Brazil's betting ban hits clubs' shirt revenue

A provisional measure signed in Brazil on 25 September banned fixed-odds betting activity. The decision cost most Série A clubs their main shirt sponsor. According to the sports marketing consultancy Sports Value, betting brands provided 34 percent of the marketing revenue of the top 20 clubs in 2025.

In an interview on 21 October 2026, Sports Value managing director Amir Somoggi said the large operators expect to wait and see how the process unfolds, while small and mid-sized companies have decided to leave the country. According to Somoggi, the problem is not only the loss of revenue. Clubs had taken long-term contracts to banks and borrowed against them, and that money went to wages and transfers.

Somoggi said poorly managed clubs will suffer the most. He named Corinthians and São Paulo as clubs in financial difficulty. Corinthians moved Shopee onto its shirt. Flamengo and Palmeiras have large betting contracts, but both are in good financial shape. Vasco played the match in which they lost 3-1 to Boca Juniors and were eliminated from the Copa Sudamericana without a shirt sponsor.

Sunday's presidential runoff could also be decisive. Somoggi said Flávio Bolsonaro leads in most polls and that the regulation would probably end if he wins. If Lula wins, clubs will have to find shirt sponsors from new sectors. Before betting companies arrived, the main sponsorship contract for clubs such as Flamengo or Corinthians was about 10 million dollars. In betting deals, that figure was between 25 million and 30 million dollars, sometimes even higher.