Campeonato Brasileiro Série A football club Fortaleza has become the first team to strike a sponsorship deal with an online betting company following changes in legislation.
Fortaleza, which won Série B last season, has agreed a one-year deal that will grant NetBet branding rights on the club’s front-of-shirt.
Brazil’s outgoing president, Michel Temer, last month ratified legislation that paved the way for the National Congress to implement sports betting regulations for the first time.
The bill formalised plans for the distribution of revenue raised through the country’s national lottery, Loterias Caixa, and set out a two-year timeframe in which Congress can develop and pass sports betting controls.
Brazilian news site Máquina do Esporte noted that Corinthians struck a shirt sponsorship deal with the Winner brand in 2016, but the partnership was terminated before it began due to the lack of regulations around sports betting at the time.