play betting products
For many Brazilian sportsbooks, reducing friction from the sports betting experience is now a primary focus. Because offshore sportsbooks don’t follow the same “Know Your Customer” and stringent registration protocols, regulated operators are at a disadvantage in terms of user experience. Creating a low-friction sportsbook experience is therefore vital.
For in-play betting products, market uptime and the depth of market-type coverage are vital. The more betting opportunities for users during the 90-minutes, the more turnover the sportsbook operator generates, and the more engaging experience the sports fan gets.
Globally, Genius Sports works with over 300 sportsbook operators, including the likes of Superbet and Betano. Consistently, we deliver 99% in-play market uptime on English Premier League and Brazil’s Serie A fixtures. This is made possible by our access to official low-latency data from the venue, and reliable algorithmic trading models.
Recently, ENV Media reported on the growing demand for diverse betting markets. Match Result (71%) remains the most popular football market, followed by Both Teams to Score (49%) and Player-Specific Bets (42%). The rise of player market betting, particularly with stars like Neymar, Memphis Depay, and Estêvão playing in the league, signals a change in betting behavior towards player-related outcomes.
This trend highlights the potential for betbuilders in Brazil. By allowing fans to combine multiple legs into a single accumulator wager on one game, betbuilder products give sports fans total control. A proven way to increase sports betting engagement, many operators even offer pre-built betbuilder markets based on the most popular and relevant betting markets.
For example, offering a Flamengo fan a price boost in-game, featuring Flamengo to win, Over 2.5 goals, and Pedro to score at 15-1 odds.
As with market uptime, betbuilder products (available pre-match and in-play) require good modelling capabilities. This is key to ensuring maximum sports betting profits and engagement.
Together, access to official live sports data, a proven football trading model, and diverse market-types and football products like betbuilder, continue to enable our partners at Genius Sports to increase market uptime, drive more betting activity and settle bets faster on popular leagues like the Campeonato Brasileiro.
Integrating betting and streaming
Amazon Prime Video’s decision to stream 38 Campeonato Brasileiro fixtures this season is another signal of the shift towards streaming in Brazil.A BB Media report found that 44% of Brazilian fans now prefer to watch live sports via streaming services - a trend sportsbook operators can’t afford to ignore.
For years, sportsbooks have streamed live sports. But the experience has left a lot to be desired. That’s now changing. Today’s football fan doesn’t just want to watch t he live game. They want to analyse stats and play bets as the action unfolds.
For the first-time ever, BetVision is making this possible in one single live streaming experience. The in-play solution integrates low-latency live video streaming with betting markets, live team and player statistics, and an integrated betslip within a mobile UI. This allows users to watch football games and place bets without ever leaving the stream.
With an unmatched love for football, BetVision is a truly game-changing experience for Brazilian football fans.
Guilherme Buso
VP Brazil of Genius Sports
