As betting restrictions tighten across Latin America, Sofascore’s Ricardo Peixoto argues the shift is filtering out noise and forcing brands to add real value
Brazilian football’s commercial landscape is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades. In 2024, the combined valuation of the country’s top 30 clubs reached US$7.4 billion – a 24% year-on-year increase. Revenues for the top 20 clubs surpassed US$1.9 billion, marking a 22% rise from the previous year.
Behind these numbers lies a structural shift driven by the SAF law, which has attracted foreign capital, professionalised governance, and pushed clubs toward revenue diversification. But as the market matures, so too does the regulatory environment – particularly around betting sponsorships. The question fnow acing sports business leaders isn’t whether regulation will reshape commercial partnerships, but how brands and rights holders can turn tighter restrictions into strategic advantage.
For Ricardo Peixoto, Country Manager Brazil at Sofascore, the answer lies in understanding a fundamental truth: regulation doesn’t reduce commercial interest in sport. It reduces lower-quality partnerships.
The betting-specific context
Speaking ahead of SBC Summit Rio, Peixoto is careful to draw a clear distinction which often gets blurred in industry conversations. “It’s important to make a clear distinction here,” he says. “Regulation is becoming significantly stricter in the betting context, but that is not the case for most other commercial segments.”
While betting operators face mounting restrictions on how they can activate sponsorships – from advertising placements to celebrity endorsements – the broader commercial landscape remains relatively open. But within the betting segment, the shift has been decisive.
Sports organisations no longer judge commercial partnerships purely on revenue contribution. Risk management, regulatory alignment, and reputational credibility have become equally critical evaluation criteria. Clubs and leagues are more cautious about who they associate with, how that association is communicated, and how it will be perceived by fans, regulators, and media.
“What has changed most is that commercial partnerships are no longer judged purely on revenue contribution, but on risk management, alignment, and credibility,” Peixoto explains. “Betting sponsors are expected to understand the regulatory landscape deeply and to adapt their activation models accordingly.”
The result is a market moving from transactional deals toward strategic partnerships that require longer conversations, more thoughtful structures, and genuine alignment between brand and rights holder.
Data as the new sponsorship currency
Platforms like Sofascore occupy a unique position in this evolving ecosystem. With deep statistical data and real-time information, they sit at the intersection of fan behaviour and commercial opportunity. But that proximity comes with responsibility.
“At Sofascore, everything starts with user experience,” Peixoto says. The platform is deliberate about protecting usability and maintaining a clean, intuitive product. All advertising placements are designed not to interfere with the experience and, ideally, to add value at the right moment.
This approach is grounded in data that challenges assumptions about sports audiences. Only around 20% to 25% of Sofascore users are active bettors. That means indiscriminate betting exposure doesn’t just risk regulatory violations—it fundamentally misreads the audience.
“We invest heavily in understanding user journeys,” Peixoto explains. “We analyse behaviour, intent, and context before deciding whether betting-related messaging is appropriate. Showing the right message to the right user, at the right time, is the real challenge of the attention economy.”
When betting content is contextual, relevant, and respectful of user intent, audiences are far more receptive than they were to the aggressive, interruptive formats of the past. This shift from interruption to integration represents a broader change in how sponsorship value is conceived and measured.
In regulated environments, return on investment moves away from simple exposure metrics toward engagement quality, retention, and contextual relevance. Digital platforms have a clear advantage here. They allow sponsors, clubs, and leagues to measure attention, frequency, and behaviour without crossing regulatory boundaries.
“If a sponsorship can’t be measured without breaking the rules, then it shouldn’t be sold in the first place,” Peixoto states. “Regulation doesn’t eliminate ROI; it forces it to become smarter.”
Authenticity through function
The concept of authenticity has become ubiquitous in sponsorship discussions, but Peixoto offers a definition grounded in measurable outcomes rather than marketing rhetoric.
“Authenticity in sponsorship today means earning presence rather than buying interruption,” he says. “It’s no longer about visibility alone; it’s about relevance and function within the fan experience.”
In practice, authentic sponsorship is when a brand plays a meaningful role in how fans consume sport—through insights, contextual information, or tools that enhance understanding of the game. From a data and media perspective, authenticity becomes measurable through time spent, frequency of return, and sustained engagement.
A concrete example of this approach is the Brahma S.A.B. campaign in Brazil. By allowing fans to support their clubs simply by buying Brahma through Zé Delivery, the brand turned everyday consumption into tangible financial contribution to football teams. The sponsorship didn’t just communicate a message—it enabled action, reinforced emotional connection, and created a clear feedback loop for fans.
“That is the direction sponsorship is moving toward,” Peixoto argues. “Brands that integrate themselves into the fan experience in a meaningful way, rather than just occupying space, are the ones that will succeed.”
The content and insights shift
As traditional endorsements face tighter restrictions in the betting segment specifically, the sponsorship investment mix is evolving. Peixoto is careful not to frame content and insights as complete replacements for endorsements, noting that endorsements remain powerful marketing assets outside the betting context.
But within betting, restrictions are clearly accelerating the shift toward digital engagement models where branding is embedded within utility rather than delivered as a message. Content and insights offer something regulation-resilient: they inform rather than persuade, and they integrate naturally into platforms where fans already spend time.
“For betting brands, content and insights offer something regulation-resilient,” Peixoto notes. “Branding still exists in that ecosystem, but it’s delivered through utility and relevance rather than endorsement alone.”
This shift is particularly significant in Brazil’s maturing sports economy. Brands are no longer looking at the market purely for mass reach. They’re evaluating fan quality, engagement depth, and measurable outcomes. Platforms that sit at the intersection of scale and engagement allow brands to connect growth in the sports economy with real, measurable fan interaction.
Quality over quantity
Peixoto’s central thesis challenges the narrative that regulation represents a threat to sports’ commercial potential. Instead, he argues it’s driving a necessary evolution.
“Stricter regulation doesn’t reduce commercial interest. It reduces lower-quality partnerships,” he says. “What we’re seeing is fewer deals, but better ones. Longer conversations, more thoughtful structures, and partnerships that last beyond a single season.”
Regulation raises the entry bar and rewards players who can communicate meaningfully with fans within the rules. For platforms focused on real engagement and context, this creates opportunity rather than constraint. Meaningful communication with fans becomes the pathway to commercial objectives, not an obstacle to them.
The implications for sports business leaders are clear. The key shift in sponsorship strategy is understanding that success today is less about visibility and more about adding value in the context where fans are already engaged. In a regulated environment, brands cannot rely on noise. They need to be useful, relevant, and measurable.
“In today’s market, value added in context beats exposure every time,” Peixoto concludes.
As Brazil’s sports economy continues its rapid maturation—with professionalised governance, diversified revenue streams, and increasingly sophisticated commercial partnerships—the country may well be providing a roadmap for how regulated markets can sustain commercial growth. The answer isn’t fighting regulation, but using it as a catalyst to build partnerships that actually deserve fans’ attention.
Secure your place with a VIP Event Pass for R$3000. Enjoy full access to all conference sessions, the exhibition floor, exclusive networking events, and complimentary food and drink at our Food Festival.
Bringing the team? Take advantage of our Group Pass Discount. Purchase three or more VIP Event Passes and pay just R$1800 per ticket.
Operator or affiliate? You may be eligible for a complimentary VIP Event Pass, which includes full access to the exhibition, conference, and exclusive networking events.
Expo+ Pass (R$500): Gain access to the full exhibition floor and all conference sessions. This does not include access to our exclusive VIP evening networking events.
Expo Only Pass: Free to attend, this pass gives you access to the exhibition floor – perfect for networking and exploring the show without attending the conference sessions.
