Betting Firms Spent R$422m on Advertising in Sao Paulo, Ranking Sixth of 184 Categories

Sports betting and online gaming companies put R$422 million (about $78 million) into advertising in Sao Paulo between January 2025 and June 2026, placing the sector sixth among 184 advertiser categories in the city. The figures come from Kantar Ibope Media's Monitor Evolution platform and were published by Folha de S.Paulo's Painel S.A. The period matches the federal regulation of the sector, in force since January 2025.

Betting spend has been concentrated in outdoor media: billboards, digital panels and street furniture. On that ranking it sits behind only telecoms, alcoholic drinks, credit cards and the large retail chains.

The Sao Paulo city council is now weighing proposals that would restrict it. The municipal executive is preparing a consolidated text merging bills 553/2025, 560/2025 and 564/2025. If it advances, the council could ban betting advertising on buses, bus stops, lift screens and other media. The penalties are steep: fines up to R$50,000 (about $9,300) per infraction, suspension of a licence for up to 30 days for repeat offences, and a two-year ban on holding sporting events in the city. Fine revenue would go to gambling-harm prevention and educational sport. Mayor Ricardo Nunes has indicated he will sign the law if councillors approve it.

The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) opposes the restrictions, arguing they would cut investment in an expanding market and hit not only operators but street furniture concessionaires, advertising agencies and other suppliers. The association also says advertising is how consumers learn which platforms are licensed.

The Sao Paulo Football Federation and the city's main clubs have come out against the bills as well. The FPF estimates that terminating and renegotiating existing contracts would cost local finances more than R$1 billion (about $185 million). Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Cavaliere has already issued a decree banning betting advertising in the city, and a draft in Mexico City would restrict betting promotions and marketing there.