The second stage of BiS SiGMA Americas seminars continued this Friday afternoon, the 16th. Specialists, personalities and professionals invited to enrich the event’s agenda spoke about topics of extreme importance for the Latin American industry.
The public can follow valuable analysis on business opportunities from fantasy games and electronic sports, advertising in sports betting, sports integrity and mechanisms to combat corruption in competitions.
Since the opening of BiS SiGMA Americas, the iGaming Brazil portal has been bringing exclusive material with interviews, galleries with the best images and reports on the topics addressed in the two auditoriums. Follow the main information shared this Friday afternoon:
Panel: Fantasy Gaming and eSports – new business opportunities
Bárbara Teles (Rei do Pitaco), Renan Philip (Fluxo), Jane Guan (Pinnacle), Fellipe Fraga (EstrelaBet) and Roque Marques (Better Colective) were part of the first seminar of the afternoon period.
Bárbara began by talking about the significant increase in the eSports and fantasy games segment in Brazil. “In the coming years, this sector [fantasy sports] could grow around 120%. We see a recognition that eSports is an electronic sport and deserves its space in the market”.
Jane Guan reinforced this esports bullish trend. “Esports has grown a lot in the last 3 years, around 300%. And in the coming years it could grow by 200%”, adding that there are several sources of revenue to be explored (tournaments, sponsorships, partnerships, etc).
“The audience really needs to feel that you, as an operator, are investing in the sector, in order to be engaged. We firmly believe in the growth of this market”, he added.
Renan Philip, in turn, commented on the existing synergy between electronic sports and iGaming. “Esports and iGaming have been together for a long time in this segment,” he said.
For Fellipe Fraga, electronic sports are the future and may even surpass traditional sports. “Esports will supersede traditional sports. New bettors are used to [RNG] randomness.”
Fraga also analyzed fantasy sports options: “Fantasy sports are a very cool opportunity, because even though it is not a sports bet, it works with predictability”.
Roque Marques recalled that eSports have been in the national territory for over two decades. “eSports have been in Brazil for over 20 years, with CS:GO being one of the most prominent on the scene. Fantasy and eSports can walk together in the future, they are modalities that are close and can serve a wide audience”.
Bárbara warned that Brazil cannot waste the opportunity to properly explore the fantasy games segment. “Several companies have been exploring this fantasy games market, which proves a significant growth of the sector in general. This is an opportunity that Brazil cannot pass up”, he concluded.
Lecture: Frontier technology meets experience: launching a casino brand in two weeks
Oliver de Bono (Quantun Gaming) walked through the steps needed to launch a casino brand in a short amount of time. He cited available technologies and brand strategies in a rising market like Brazil. “Good technology is essential for launching a strong brand.”
Furthermore, Bono explained the potential of the solution that Quantun Gaming offers and how crucial it is to take the lead in crafting rapid development using quality data and stable, reliable technology.
Panel: Advertising in sports betting
Carlos Cardama (Games Magazine Brazil), Diego Fernández (Pipolhub), Deniz Gavazzi (Bandeirantes), Paulo Saad (president Grupo Bandeirantes), Guilherme Frioli (UOL) and Ricardo Magri (EBAC) analyzed the relationship between advertising and bookmakers.
Paulo Saad presented an overview of the betting market, which has grown exponentially in recent years. The estimate for 2023 is to move approximately 12 billion reais.
“There are two points that are important to highlight with this amount of money: no part was used to show public opinion the benefits and programs that need to be shown to the Brazilian people”.
“Non-regulation is almost like a sword over our heads: it can harm the sector, reduce investments and take several operators out of the market. I think it is a mistake for the segment not to highlight its performance for communication, to teach people about the recreational game,” added Saad.
Deniz Gavazzi also pointed out that the content can help the segment in terms of sales and institutional education. “It is very important to see the growth of an event like this. We must show our viewers, our listeners, how much this segment generates in jobs, income and opportunities”.
“Everyone is starting to become aware of the importance of regulating this sector. We cannot remain blind and not regulate a segment that can generate so much for Brazilians, for the media,” added Gavazzi.
Diego Fernández gave his opinion on the path to be followed by the Brazilian segment. “Regulation in this place is key to promoting a healthier environment. We have to find ways to achieve proper regulation for our operators.”
For Guilherme Frioli, education is vital for the betting sector. “Today we, as major players in the media sector, have to teach the Brazilian population what the game is. We are talking about a base of 20 million players”.
Ricardo Magri, in turn, shared some reports about companies that looked for opportunities in the national territory in 2018, but did not enter the market due to lack of regulation – something so awaited until today. “The unregulated market regulates itself,” he declared.
Panel: The Importance of Integrity in Sport for the Sports Betting Sector: Match Fixing, Governance of Sports Organizations and Anti-Corruption
Luiz Gustavo Zonca (iGaming Consultant), Paula Young (Botafogo), Khalid Ali (IBIA), Tiago Barbosa (Fair Game Defense Committee of the Brazilian Olympic Committee), Matias Mendez (Sportradar) and Roberto Armeli (São Paulo) analyzed the questions of integrity, governance of entities and the fight against irregularities in Brazilian sport.
Roberto Armeli said that São Paulo Futebol Clube is promoting a culture change process. “Those who work in Brazilian football must have the social awareness that the sport brings. We need to deal with the cause of the problem”, said Armeli in relation to match-fixing, placing education as the main solution to this problem.
Like Armeli, Paula Young said that Botafogo is working to ensure integrity, including taking some measures regarding the partnership with a bookmaker. “Today we can’t escape this: the bookmakers are there, and running away would be ‘stupid’. Today, the main sponsorships in football are through bookmakers”.
“We look a lot at this compliance part before accepting a partnership with a bookmaker. We have a company vision”, pointed out the representative of the club from Rio de Janeiro.
Khalid Ali took the opportunity to detail the work carried out by IBIA also to protect integrity and avoid irregularities. “For us it is very important that this market has regulation. We want to protect the consumer, and consequently, we manage to protect the bookmakers as well”.
Tiago Barbosa, from the Committee for the Defense of Fair Play of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, commented on the manipulation scandals in national sport, but warning that this is not just a problem in football. “We need to instruct these people [athletes] in the right way and the heart of the matter is this problem at its root”.
According to Matias Mendez, cases of manipulation have registered a significant growth from 2022 to the current moment of 2023. “Brazil has a problem that must be quickly resolved. to take a stand to combat this”.
However, Mendez noted that this is not a problem unique to Brazil. “This is a problem that exists all over the world. We have to work hard, and together, to fight it.”
While Luiz Gustavo Zonca stressed that all interested parties in the sector were present. “Here is a union of all: regulation, clubs, athletes”. For him, bookmakers can impose limits to try to curb this stain on the sport.
“Bookmakers must also be aware that some actions can be taken: such as limits. A bookmaker cannot allow a high-value bet in a low-audience and low-engagement league”, he concluded.
Affiliates vs Operators: Speed Dating
The dynamic between affiliates and operators ended the second day of the event. The intention was to provide the closing of attractive deals for both parties, in addition to strengthening the networking between affiliates and representatives of bookmakers.
