The Controversy Over the Ban on Online Gambling and Its Impact on Brazilian Football

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT)’s decision to ban online betting houses is putting Brazil’s Série A clubs on alert. Will this make them lose money? The answer is yes—and it’s millions!

Impressive Numbers

Sponsorships for Série A teams add up to no less than R$ 910 million! Of those 20 clubs, 14 have master sponsorship agreements with betting houses. The teams on this money-packed list include:

• Flamengo
• Corinthians
• Palmeiras
• São Paulo
• Atlético-MG
• Fluminense
• Botafogo
• Cruzeiro
• Vasco
• Santos
• Vitória
• Remo
• Chapecoense
• Grêmio

Among them, Flamengo is the top winner in sponsorships, with R$ 220 million per year. Right behind are Corinthians with R$ 150 million and Palmeiras with R$ 100 million fixed.

The table continues with other clubs generating between R$ 90 million and R$ 35 million. Meanwhile, Vitória, Remo, and Chapecoense stand out for their lower revenue, with amounts ranging from R$ 20 million to R$ 10 million.

One curious case is Grêmio, which—despite the uncertainty surrounding the ban—managed to secure a new sponsorship with a betting house last Wednesday (23). But the figures for this new deal have not been disclosed.

More Money on the Table: Bonuses and Incentives

The betting figures could be even higher! This is because most sponsorship contracts with betting houses include bonuses for titles and performance. For example, Palmeiras could receive up to R$ 70 million per year if they win titles, bringing the total to R$ 170 million!

These figures help explain why the teams issued a manifesto against the Provisional Measure (MP) that seeks to ban betting. Today, one in every three reais of commercial revenue from Série A comes from these houses. In 2025, top-division clubs had already raised R$ 1,03 billion through betting sponsorships. In the manifesto, the teams stated that the MP represents the “end of Brazilian football.” And there’s more: according to a UOL column, some betting houses have already started notifying clubs that contracts will be terminated if the MP is approved.

Next Steps: What Is the Government Planning?

The government won’t stop there. After the MP announcement, a Bill (PL) will be sent to Congress under an urgent procedure to punish companies that promote online betting. Bettors who have money in betting houses will have until 23h59 next Monday (28) to withdraw their money, or risk losing everything after that date.

Starting on 6 October, betting websites and apps will be taken offline. Until 5, companies will have to remove all advertising materials, both physical and digital. The same deadline will apply to the removal of brands that come from sponsorship contracts.

It’s worth noting that this provisional measure is already valid as soon as it is published in the Diário Oficial da União, but it needs to be approved by Congress within 120 days to become an effective law. If it isn’t voted on within that time, it will lose validity.

And to make everything perfectly in order, the government also announced a series of enforcement measures. These include the ban on bank transfers for betting, blocking accounts used illegally, and shutting down clandestine betting sites.

With so many changes underway, all that’s left is to follow how this story unfolds—and what the real impacts will be for Brazilian football!