ICE transformed Barcelona into the world capital of the gambling segment between the 20th and 22nd of January. Ohad Straschnov, from Soft2Bet, highlighted the importance of being at one of the industry’s main events.
“We are always happy to be at ICE, especially when it is the first time in Barcelona. It is valuable to know the regulators, providers, suppliers and operators we interact with on a daily basis. I think it brings a lot of value and we learn a lot. Obviously, we take this to the next projects”, he stated.
Evolution of Latin American and African markets
Asked about Soft2Bet’s vision for the Brazilian market, he said that he is closely following the evolution of Brazil and other countries in Latin America and Africa.
“I was discussing Brazil, Peru and new regions in Africa a few months ago at SiGMA. These are interesting markets. I think that now there are new regions that will explore new markets. And they are relevant because they are not yet saturated. They will become very competitive, but it is an opportunity to grow with the market”, he analyzed.
However, Straschnov pointed to cultural differences between consolidated and emerging markets as one of the main challenges for Soft2Bet.
“Our main concern at this stage are the cultural differences between what we already know in Europe, the USA and Ontario and these regions that are now developing and becoming new regulated markets”, he considered.
Regulation
In fact, the new Brazilian legislation for the online betting sector was one of the most discussed topics at ICE. “The main concern in Brazil now revolves around discussions about legislation, taxation, whether it will be applied at the federal level or on a state-by-state level,” he highlighted.
Finally, Ohad Straschnov stated, “Once all of these items are resolved, it will be much easier for us to actually enter this market. We are currently exploring, reviewing and discussing this internally.”
