The Controversy of Betting: Club on Alert!

After the recent ban on online betting houses, imposed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), concern has spread across the clubs in Série A. After all, what will happen to the sponsorships that many teams rely on? Let’s understand this situation!

The Impact on the Clubs’ Finances

Of the 20 Série A teams, 14 have a master sponsorship linked to betting. Here is the list of the affected clubs:

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

These sponsorships add up to an incredible R$ 910 million! Flamengo is the champion of this race, guaranteeing R$ 220 million per year. Right behind are Corinthians with R$ 150 million and Palmeiras with R$ 100 million. The other clubs, such as São Paulo, Atlético-MG, and Fluminense, receive between R$ 90 million and R$ 35 million. Vitória, Remo, and Chapecoense have the smaller figures, varying up to R$ 10 million. It’s worth noting that Grêmio has not revealed its numbers, but it signed a contract with a betting house very recently.

Bonuses and What This Means

And it doesn’t stop there! There’s more money involved because many contracts include bonuses that are paid for titles and performance. For example, Palmeiras can receive up to R$ 70 million in bonuses, bringing its total to R$ 170 million! With so much money at stake, it’s clear why the clubs issued a statement against the Provisional Measure (MP) that bans betting.

An important piece of information: currently, 1 in each 3 reais of Série A commercial revenues comes from these houses! In 2025, it’s estimated that the clubs raised R$ 1,03 billion in sponsorships from these companies. In the statement, the teams were categorical, saying that the MP represents the “end of Brazilian football.” According to a report by UOL columnist Rodrigo Mattos, some betting houses even notified the clubs about contract terminations if the MP were approved.

What Happens Next?

After the announced MP, the government is preparing to urgently send a Bill to Congress to punish companies that still promote online betting in Brazil. If you have money in any of these platforms, stay alert: by up to the 23h59 of the next day 28, you will have to withdraw your money. Otherwise, the banks that operate through these houses will process the refund only after 5 of October.

Betting websites and apps will go offline on 6 of October. The government also determined that the companies have until 5 to remove all advertising materials, whether digital or printed.

Summary of the New Measure

• Date of the ban: 6 of October
• Deadline to withdraw funds: by up to 23h59 on 28
• Fine and blocking: Ban on bank transfers and account blocking

The new MP goes into effect as soon as it is published in the Official Gazette of the Union (Diário Oficial da União), but it needs to be approved by Congress within 120 days to become law; otherwise, it loses validity. The government also announced that it will enforce this new phase, blocking accounts and illegal websites.

And now, how will clubs and fans adapt to all of this? Let’s follow the developments in this story and see what the future holds for Brazilian football!

With information from reports published in 26/09/2023.