The Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro added a new clause to the 20-year concession contract for the Maracanã Complex, destined for Flamengo and Fluminense.
This clause prohibits the commercial exploitation of betting companies that do not have a license with the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (Loterj) or the Federal Union.
According to the Civil House Secretariat, the rule responds to a request from Loterj “for compliance with applicable legislation in force in Brazil”, including tax legislation.
For a bookmaker to advertise at Maracanã under the concession contract, “it will need to have a formal grant from Loterj or the Federal Union.”
Betting market and Maracanã
The betting market in Brazil, dominant in sports sponsorships, is in the process of regulation. Currently, “27 companies are in the accreditation process with the Federal Union (15 of them entered this week).”
The deadline for completing this accreditation of betting companies is August 20th. Therefore, the analysis of requests will be completed by the end of the year. From January 1, 2025, bookmakers will only be able to operate within the limits established by Brazilian legislation.
Flamengo, sponsored by Pixbet since the beginning of the year, has one of the five companies accredited by Loterj. The accredited companies are Apostou, Bestbet, Rio Jogo and Marjosports.
The Gávea club is in the process of creating its own brand, Flabet, linked to Pixbet. However, “it has not yet entered into federal regularization, but can operate in Rio de Janeiro with Loterj.”
On the other hand, Fluminense, which is Flamengo’s partner in the management of Maracanã, is sponsored by Superbet. It is worth noting that Superbet was “the second company to enter the accreditation process in the Federal Union, with the Ministry of Treasury.”
Furthermore, the text added to the concession contract establishes that “the CONCESSIONAIRE is prohibited from disclosing/publicizing advertising and/or merchandising, directly or through an interposed company, within the scope of the Maracanã Complex, of Betting Houses that do not have a formal grant with the Lottery of the State of Rio de Janeiro – LOTERJ or the Federal Union, according to Decree No. 48,806/23.”
This clause, in turn, directly affects contracts such as that between Consórcio Maracanã and Sportsbet.io. After all, the company is not yet accredited by Loterj.
Fluminense note
In a note, Fluminense clarified that “the clause mentions the need for authorization from LOTERJ or the Federal Union. Federal regulation (ORDINANCE SPA/MF Nº 827, OF MAY 21, 2024) establishes that the period of adaptation of legal entities that were active in Brazil ends on December 31st (art. 24).
It also establishes that anyone who requested authorization by August 20th will have their request analyzed by December 31st (art. 23). Therefore, currently, there is no irregular company from a federal perspective. This may only happen on January 1/25 for those who do not have authorization.”
Through Loterj, the grant costs R$5 million to operate in the state of Rio de Janeiro. For the Federal Union, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Treasury, the grant costs R$30 million. Loterj also imposes a 5% tax on bookmaker profits, compared to the 18% charged by the Union.
