JUE 28 DE MARZO DE 2024 - 10:25hs.
Interview with Ramon Aznar in São Paulo

Vaprel returns to Brazil and confirms its support for BgC 2018

(Exclusive GMB) One of the largest bingo companies in Brazil in the 2000s, Vaprel announced its return to the country after more than ten years. During his travel to Brazil for the final details of this return, the firm’s president Ramón Aznar gave an exclusive interview to GMB. He underscored his confidence in the national market and had a meeting with Sergio Jardim, president of Clarion Brasil, where he expressed his support for the Brazilian Gaming Congress next April.

Ramon Aznar, president of Vaprel, leader in the bingo industry in Spain, and Juan Carlos Gomez, partner of the company in Italy, visited Clarion’s office in São Paulo and said they are honored to participate in the Brazilian event. According to Aznar, Vaprel's presence at the Brazilian Gaming Congress (April 22-24 at Tivoli Hotel São Paulo) will help consolidate the company's return to Brazil, which currently has its headquarters in Europe, specifically in Spain and Italy.

Sergio Jardim, president of Clarion Brasil, expressed satisfaction in having Vaprel among BgC's partner companies, saying that its support brings even more credibility and strength to the congress. The BgC 2018 will be the fourth edition of the event that has been gaining strength in the last three years, bringing the news about the legislative debate around the legalization of gaming, as well as bringing together operators and investors for an exchange of best practices, preparing the country for a future legalized gaming market.

After his meeting at Clarion, Aznar talked exclusively with Games Magazine Brazil about Vaprel's interests in the country:

GMB - Why did you decide to visit Brazil now?
Ramon Aznar - In much of Vaprel's history, Brazil had great relevance as a country and consequently as a bingo market. For us Brazil has always been an important market, not because of its size, but because of its specific weight throughout Latin America. On this occasion, we could not miss the opportunity to return to Brazil after ten years to show here here our product, our experience and knowledge.

What are the plans for expansion in Brazil in the medium and long term? Does Vaprel plan to
have factories in Brazil or only to work with commercial offices?

The idea is that all products are manufactured here from Brazil. From Spain we will bring just we need and what we consider indispensable, since in recent years we can prove that Brazil is a leading international, industrial country and there will be no problem on working with the best providers in the country to manage a team of bingo so competitive with which we have in Europe. We will not just have a commercial office here, but we will have a factory where we will develop and manufacture our product for the whole of Latin America.

Which products in your catalog do you think will be most successful within the Brazilian market?
We are in charge of a traditional bingo project; is our market, our subsector within gaming. Of course, we will come with all the news of products that we have in this market. We are confident that our electronic bingo combined with traditional bingo will be a success as a product.

Comparing what you knew about Brazil in the period when Vaprel worked here, with the country of today; What were the main changes you see?
After so long, Brazil has surprised me greatly because it is a country where you can trust all the providers you find in order to offer a very competitive product. Brazil has changed enormously and for the better.

You had a meeting with Sergio Jardim, president of Clarion Brasil, where you talked about BgC. What is Vaprel's opinion on the congress?
One of the reasons we came to Brazil was to visit the general manager of Clarion in Brazil (Sergio Jardim) to present us as the main manufacturer of bingo in the world. Together with Carlos Cardama (CEO of GMB), we contacted them and showed interest in participating in the event next April. We believe that it will be a starting point to mark a before and after in the development of the activity, as far as the law of gaming is concerned, as well as for the bingo market and for the general gambling industry in the country.

How does Vaprel evaluate the legalization process of the activity in Brazil? How is the country’s gaming market viewed internationally?
Because it's a political process, I'm not very familiar with it because I'm not Brazilian. However, I believe that it is necessary to comply with the legal steps so that at the end of the process there is a law that is safe, transparent and that can present the sector within the country as a tax-generating leisure activity to help tackle all the problems of the security and social security. I think it is important that deadlines be met correctly so that at the end of the process the law may be the better possible, not only for those who work in the sector, but also for the whole country.

It was mentioned that may be approved a law tht would allow only casinos in Brazil. Do you agree with this model or do you think that other gaming modalities should also be allowed?
For me, the best thing would be to have a law for casinos, bingos and video bingo terminals because I believe they are the three sectors where there is a greater demand in Brazil. However, there are other important segments, like the jogo do bicho that is already rooted in the country, or online betting, that in some years must also be regulated and legalized in Brazil.

Do you believe that Vaprel is one of the most prepared companies to serve investors and work in Brazil after approval of the law and legalization of gaming in Brazil? What is your expectation?
The expectation is to be able to serve the largest number of clients who wish to set up a bingo hall in the country. We will treat them in the best way possible and we want to attend to everyone. It will be difficult as we are talking about a country with more than 200 million inhabitants and it will not be easy to manage all the teams that we will need. But we will be as prepared as possible. We will have a factory with equipment prepared to attend the orders as soon as possible; that is the most important thing. It is what we have in Italy, where we are very well positioned being the largest provider of equipment in a country that is not small, as they are more than 60 million inhabitants.

Source: GMB Exclusive