Online betting pours R$ 150 million into Brazilian culture, creating a new problem for artists

Online betting companies are no longer just buying sports inventory in Brazil. They are now funding cultural projects through Lei Rouanet and sponsoring major festivals and tours, which leaves artists with an awkward choice: take the money and inherit the association, or refuse and lose access to a very active market.

1. The trend was mapped by Folha de S.Paulo. Superbet, the first betting house regulated in the country at the end of 2024, says it spent almost R$ 150 million on cultural sponsorship in 2025 and 2026 in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, including Rock in Rio, Rio Carnival, and Lollapalooza.
2. Through Lei Rouanet, the sector has allocated R$ 11.8 million since 2025 to projects including the Copacabana New Year’s Eve celebration, Oktoberfest Blumenau in Santa Catarina, and events on the coast of São Paulo state. According to Salic data from the Ministry of Culture, betting operators raised R$ 6 million through the mechanism in 2025, and the figure has already reached R$ 5.8 million this year.
3. The amounts are still small compared with the R$ 3.4 billion raised by Lei Rouanet in 2025, but the pace is drawing attention from authorities and specialists. For PSPs and sponsors, that matters because this is exactly the kind of money flow that can get caught between marketing demand and local regulatory backlash.
4. Artists are pushing back in public. The “Block no Tigrinho” campaign, led by the 342 Artes movement, gained traction on social media during the World Cup, with Caetano Veloso, Emicida, and Camila Pitanga warning about betting risks. Paula Lavigne, founder of 342 Artes and Caetano Veloso’s wife, said betting companies have moved so quickly and so deeply into Brazilian cultural life that they now occupy central places despite the consequences.
5. There is also a commercial split inside the industry. Lavigne drew a distinction between artists with room to refuse and those who depend on the money to keep working. The manager of Simone Mendes said the singer turned down a R$ 64 million deal to promote betting, while Ana Castela has also said she does not advertise betting houses.

Municipal and state governments have tightened advertising restrictions after the World Cup, when the controversy around CazéTV exposed the risks around gambling promotion. Alexandre Fonseca, CEO of Superbet, criticized the rules emerging in cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, saying that if brands cannot be shown at events, the investments “lose sense for the company.” He added that Superbet will stop investing in large events in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo if the restrictions remain in place.