SBC Summit Rio 2024: Exploring Brazilian Gambling Market

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SBC Summit Rio 2024 provided insights into Brazil’s regulatory, data rights, localized product offering, sports integrity, and technology frameworks.

by Zoran Ristic

1 year ago 237

SBC Summit Rio 2024 – An Exploration of the Dynamic Brazilian Landscape

SBC Summit triumphantly entered Rio, Brazil, as the inaugural event surpassed the forecasted 3,000 attendees. It was held at the Windsor Convention & Expo Center, Rio de Janeiro, and attracted 4,000 attendees, signaling a promising online gambling market in Latin America.

The SBC Summit Rio 2024 featured over 70 exhibitors and senior executives from Brazil and across the globe. This was an excellent platform for the experts to discuss the regulatory frameworks, localized product offerings, operator-media relationships, sports integrity, data rights, and sponsorship opportunities within the Brazilian gambling landscape.

After the success of the SBC Summit Rio 2024, delegates and exhibitors are looking forward to the 2025 Premier Sports Betting and iGaming edition to be held at Riocentro in Barra da Tijuca. But if you missed the inaugural SBC Summit Rio 2024, here are the keynotes from the event.

SBC Summit Rio 2024 Agenda

The SBC Summit Rio 2024 was a learning and call-to-action conference. Zé Roberto, a celebrated Brazilian former footballer and Betsson Brand Ambassador, opened the event. He highlighted an exclusive keynote on the strategies operators can use to achieve maximum performance.

The opening ceremony also featured the official launch of the Associação de Mulheres da Indústria Gaming (AMIG), which underscored SBC’s commitment to empowering women in the gaming sector.

Here are talking points from the SBC Summit Rio 2024:

The Potential Benefits of Sports Betting

Waldir Marques, Diretor de Assuntos Regulatórios, WA.Technology moderated a panel discussing the benefits of sports betting in Latin America’s online gambling market. They focused on the revenue from this new sector and how the local and international operators, including the community, would benefit from this new regulation.

The panel consisted of Felipe Fraga, Chief Business Officer, EstrelaBet; Livia Troise, CEO, Betmais; Andre Gelfi, Managing Partner Brazil, Betsson & Diretor-Presidente, Instituto Brasileiro de Jogo Responsável (IBJR), and Marcos Sabiá, CEO, GALERA GAMING JOGOS ELETRONICOS LTDA.

How International Brands Can Make Headway in Brazil

After Brazil legalized online casino and sports betting, many international operators are entering this promising Latin American market. But what does the future hold for these brands?

Jon Moss, Director, 34 Consulting Ltd, moderated a discussion on how international brands can understand the local culture, media consumption trends, and marketing strategies to uphold brand identity and thrive in Brazil.

The other key speakers in the panel were:

Cecilia López Boronat, Chief Communications Officer, Lottofy
Andreas Bardun, CEO, KTO Group
Alexandre Fonseca, CEO Brazil, Superbet
Maxim Tsaryk, Head of Brazil, GROWE (Parimatch brand franchisee)

Technology and Trends that Can Shape the iGaming Market in Brazil

Another key highlight was the technology and advertising trends operators can use to reach potential customers in Latin America. The key points discussed were:

Responsible advertising. Andre Gelfi, Presidente Instituto Brasileiro de Jogo Responsável, moderated a panel discussing ethical advertising practices for sustainable growth in a newly regulated market.
The role of payment processors. Lucas Raldi, VP of Risk at OneKey Payments, discussed the role of payment providers in acquiring local players, retaining customers, enabling KYC, and preventing money laundering and other unethical fraud.
Localized marketing approaches. Thomas Carvalhaes, Senior Business Development Manager at Latam, Gr8 Tech, led a panel discussion of the need for localized marketing approaches in Brazil. They insisted that operators need to use local channels and brand strategies that identify with Brazilians to meet the radical varying player value across the country.
The power of celebrity and influencer advertising. Leonardo Benites, COO at Propane, led discussions on influencers as the frontier of social media marketing. They discussed the growing ethical concerns surrounding influencer marketing and the bill presented to stop social media influencers from advertising gambling.
Mergers and acquisitions. Anton Kaszubowski, Founder & Managing Director of SBC Advisory Partners, moderated a panel on mergers and acquisitions. The panel discussed factors shaping M&A decisions, such as legal, financial, and regulatory frameworks.
Using chat-based tools as a strategy for deeper connections. Isadora Marcante, Jornalista, SBC Media led a panel in discussing how international brands can leverage chat-based tools like WhatsApp to connect with gamblers, foster brand loyalty, increase their bandwidth, and drive more sales.
Using CRM to store big data. Livia Passarelli, Advogada, Grado, and Passarelli Advogados moderated a panel discussion on how international operators entering the Brazilian market can leverage CRM to retain customers and reduce manual processes. The panel discussed ethical ways of blending CRM with culture and technical innovation to maintain data and information integrity and personalized player experience.
Artificial intelligence. João Sobreira, CEO & Co-Founder of Tipspace and Advolve AI, moderated a panel discussion on AI and its impact on sports betting products. The panel explored the role of AI, AR, Metaverse, and VR in developing fast-paced games, providing instant wins, and creating immersive gambling experiences.

The Market Challenges of Municipal Lotteries in Brazil

Lottery activities are deeply rooted in Brazilian gambling culture. However, the current gambling framework is proposing State and Municipal lotteries, and several municipal governments are structuring lottery activity.

As a result, this new scenario faces emerging market challenges like licensing. Eduarda Lopes do Espírito Santo, CEO of SAGA BGI, moderated a panel discussing the reality of municipal lotteries and the potential clash between federal and state lottery licenses.

The panel consisted of:

Ricardo Amado Costa, Vice Presidente, Febralot
Iuri Castro, Especialista em Regulação de Loterias e Apostas,

Success Stories in Sports

Partnerships play a significant role in the success of sports businesses. As a result, brands without high-profile partnerships with fans find it difficult to penetrate new markets. With this in mind, Felipe Drummond, CEO of TFW Marketing e Comunicação, moderated a panel exploring partnership, collaboration, and co-branding opportunities.

The panel underscored the importance of deals between internet gambling operators and sports organizations to enhance brand awareness when entering the Brazilian online casino and sports betting market. The speakers also highlighted common partnership mistakes and success stories.

The key speakers were:

Bruno Guilherme, CEO, Virada Bet
Ricardo Padoveze, Head of Sponsorship, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
Renan Cavalcanti, CMO / CXO, Estrelabet
Guilherme Guimarães, Founding Partner, Ativa Esporte
Murilo Lima, LATAM Partnerships Director, OneFootball

Networking Opportunities

In addition to the conference agenda and exhibition floor, SBC Summit Rio 2024 hosted multiple daytime and evening networking events, which included:

Invite-Only Poker Tournament sponsored by WA.Technology at the Windsor Barra Hotel (March 5th)
SBC Summit Rio Opening Party at the Ilha Itanhangá sponsored by Pay4Fun (March 5th)
SBC Resenha FC ‘Sports Team Meet-up’ at the Networking Bar (networking bar is sponsored by Pragmatic Play (A260)) (March 6th)
An invite-only VIP C-Level Dinner Sponsored by WA. Technology held at the Restaurante Casa do Saulo Museu do Amanhã (March 6th)
Drink Reception sponsored by Wazdan, located at the Wazdan stand (A170)(March 6th)
Official Networking Party at the Museu do Amanhã sponsored by Aviatrix, GIG, Paybrokers, and Pay4Fun (March 6th)
Breakfast for Women in Gaming in Brazil at the VIP Networking Lounge (the lounge is sponsored by Openbet) sponsored by Clever Advertising and AMIG (F04) (March 7th)
Happy Hour Sponsored by OpenBet located at the VIP Networking Lounge sponsored by Openbet (F04) (March 7th)
Official Closing Party at the Camarote Praia sponsored by Xtremepush (March 7th)

Conclusion

Attending this online casino and sports betting event presented an opportunity to network with 4,000 attendees, including leading sports, software, marketing, and legal experts. This was a lifetime chance for brands to expand their bandwidth as they made headway into the new Latin American market.

SBC Summit Rio 2024: