The Return of Brasileirão and the New Betting Rules

Hey, everyone! Today is a historic day, because the Brasileirão is back for its first matchday since betting houses were completely banned. This change was driven by a Provisional Measure (MP) from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. But hold on, there’s a lot to happen in the coming days—especially with expectations about what will be decided by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and how this could influence the presidential elections!

What Changed with the Ban?

With the new MP, betting advertising was cut off, and the websites that operated legally had to shut down their platforms. That means betting brands will no longer appear on club uniforms, but it doesn’t mean that all sponsorship contracts have ended.

Changes in Sponsorships

Some teams are already adjusting while waiting for an STF decision. For example:

São Paulo and Fluminense, which had Superbet as their title sponsor, will now take the field displaying the Superscore brand, which is a sports intelligence app from the same group.

Fluminense made it clear that it "does not display any kind of advertising, odds, or betting suggestions." In other words, they’re keeping things under control for now!

Even without the betting houses’ brands, the government left a loophole: shirts that have already been produced can be sold, but only to get rid of inventory. The Flamengo, for example, is worried about roughly 150 thousand pieces that could get stuck. They had a contract of about R$ 268 million per year with Betano, but now everything has been put on hold, awaiting moves in the STF or changes made by Congress.

What the Teams Are Doing

While the situation isn’t resolved, clubs are already getting ready with “clean” uniforms and alternatives to adjust quickly. Both the Flamengo and the Corinthians have plans in place to reintroduce the brands if an injunction is issued. The Corinthians, for instance, even prepared two interview boards: one with the brand and one without!

The Situation of the Other Clubs

The Atlético-MG used H2Bet for the last time before the ban and ended the contract right after.
The Santos also said goodbye to its sponsorship with Novibet and played without a sponsor against São Paulo.

Hope in Legal Actions

On the legal front, organizations in the sector are working at full speed to obtain an injunction in the Direct Actions of Unconstitutionality (ADIs) being handled by the minister Luiz Fux. The Instituto Brasileiro de Jogo Responsável (IBJR) and the Associação Nacional de Jogos e Loterias (ANJL) are trying to suspend the MP or, at the very least, delay its implementation until 31 of December.

After a suggestion from the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) to hold a public hearing about betting, the entities are using that invitation as another argument to push for a postponement.

Expectation in the Electoral Scenario

And there’s more: amid all this shake-up, there’s also an electoral backdrop. With the first round of the elections happening on Sunday and the second on 25, people believe that the outcome of this situation will unfold only after the presidential showdown between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro.

Stay alert, because even though this round is far from the spotlight, the bets community’s hope and optimism are still going strong!

With information from reports published in 07/10, 07/10, 06/10 and 06/10.