Rio de Janeiro club leads national betting, followed by Corinthians and São Paulo

GLOBOESPORTE.COM and news agencies

After winning the Guanabara Cup last Sunday, Flamengo fans have another reason to be proud. According to the partial Timemania results released by Caixa Econômica Federal this Thursday, February 28th, the red-and-black club leads the betting odds in the new Brazilian soccer lottery.

Flamengo is the first team in the national ranking with 11,6% of total bets, followed by Corinthians (9,2%) and São Paulo (7,2%). In the regional competition, the team from Gávea maintains a wide lead over Vasco (3,7%), Botafogo (2,9%) and Fluminense (2,7%).

Among the São Paulo teams, behind Corinthians and São Paulo are Palmeiras, with 5,8% of bets, and Santos, with 4,4%. For Moreira Franco, Vice President of Government Funds and Lotteries at CAIXA, these numbers will encourage healthy competition among fans.

"Vasco fans won't want to see their team fall behind Flamengo. Just as Palmeiras fans won't want to fall behind Corinthians. That's the big draw of Timemania. Besides competing for prizes, fans will help their team and even be able to tell the whole country that their club has the most passionate fans," says Moreira Franco.

In the South, the battle between Grêmio and Colorado is promising. Grêmio is 6th overall, with 4,4% of bets, while rival Inter occupies 7th place, with 3,8% of fan predictions. In Minas Gerais, Cruzeiro has the edge over Atlético-MG, with 3,2% versus 2,4%. In the Northeast, Bahia is in the lead, followed by Sport Recife.

The first Timemania draw will be held in São Paulo next Saturday (March 1st) at 20:30 pm (Brasília time). Bets can be placed until 19 pm on the day of the draw.