Former Brazilian football star Paulo Cesar Caju commented in the article 'This country is not for amateurs', published by the websites of PLACAR and VEJA.com, about human error in the application of the lines of impediment of the VAR in the game between São Paulo x Grêmio, for the Brazilian Championship. It is understandable that the three-time world champion raises suspicions and calls for a better investigation by the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation), but he is mistaken when he suggests the involvement of betting websites in the episode.
It is not difficult to understand that those who seek “right and instant profit”, through betting, are the ones that most strive to corrupt the system. When results are obtained in the sport, the biggest loser is us.
The major leagues in the world such as Champions League (Europe), Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), Bundesliga (Germany), Premier League (Portugal), Copa Libertadores de América and the Brazilian Championship have teams sponsored by betting sites. Our activity fosters football and contributes financially to the protagonists of this show.
It is not a disposable market, quite the contrary. The further we progress in laws and regulations, we will be offering a huge possibility for new billing fans to clubs, sports confederations, marketing and advertising companies, radio and TV conglomerates and even former athletes, who associate their brands with these companies and get paid for it - something that is already happening quickly.
In the world, according to a study by Zion Market Research, this is a market that is expected to grow close to 10% per year, reaching numbers in the range of U$S155.5 billion in 2024. In Brazil, it is estimated that betting sites sports should move between R$ 7 and R$10 billion a year as soon as the regulation is enacted.
Our country today has a total of 25 clubs sponsored by the segment, 14 in the main elite and another 11 in the Serie B. Not to mention the federations and championships with which we have a partnership.
Currently around 450 betting sites from outside the country operate in Brazil awaiting regulation by the Ministry of Economy, which is creating rules for licensing the exploitation of this activity, which was legalized by Law 13.756 / 2018. In addition, betting companies also sponsor game broadcasts and advertising boards in the arenas of sporting events.
Of these 25 associations, four are direct partners of our company, 'Casa de Apostas,' which prints the brand on the shirts of Bahia, Botafogo, Santos and Vitória - I dare say that, with the regulation, we also intend to expand the contributions and help further strengthen the greatest passion of Brazilians.
Linked to this, we see, in the coming years, a trend of economic growth and an enormous expectation of this investment niche. I believe that 100% of national clubs will sign some kind of sponsorship with bookmakers, even those that already have solid exclusivity contracts with companies in other segments.
I also reinforce the growing importance that the subject of regulation should advance in the Federal Senate. The case became even more urgent with the financial crisis that is plaguing football in this pandemic year, with the brutal shortage of revenue from sponsors, partner-fan programs, licensing, jersey sales and box office.
Companies operating in sports betting around the world understand that, with regulation, we will reinforce the integrity of the sport and strengthen mechanisms to ensure the safety of bettors, develop protection networks for vulnerable people and grant even more transparency to operations.
In Brazil, a new article was included in the Law of the Supporter's Statute from 2010, considering any type of result manipulation as a crime, with a penalty of two to six years of imprisonment. It is a fundamental guarantee for fair play and for the protection of the entire sport chain.
Despite ‘recent’, the issue is taken seriously by Brazilian and world authorities. Since 2015, for example, the São Paulo Football Federation has been working under contract with the monitoring company Sportradar. Based in Switzerland, it is a world leader in preventing and combating match-fixing in football and is already present in leagues such as FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.
There are dozens of risk monitoring companies in the world, working around the clock to ensure the integrity of the sport and avoid manipulating results. The specialists work to detect suspicious betting activities through software, algorithms and agents present at the events, doing constant monitoring for betting operators and thus avoiding losses to the coffers of these companies and, mainly, to the image of the sport.
We can say, with tranquility, security, and assertiveness, that in the betting market there is not even more space for amateurs.
Hans Schleier
Marketing Director at Casa de Apostas
