Which are your realistic expectations on the future of regulation in the Brazilian gaming market?
I think there’s great anticipation when it comes to Brazil as a market. Everybody’s waiting to see what’s going to happen, be it the investors, operators, affiliates, the marketing community. I have always been standing for the truth, which are facts. Of course, there have been a lot of rumors, predictions and hearsay about the Brazilian market and its regulation. However, honestly, the truth is that we don’t know. There have been proposals, excellent bills, very good piece of regulations going into the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies in Brazil, but we really need we need political synergy and goodwill for things to happen. The regulators can come up with the best possible bill, but without political traction and synergy, nothing is going to happen. This is not a bad thing at all because the market is growing. If you look at the numbers of the iGaming market and the sports betting sector in Brazil over the last ten years, there’s been a massive evolution. Everybody is there: the big players (operators), games providers, payment method companies. We’re pushing for regulation to happen. But it’s a 100% political thing if it’s going to happen or not.
Brazil is a giant which attracts global interest. International operators are there, but local companies have a clear advantage of knowing the culture and gaming preferences of its own people. How do you think Vai de Bob can use this advantage, this knowledge of the local market to increase its business?
Our business is definitely growing. We’ve been operating now with Vai de Bob brand for about four months and we are keeps on expanding. Regarding international operators, I’ve seen a lot of them in Brazil and they have the advantage of a big budget. They’re serious about their intentions of working in Brazil; they have been hiring local talent to help them come up with the correct strategy. So competition will be tough.
You have an extensive experience in the industry. What made you decide to jump on this challenge, this new project of Vai de Bob? Are you learning in this new job at this point of your career?
I’m always learning. In an industry as dynamic as this, the moment you think you know it all, that’s when you stop growing. This industry is always evolving. It’s a fast moving sector, with new technologies, new audiences and new opportunities. I decided to take over a different project because I’m a business pioneer person. I’m someone that likes to bring ideas to reality. I can manage operations as well, but that’s not my nature. I like to be creative and bring up new business. That’s what I did at LeoVegas, Hero Gaming and my other previous jobs. I launched LeoVegas in Brazil, Peru, and Chile. I launched Hero Gaming in Brazil. Now I’m just launching Vai de Bob in Brazil. So that’s me. That’s the kind of missions that motivates me.
Let’s picture this: we are in March 2023, and sports betting are fully regulated in Brazil. What would this mean for the market and for your company in terms of a greater volume of business, more opportunities for growth and the possibility of moving forward with the regulation of other verticals?
This possible future scene would be great, of course. I’ve been hoping that the market gets regulated because it would provide clearer rules and an environment of healthy competition. As it stands right now, the marketing opportunities that we have in Brazil are limited. For instance, you need some special permission to do betting related marketing. So when the regulation comes, everything will be much clearer. Of course, as operators, we will have to start paying taxes. We understand that, but it will be a fair, legal thing to do. We hope not only sports betting, but the other games of chance to be regulated soon. For sure, sports betting will be regulated first. After that, authorities might consider games of chance, RNG games, and casino games. Perhaps it will happen at the end of next year, but that would already be getting too far ahead of this reality. Let’s settle for being able to take the first step and, from there, continue to grow.