Esportes da Sorte Asks to Exit Corinthians Deal Without a Fine Over Betting Ban

Corinthians' shirt sponsor has told the club that Brazil's provisional measure banning betting makes their R$150 million a year contract impossible to perform. The club says the deal is suspended, not over, and that a fine is due if the bookmaker walks away.

• Esportes da Sorte notified Corinthians on Monday 26 October that it wants to terminate their master sponsorship without paying a fine, according to Lance!, citing UOL
• The company says Provisional Measure 1.394, which ended betting licences in Brazil and banned betting sponsorship, makes the contract unworkable, and that the agreements provide for a cost-free exit
• Corinthians considers the contract suspended until Congress decides on the measure, and says the sponsor must pay the contractual fine if it insists on leaving
• The contract, renewed in February 2026, runs to December 2029 at a fixed R$150 million, approximately $29 million, a year, according to Placar
• The dispute comes days before the Supreme Federal Court's 3 November public hearing on the ban, where Corinthians is among 10 invited clubs

Corinthians' Sponsor Says the Betting Ban Ends Its Obligations

Esportes da Sorte, the club's master sponsor since July 2024, notified Corinthians on Monday 26 October that it intends to end the contract without a termination fine, Lance! reported, citing UOL, which broke the story. According to Lance!, the company argues that the restrictions on its operations and advertising prevent it from meeting its obligations.

In a statement carried by BNLData, Esportes da Sorte said that with the end of operating licences under Provisional Measure (MP) 1.394, sponsorship and institutional exposure were no longer allowed, making continuation of the contracts "inviável" (unviable). It said the natural course was to formalise the end of the partnerships "sem qualquer custo ou penalidade para as partes, exatamente como previsto nos acordos firmados" (without any cost or penalty to the parties, exactly as provided in the agreements). The company added that it and the clubs remain ready to resume dialogue if the measure is suspended or amended. The statement refers to partnerships in the plural and does not name other clubs.

Corinthians told UOL it considers the agreement "suspenso, e não rescindido" (suspended, not terminated), according to Lance!. Placar reports that the club wants the suspension to last until Congress votes on the measure, and that its legal view is that the sponsor must pay the contractual indemnity if the termination goes ahead. The fine has not been disclosed. Both sides' lawyers are discussing an amicable exit or rebalanced terms, Placar says.

A Contract Worth Up to R$200 Million a Season

The original three-year deal, announced on 25 July 2024, was reported at R$309 million, approximately $59 million, according to Meio & Mensagem. Placar says the February 2026 renewal set a fixed R$150 million a year to December 2029, and InfoTimão reports that bonuses could take it to R$200 million, approximately $38 million, a season. InfoTimão says the club estimates at least R$480 million, approximately $92 million, of revenue for 2027 to 2029 is at risk.

The measure was published on 25 September. According to Meio & Mensagem, it barred new advertising contracts from publication, gave existing sponsorships until 5 October to remove betting brands, and took betting sites offline from 6 October. O Povo reports that Esportes da Sorte stopped paying Ceará, another club it sponsors, once the measure took effect. Operators had warned clubs before the measure that sponsorships could end, Poder360 reported, with Corinthians confirming receipt of an Esportes da Sorte notice.

The Measure's Temporary Status Is the Whole Dispute

A provisional measure is valid for 60 days, extendable by a further 60, according to Meio & Mensagem, and lapses unless Congress converts it into law. InfoTimão reports that the joint committee had not been installed by 30 October, with a deliberation deadline of 23 November, and lawmakers have tabled 99 amendments, several restoring licences. Corinthians is counting on the measure failing or changing; Esportes da Sorte is treating the licence loss as final enough to trigger an exit now, while promising to talk again if the measure is amended. Whichever reading prevails will set a template for other clubs.

The Fine Clause Is the Real Test

The partnership has survived a regulatory scare before. In January 2025 Justice André Mendonça of the Supreme Federal Court suspended the national reach of licences issued by Rio de Janeiro's state lottery, Loterj, leaving Esportes da Sorte, then without a federal licence, needing authorisation to keep its brand on the shirts of Corinthians, Grêmio, Bahia and Ceará, ESPN reported. This time the obstacle is a ban on the whole sector, which is the logic of Esportes da Sorte's claim that the agreements foresee a cost-free exit. Neither side has published the clause, so the outcome cannot be judged from outside.

Esportes da Sorte wants a clean exit now, and Corinthians wants to wait for Congress. Whether the sponsor pays depends on a contract nobody has published and a measure Congress has not yet voted on.