During the EGR Latam Power Summit (eGaming Review), held on February 28 and March 1 in Buenos Aires, the iGaming Brazil portal interviewed the Brazilian panelists present at the event. During two days of highly exclusive networking for leaders in the igaming market in Latin America, entrepreneurs had the opportunity to discuss sensitive topics for the industry.
Thomas Carvalhaes, CEO of Vai De Bob and winner of the iGaming Professional of the Year award, was moderator of the Panel “- Progress and politics in Brazil: the year that begins for the sleeping giant'” – accompanied by Witoldo Hendrich Jr., from Hendrich Advogados, Neil Montgomery (Montgomery & Associados) and Camila Carvalho, from Pay4Fun, was interviewed by the iGaming Brazil team during the welcome cocktail on the first day of the event held at the Hilton Hotel in Puerto Madero
On the panel, panelists debated, moderated by Thomas Carvalhaes, on the years in the ‘grey market’, with openly partisan views on the sector and seemingly endless speculation about the potential the sleeping giant holds, and whether 2023 could finally be the year for Brazil.
In this context, and with these expectations, what will be the challenges for international operators and suppliers that want to enter this vast and lucrative market?
Right below is the opinion of Thomas Carvalhaes
iGaming Brazil – What is the importance of this event? What is covered here that other events do not?
Thomas Carvalhaes – I think one of the main points of this event is its relevance, the people who come here. Obviously, every event is important, and we cannot dismiss the importance of others, but because it is more of a fair, more of an exhibition, it ends up losing some of the space for networking and conversation, and for some reason, whether strategic, the EGR manages to bring together people who make decisions. As I said earlier, everyone I know who has an influence or an interest in the Brazilian and Latin American markets is represented here.
That’s why its relevance is so high. It’s one of my favorite events precisely because you can achieve traction and synergy that you don’t usually get. I speak for myself, I can’t do that at other events. Meetings, rushing around, exhibitions, you end up losing the networking space.
iGaming Brazil – What caught your attention at the event?
Thomas Carvalhaes – The quality and selectivity of people. The networking.
iGaming Brazil – What will be the challenges for operators and international providers that want to enter this vast and lucrative market?
Thomas Carvalhaes – I think the challenges are the same, the issue of being relevant to the market. Having a website translated into Portuguese or Spanish is not enough, the market requires knowledge of the target audience, cultural knowledge, knowledge that brings relevance.
So, for me, the main challenge to be overcome is this: that you manage to align yourself, put yourself on the same level as your target audience, and with that, create a product that will be relevant. It’s not a seven-headed monster. It’s not something simple because it requires local knowledge, but that’s how I would put it.
iGaming Brazil – As an operator, how do you see the entry of government sites in the sports betting market?
Thomas Carvalhaes – This is an interesting point, we should debate about it today because we are seeing state governments taking the lead and we cannot blame ourselves because, in fact, there is (was) a certain omission on the part of the Federal Government regarding the issuance of the regulations that we all expect.
As a result, some State Governments have taken the lead in issuing lottery licenses, but also, due to the fact that sports betting was placed in the same category as lotteries according to the 2018 law, today States are able to take this lead and issue licenses.
This makes us wonder: what will happen from now on with a possible national regulation of sports betting, not a regulation of lotteries? Will these licenses remain valid, or will they be revoked? Will there be a national law that addresses this issue? We do not know, but in principle the market is open to everyone, anyone who wants to can enter and operate and if it is healthy, its operation will be profitable. However, in a regulated environment this is a point that should be reconsidered and rethought.
