The iGaming market in Brazil begins 2025 regulated, with new demands and strict government control. According to Rene Salviano, CEO of Heatmap, the measure promises more professionalism, boosts sectors such as sports and technology, and creates thousands of jobs. For him, not only football will benefit, but also other modalities and entertainment segments.
A new era has begun in the sports betting market in Brazil this week. And it will bring a great impact on the sports environment. Since January 1st of this year, the new regulation of the betting market has been in force, a process that lasted months and went through many adjustments behind the scenes and in debates in the National Congress.
Officialized in the Official Gazette of the Union on the last day of 2024, the new law applies a series of recommendations aimed at prioritizing responsible gaming. These are measures that range from the simple requirement for betting houses to use “bet.br” domains on their websites to the payment of 12.5% tax on annual gross revenue to the federal government, including the prohibition of abusive advertising practices.
The federal government promises to keep a close watch, so much so that non-compliance with rules can result in fines of up to R$ 2 billion.
The impact on the market will be significant. A report published in this Poder360 shows that the regulation of the sector is expected to produce about 60,000 direct and indirect jobs, boosting sectors such as advertising, media, law, and information technology, from an expectation of the National Association of Games and Lottery (ANJL), which could elevate Brazil to the top 3 of the largest betting markets in the world.
Even though the federal government has 120 days to analyze the requests from betting houses, the process is still not 100% closed. So much so that, at the moment, only 14 bets have definitive authorizations to operate and another 52 have a temporary license of 30 days for final adjustments.
Betting houses are the sector that most boosts sponsorships in sports in recent years. In a survey conducted in October 2024 by Broadcast Político, 52 of the 60 football teams playing in Series A, B, and C of the Brazilian Championship had sponsorships from bets at that time.
Traditional Brazilian football clubs such as Flamengo, Corinthians, Grêmio, Bahia, and Ceará begin 2025 waiting for the final adjustments I mentioned earlier, as their sponsors continue in the waiting period for authorization.
As I have said here on other occasions, I see the regulation of the betting market as something very positive. In addition to good practices that are no longer differentials and have become requirements, the new moment opens space for new betting houses and, mainly, will show who is really willing to work seriously and professionally, focusing on entertainment and the well-being of those who bet.
We see not only football as greatly benefited so far in large sponsorship budgets, but also other entertainment segments. With the new rules and demands, the marketing areas of licensed companies will lean in to be strategic and make a difference in this market competition in an increasingly professional manner, and thus, work to find the “blue ocean” for a brand exposure work with strength in conversion, also found in sports like volleyball, cycling, among others.
It is undeniable how much this market has contributed to the growth of sports, especially football. May it be so also with other modalities, Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and entertainment in general. May they have more and more professionalism in sponsoring and activating. And may the sponsorship contracts and partnerships developed with clubs, athletes, and federations be increasingly genuine and responsible.
Rene Salviano
CEO of Heatmap agency. A sports marketing specialist for over two decades, he has cases of sponsorships and activations in major events, such as the Olympics, World Cup, Brazilian Championship, Volleyball Superliga, Copa Libertadores, and Copa do Brasil. Writes for Poder360 weekly on Sundays.
Source: Poder360
