Conmebol uses virtual overlays to remove betting ads from Brazil broadcasts after new ban

Conmebol has started using virtual overlay technology to keep sportsbook branding off Brazilian broadcasts of the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana after Brazil’s new ban on betting ads took effect. For PSPs and operators, the important part is not the football; it is the mechanism: one feed, different ad inventory by market, which is now doing regulatory work.

1. The change follows the medida provisória (provisional measure) signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), which banned betting and online casino activity and advertising in Brazil and took effect last week.
2. According to Máquina do Esporte, Conmebol has had a contract with Entain since 2023. Entain, based in Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man, controls brands including Sportingbet and Bwin, both of which had been shown on LED boards in the two club competitions.
3. The workaround is virtual overlays, which let the official broadcast show different images in different markets. In Brazil, betting brands are replaced with institutional messages or ads from other Conmebol sponsors such as Amstel, Midea, Coca-Cola, DHL, EA Sports, TCL, Mercado Livre, Rexona, Powerade and World.
4. The technology was used on Tuesday (13/10) during ESPN and SBT’s broadcast of Vasco’s 1-0 win over Boca Juniors. While other countries still saw Bwin, the Brazilian audience saw the boards without any betting ads. Conmebol is expected to keep using the setup in matches played in Brazil in both competitions.
5. Sportingbet told Estadão that it was reviewing the next steps under its contract with Conmebol in light of the Brazilian ban. The brand was also Palmeiras’ main shirt sponsor before the provisional measure came into force.

Conmebol also has an institutional deal with Betano through 2028, tied to national-team competitions such as the Copa América Feminina and the Women’s Nations League. That agreement does not involve direct exposure in club tournaments. The ban has not removed betting brands entirely from Conmebol broadcasts in Brazil: Boca Juniors’ shirt sponsor is Betsson, and the logo appeared normally on the club’s jersey in Tuesday’s match. For the return leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals on October 20, Boca is expected to keep the Betsson shirt, unless Brazilian authorities read the rules differently.