Betano emerged as the winner among six other operators in a bid to sponsor Brazilian team Flamengo FC.

As reported by SBC Noticias Brazil, Betano replaces the club’s previous contract with Pixbet – bringing Flamengo an unofficial estimate of R$200m per year (£27.2m). 

If true, this automatically places the shirt sponsorship deal amongst the most valuable in Latin American football.

A club representative said: “Betano…is recognised for its innovative performance in the sector. Its international presence reinforces Flamengo’s global expansion strategy.”

Besides the Flamengo’s first football team, the Betano brand will also sponsor the Red-Blacks’ presence in other disciplines like volleyball, basketball, and women’s soccer.

Speaking on the deal, Betano added: “We received with great honor and emotion the news of having been chosen by Flamengo. 

“We know the historical importance of the club and the responsibility of associating our brand with an institution of this size. We are ready to take the next step together.”

Pixbet almost slips as regulations tighten

Brazil launched its regulated sports betting market back in January of this year. Predictions are that its value will skyrocket to billions of dollars by the end of the decade due to the size of the nation and its love for sports.

This has naturally peaked the interest of operators, both local and global, with applications to enter the market flooding the desks of regulators.

Pixbet was one of the first successful applicants, but has almost got its licence revoked permanently on several occasions – whilst it was the sponsor of Flamengo at that.

The reasons were often miscommunication with the regulator SPA, but such mistakes on both sides are typical for markets that are still in their nascent stages and new regulations are being introduced as we speak.

All in all, the brand was allowed to continue operating, but these legal hurdles surely would’ve slowed Pixbet’s growth – a sign of which could be the termination of Flamengo’s contract, and with that, their joint betting brand FlaBet.

Flamengo also saw trouble

With the introduction of the regulated market came a wider national clampdown on match-fixing syndicates.

One of the names that became entangled in this anti-crime campaign was Flamengo player Bruno Henrique, who was alleged to have manipulated the outcome of several games in favour of third parties.

While Henrique is still on match duty, even recently extending his contract with the club until December 2026, legal proceedings are still ongoing.

The footballer and his brother are now defendants only in a match-fixing case after being cleared of all other charges, including fraud, by the Criminal Court of Brasília.

Public prosecutors are now contesting the court’s decision, seeking a full reversal of all charges, a ban from sports and a bail set at R$2m (£272k).

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