On Tuesday (13), influencer Virginia Fonseca attended the Federal Senate after being summoned to testify at the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) on Sports Betting. Among other statements, the influencer said she does not regret the advertisements she made for betting companies.
A study conducted by the Center for Applied Marketing Studies (CEAM) at ESPM identified that, despite the high demand for sports betting, even with government regulation, the reputation of celebrities is in the opposite direction. The bad reputation of the category makes celebrities associated with these brands perceived as ‘less reliable’ by 68% of the respondents. The study, conducted in November 2024, analyzed consumer behavior on online betting sites.
Reputation, however, does not affect the perception of football clubs sponsored by sports betting brands. In fact, among the respondents, there is a tendency for an increase in future bets: if the betting brand sponsors the respondent’s club, 39% say they will bet frequently, while 41% say they intend to bet more in the future if this happens. Among the respondents, 43% say they like these brands as sponsors of their teams.
‘With the study, we can perceive how sports betting brands are viewed in different aspects. A topic that has been the subject of many discussions in the country currently. Our goal is to identify the behavior of these consumers and the paths to be followed by the brands,’ says Evandro Luiz Lopes, academic director of research and Postgraduate Studies at ESPM, a leading school, an authority in Marketing and Innovation focused on business.
According to the research, 23% of the respondents spend 10% or more of their monthly budget and intend to continue “investing”. For 44% of the respondents, the perception is that the BETs are regulated, yet not honest.
Despite the contrast between high demand and the perception of it not being a reliable channel, what most keeps and motivates people of different age groups to persist as users of these platforms is the expectation of making money. When openly asked about the motivation to bet on BETs, 24% answered to make money. Not surprisingly, the research also identified that this type of betting already occupied the 2nd place among the respondents’ gaming consumption, with a concentration of about 25%, trailing only behind the Lottery.
Methodology
With a confidence level of 95%, the research, conducted by CEAM – Center for Applied Marketing Studies, surveyed 400 users of betting sites across Brazil during the month of November 2024. In addition to attitudinal aspects, the Center assessed aspects of brand recall, relationship with sponsored clubs and celebrities in the context of online betting companies.
