Brazilian clubs fight to overturn betting ban

Brazilian clubs argued before the Supreme Court against a betting ban, citing losses of over $1bn in annual sponsorships and a surge in illegal gambling sites.

Brazilian football clubs including Botafogo, Cruzeiro, São Paulo, Corinthians, Grêmio, Ponte Preta, Portuguesa and Vitória appeared at a public hearing before Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday to challenge a provisional measure that banned betting houses nationwide.

Clubs and industry representatives argued that the prohibition has caused massive losses in sponsorship revenue and reduced investment in the sport. Before the ban, betting companies had invested over 1 billion reais annually in sponsorships alone to elite Brazilian clubs. They also contended that the ban has not eliminated gambling demand but instead driven it underground, with the Federal Police detecting the creation of 61,000 illegal gambling websites.

Bernardo Cavalcanti Freire, a lawyer representing Ponte Preta at the hearing, argued that a regulated market is necessary to combat illegal gambling effectively. He noted that without legal alternatives, consumers migrate to unregulated platforms on social media where minors can easily access betting and credit card use is unrestricted. During the hearing, clubs called for improved oversight or at least a transition period to preserve existing contracts.