One of the main events aimed at the iGaming market in Latin America, the EGR Power Latam Summit 2023 kicked off this Tuesday, February 28, in Buenos Ares, Argentina.
After an opening speech by Juan Camilo Carrasco (Asensi Abogados), the first day’s activities began by addressing the wait for regulation and the full potential of the Brazilian market. The convention runs through Wednesday, March 1.
Panel – Progress and politics in Brazil: the year that begins for the “sleeping giant”
The first seminar analyzed what can be expected from Brazil in a new year with a change in the federal government. The conversation featured Thomas Carvalhaes (Vai de Bob), Camila Carvalho (Pay4Fun), and lawyers Witoldo Hendrich and Neil Montgomery.
With bills currently awaiting presidential approval that could set the course for the regulation of betting and odds betting, and a new government, everything is about to change in Brazil.
After years in an uncertain scenario, and countless speculations about the potential that the ‘sleeping giant’ has, 2023 could be a year of transition for the country. Neil Montgomery opened the discussion citing the delay in approving rules for the sector. Hendrich, on the other hand, commented that he was always “optimistic about regulation happening but it never came. When you want to do something, you just do it.”
Camila Carvalho, in turn, explained that Pay4Fun “did what it could, we had a license to operate in betting, in an unregulated market. This gives credibility to the financial betting operation”, adding that “I think that Brazil is not asleep. We have good internet, good financial structure, we have 160 million people, imagine the income we would have. Why don’t we!? I don’t know!”
Thomas Carvalhaes, on the other hand, pondered that the slowness could be linked to the government. “I think it’s not us who are asleep (our government is)”.
Montgomery also projected that “if we are going to have a provisional measure, I believe that by April” the government should “issue something”, but that “the earliest for operators will not be before 2024”.
Hendrich, finally, highlighted that “we will have authorizations and not licenses for betting on what will come”, concluding that “we are not reinventing the wheel, we already have precedents”.
Panel – The 2022 World Cup: reflections on the challenges and successes of Latin American sports betting at a crucial time
Another panel that included the Brazilian betting industry was promoted by Fellipe Fraga (Estrelabet), Javier Troncoso (Futbol Sites), Gabriel Szlaifsztein (Continent 8 Technologies), Javier Samel (Pragmatic Play) and Santiago Gandara (BetWarrior).
Guests spoke about how the tournament was experienced in the LATAM market, efforts to ensure player protection, testing for platform infrastructure, marketing strategies, and how an exclusively scheduled event affected player behavior and traffic.
Bearing in mind that football fans in Latin America are known to be some of the most passionate in the world, and with the ever-increasing opportunity to legally engage in sports betting across multiple jurisdictions, the 2022 World Cup represented an extremely valuable opportunity for the sector.
For Gabriel Szlaifsztein, the World Cup final between Argentina and France was doubly tense. “Watching the final against Argentina was a wonderful moment. I prayed that Argentina won, but at the same time I prayed that none of the operators fell”.
“We spent the entire World Cup technologically calm and breathed when it was over. The growth it generated was incredible. It was a great opportunity,” added Szlaifsztein.
Javier Troncoso, in turn, mentioned that the excellent performance of the Argentine star – voted best in the world for the seventh time this Monday (27th) – is important for the entire industry. “For all of us it’s good that Messi is the ultimate figure in sport.”
While Santiago Gandara pointed out that thousands of people started to cheer for the team captained by Messi during the World Cup in Qatar. “The empathy with the Argentine national team started to be built again during the World Cup”.
In addition, Gandara explained that having an ambassador in the most varied sports tends to make a difference for brands. “Having an ambassador in sport – hockey, football and tennis – gives us a lot of strength at Betwarrior”.
