After the BiS Awards ceremony closed the first day of official programming, BiS SiGMA Americas continued with an agenda full of reflections, activations and distinguished guests at the Transamérica Expo Center. Below are the highlights of this Wednesday (9):
Betting associations, responsible gaming and poker in Brazil
In the first panel of the day, Olivério Júnior (Tuddo Assessoria), Witoldo Hendrich Júnior (ABRAJOGO) and Alessandro Valente (ABRAJOGO) analyzed how collaboration between companies and government can strengthen the iGaming market. This is because ABRAJOGO, the main association of the sector in the country, is committed to promoting a transparent, ethical and collaborative environment.
The importance of associations in the current iGaming scenario was highlighted in another conversation with Witoldo Hendrich Júnior (President – ABRAJOGO), Plínio Lemos Jorge (President – ANJL – National Association of Gambling and Lotteries), Udo Seckelmann (Head of Gambling & Crypto – Bichara e Motta Advogados) and Bárbara Teles (AMIG).
The experts highlighted how these entities facilitate dialogue, promote the alignment of interests and contribute to the construction of a safe and collaborative regulatory environment.
Furthermore, a global iGaming legend, Stephen Crystal (founder and CEO of SCCG Management), carried out a detailed assessment of measures related to conscious gaming around the world and their application to the Brazilian market.
The poker scene in Brazil, which is booming, driven by a growing online and in-person market, was the focus of a seminar that brought together Ivonne Montealegre (SiGMA Group), Simon Isbäck (Cubeia), Lukas Robinson (Streamer and Ambassador) and Jon Vlogs (Jon Bet).
Importance of state lotteries
Throughout the day, several debates addressed the situation of state lotteries. Marcello Corrêa (OAB-RJ), Alexandre Manoel (Consórcio Aposta Vencedora – SP), Daniel Romanowski (Lottopar) and Hazenclever Lopes Cançado (Loterj) contributed significantly in a chat focused on the challenges of these services in the national territory.
Another relevant point – the social side of lotteries and how they benefit programs and actions in the states – was remembered by Edson Kikuchi (2S Consultoria), Diego Campos (Osasco City Hall), state deputy Marcus Vinícius and Adhemar Neto (Consórcio Aposta Vencedora – SP).
Campos projected that the service in Osasco could be available this year. “God willing, by the end of the year we will have our municipal lottery in Osasco up and running.”
Meanwhile, state deputy Marcus Vinícius explained that, in Rio Grande do Sul, the lottery was created during the Farroupilha Revolution. “Santa Casa do Rio Grande do Sul is the result of the state lottery. Lotteries must occupy a space of social justice. Everyone must contribute to social development,” he said.
Addressing the law on national streaming content for the local market
Alessandro Valente (Founder – Brazilian iGaming Summit), Rafael Marcondes (CLO – Rei do Pitaco) and Sergio Floris (Managing Director – Sportradar) delved deeper into this issue. Marcondes highlighted that “in the regulated market there is a ban on national online games, leaving doubts regarding the restriction on national streaming platforms, since, in article 18, only international operators are allowed”.
Valente pondered the impact of this ban on national operators. According to Marcondes, “there is a cost to operations, in terms of taxes. As if that weren’t enough, this ban creates a restriction on products. My product becomes less attractive than the product available on the illegal market.”
“One way out is for the government to pressure app stores to release the apps. Convince big techs to release these apps and make them available in Brazil. In markets like Virginia, this is the most used format by more than 90% of people,” he added.
According to Sérgio Floris, “there is a misconception, in my opinion, that this modality (streaming) would rival the “traditional” broadcasting market. I give as an example the influencer Gaulês, who broadcast NBA games on Twitch and, at no time, this broadcast affected the audience numbers of Band, which broadcast the games on open TV”, he stressed.
Data moderation
Furthermore, Alessandro Valente questioned the way data is sent, received and moderated. “How can we use this data to detect suspicious movements?” he asked.
The Sportradar representative explained that “we monitor, we are a kind of camera. We detect these suspicious movements, analyze them and forward this action to the appropriate authorities. We do not have police powers.”
“But I think it’s not just about monitoring. We need to raise awareness. Fraud often happens without the main actors realizing they are committing crimes. We need an educational initiative, aligned with this monitoring,” he added.
Live Betting and the Real-Time Experience
Alberoni “Bill” Castro (President of the Brazilian Poker Confederation – CBTH), Carlos Aureliano (Commercial and New Business Director – Sorte Online), Marco Pequeno (Country Manager Brazil – Amusnet) and Fellipe Fraga (CBO – EstrelaBet) were responsible for dealing with this issue, which is so necessary for player retention.
According to Marco Pequeno, it is essential to provide an active experience for players, so that they feel like they are inside the casino. “This experience, in the current format of the Brazilian market, is lacking. We are waiting for this regulation to format the live casino in a complete way”, he revealed.
Castro then stated that all providers are bringing products in Brazilian language — not just the translated website, but with a language designed for the local public.
Aureliano praised the tropicalization, which is not limited to the language, but includes the participation of Brazilians in this market. Fraga, in turn, stated that the next step is to create a national project. “The trend is for studios to start being set up in Brazil, to develop live casino projects specifically for Brazilians,” he concluded.
Strong football presence at BiS SiGMA Americas
The Transamerica Expo Center almost turned into a football pitch today. Vbet, Botafogo‘s current main sponsor, promoted a special event with comedian Mauricio Meirelles and some players from the Rio de Janeiro team’s professional squad, such as Serafim, Marçal and Nathan Fernandes.
The comedian, a Fogão fan, told our website exclusively what he thought of the event:
The Affiliate Lounge, a space dedicated to networking between affiliates and companies in the sector, was attended by former players who have made history at giant clubs on the national scene. Such as:
- Galeano, Palmeiras idol
- Leandro Guerreiro, a player who has played for major clubs in Brazil and Europe,
- Chicão, Corinthians idol;
- Narciso, former Santos player and football coach.
Former Timão defender Chicão highlighted the presence of the main bookmakers at BiS SiGMA Americas. “A wonderful event, which involves all the biggest bookmakers in the world. I am very happy to be a part of it, and I would like to thank everyone for the invitation. But I always emphasize that we should play responsibly,” he concluded.