The year 2022 has generated great expectations in the Brazilian sports betting industry due to the wait for regulation. With the brands stamped on the uniforms of the main football clubs in the country and personalities signing great partnerships in the year of the World Cup, sports betting has definitely fallen into popular taste.
For this reason, the iGaming Brazil portal interviewed a number of influential personalities in the sports environment in order to present their respective experience and opinions on the activity. And, nothing better than starting with one of the pioneers in creating content for the sports betting sector, the sports journalist and narrator Mauro Beting.
“I even have a complex name to talk about betting. The first content of betting sites for the media was with Esporte Interativo and with me too. The world vice president at the time of Sportingbet came to say that I needed to be the poster boy. He even asked to see my document and said that I had the perfect last name,” said Mauro Beting.
Due to the ‘coincidence’ of the surname, the journalist carried out several actions for the bookmaker on the old sports channel. “For two years, I would advertise Sportingbet and we would make content on Esporte Interativo. We’ve done it in the last few years. And now, I work with Rivalo in the 2022 season”, he added.
Mauro assured that he is in favor of a regularized betting market in Brazil. “It would be absurd to say that I am against betting, I am not. As long as – like any business – legalized, well done and seriously as usual. Of course, in any business that involves a lot of money, the arrival involves people who may not be that serious. But, properly regulated, organizing everything and maintaining all possible compliance, it only grows and tends to be legal – legal in the best possible conception”.
“Because you bring more dividends, more money and the passion not just for football but for other sports as well. And, best of all, you also bring the study. You see the trades with working very well and making a lot of money, it is not by chance. It’s not luck. It’s work, it’s serious. I am frankly in favor, once regulated as it is and it should be even better regulated in Brazil, which is a very promising market”, he added.
Sports betting boom
Gustavo Zupak, an ESPN journalist, believes that the sports betting boom is a strong trend in Brazil for some specific factors. “First, it’s a booming market, I don’t say this for myself, but I see friends and family very focused on it. Asking for tips, winning and losing in the game. And second, as it is a market that moves a lot of money, it ‘takes advantage’, in a good way, of the moment of economic recession”, argued Zupak.
The professional explained his point of view: “At a time when football clubs have financial problems, TV stations are losing advertisers and influencers are looking for new sponsors, those who have the money to invest come out ahead. The impression I have, from afar, is that they are companies with a lot of money because it is a market that turns a lot of money. So, it ends up meeting the demand of those who are looking for a great investor. There, home. For the houses, it is important to have the disclosure and whoever is sponsored by them, benefits from this market”, he reinforced.
While the agent and manager of football players, Wagner Ribeiro, mentioned the current practicality of betting on any championship in the world. “Today, you bet on English football here in São Paulo. In the past, sites did not enter other countries. I remember I was in Paris and I wanted to bet on a Brazilian site and I couldn’t. Today, everything is interconnected.”
But, the businessman mentioned a point that the Brazilian market should learn from the industries established for a longer time. “Transparency! There, it’s very serious. Here we hear a lot of teams from lower divisions, small teams that were swindling. Outside, it doesn’t exist. When there is a case, it is exterminated from football.”
Mário Marra, sports commentator for ESPN channels, acknowledged that the subject is a ‘world trend’, although he also cites the need to keep ‘eyes open’. “The whole world has been doing it with some steps forward, some steps back. Because obviously there’s a whole issue of scandal, ethics and we need to always be on the lookout. And it’s not just about betting, it’s about everything that involves the possibility of breaking the rules, like doping. It’s always important to have your eyes open.”
In addition, Marra highlighted that Brazilian clubs can benefit from new sources of investment and strengthening of their brands. “Now, in Brazilian football, it is an immense possibility for bankrupt clubs to receive some money and promote their brands. I repeat, it is a worldwide trend and we cannot remain closed to it. And, like everything else in life, it requires eyes wide open.”
For Edmilson, sports betting can reduce the ‘horns’
Former São Paulo soccer player and five-time world champion with Brazil in 2002, Edmilson highlighted a very curious aspect. For him, the population’s increased interest in sports betting can also facilitate the understanding of all the technical and tactical elements of football.
“Regarding the bookmakers themselves, what catches my attention is that the citizen who bets needs to study, otherwise they lose. This also helps to have fewer bugles in the middle of football. The guy wants to bet, he needs to study if the player will stay on the bench, if the team will have a reserve formation, if the team is attacking more on one side or the other in the last games. So, people who bet need to study football and not just go for the emotion because the team is winning. This increases the viewer’s quality of analyzing the game.”
However, Edmilson understands that clubs must be more involved to ensure sporting integrity. “I think it has two sides, the positive side is that bookmakers are investing heavily in clubs, which helps. It’s a niche that clubs have managed to cover. The only dangerous side I think is result corruption. Clubs need to be attentive with the staff and the players they hire so we don’t lose our hand. It’s a market that helps clubs and many people, but it has this delicate side that needs to be very well managed”.
Adonias Freestyle, Latin American champion of the sport in 2018, also sees the positive aspects of the growth of the sports betting sector in the country. For Adonias, betting sites are opening up opportunities for fans to live off their passion: football.
“Bookmakers are coming to dominate everything. Today, I am an ambassador for F12.Bet, Falcão’s company. It is an honor to be representing this brand. But, I see bookmakers as something very cool and that is giving opportunity to many people who already understand football. The guys realized that they can make money with it. A lot of people play for fun, but a lot of people work at it. I think the power that sport has is incredible”, he concluded.
