Launched in 2019, Rei do Pitaco emerged with a total focus on the fantasy games market, inspired by North American giants such as DraftKings and FanDuel. In an exclusive interview, the company’s CEO and co-founder, Kiko Augusto, shared details about the business’s trajectory and plans for the future.
“There was only Cartola in Brazil, but it never offered a cash prize. We saw an opportunity to take on fantasy with a cash prize. That would be our differentiator,” he said.
Furthermore, he explained that entering the sports betting and online casino market was ‘natural’. “We have grown a lot, with a base of millions of users who already play our fantasy game product and, of course, we entered the regulated market now in January”.
According to Augusto, the company had been preparing for this moment and has international investors. “We have a board of investors. The licensing issue was not a challenge at all. We were able to invest this capital and operate in this market without any problems,” he said.
Consumer base
According to him, retention is the most important metric and is completely linked to the product and the user experience on the platform. “There is no point in having a wonderful acquisition in volume if your product does not retain,” he said.
“Our differentiator is the product. We think about every detail of the experience, which ensures that the user has a positive experience when they enter the app. Our retention numbers are above the market,” he added.
The CEO of Rei do Pitaco also revealed that the company is still unable to match its competitors in terms of investment in acquisitions. “We need to be smarter and find channels that these people are not thinking about,” he said.
The platform continues to prioritize the use of player statistics, maintaining the basis of the fantasy format. “Fantasy is based heavily on studying players and statistics. As they score on the field, you get your score. We create player offers at home – something we already know how to do.”
AI
When asked about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Rei do Pitaco’s processes, the co-founder highlighted the gain in efficiency. “Today, our engineers, who develop our products, have AI to help. In marketing, we use it to generate creatives, images, ads and videos. In operations, we use a lot of things to understand customer prediction models,” he explained.
Goals for 2025
Finally, Kiko Augusto revealed the main goal of Rei do Pitaco for this year: to consolidate itself among the best products on the market. “I hope, in the second half of the year, to have built enough within the product to be at the top. If we have a great product, a share of the market is a consequence. That is the main focus”, he concluded.
