GMB - Tell us a little bit about what repositioning you are preparing for CBTH and why you realized the need to do it now...
Ueltom Lima - We spent ten years of our history arguing that poker is a game of skill, a mental game, putting it as a sport. A very hard question, very serious for us and not because we wanted to say it is, but because it really is one of the mental games and skill as is backgammon, chess and so on. So, we had to do this for ten years, even because of the need to do it in Brazil; in other places there is no need. In many places poker happens inside the casinos, and as a game in others, but as it is legalized there is no need to debate whether or not poker is a game of skill. One can choose to play poker, play in the casino and that does not make it any better or worse than anyone else. Here in Brazil, unlike other places, it was necessary to prove that the game of poker was skillful because gambling is prohibited and we have spent ten years doing it. After all this period, today we are much more well established, respected in society as a whole, the public power and we are very well positioned. So, we see that today it is possible to talk about poker in a much lighter way than we have talked about before.
Poker is a game of skill, it is a mental sport, but it is also a very fun sport, a very enjoyable entertainment to practice, a social event, a way to gather friends, a way for you to do networking, for successful entrepreneurs meet to play among them, so that university students meet, etc. Poker goes beyond a mental sport practiced by professionals, it is for everyone. This campaign has the idea of showing that poker is for everyone, fun, nice, tasty and it is to make friends. The hashtag is #joguepokerfaçaamigos because we think that the concept reflects that idea, that's the big motto of the campaign.
What is the biggest goal you want to achieve with this new positioning of the confederation?
The goal is to bring as many new fans as possible. If we are talking that today it is estimated that poker has 7 or 8 million players in Brazil, why not say double that number in the next three years? It is a difficult goal, but it is a viable goal, possible, so much that poker grows in Brazil today, so we believe that. Taking this matter very lightly, showing people that everyone can practice poker, enter into our environment, participate in a big event, meet a club to play, open an account and play online at free times. The more we can make this subject more supportive we will bring more people to our sport, to our market. That is also the great intention.
Having assumed the presidency of CBTH in March of this year, by the end of 2017, what evaluation can you do so far of your time heading the association? What is the greatest achievement so far and the main goal to be achieved?
I make a mega positive evaluation of that first year. There are several things we could talk about, but I'm going to divide into two main points. The first of these is the issue of legalization. We are still very active in this discussion, we already had a victory in the Chamber of Deputies; the project that was approved in the special commission of Games has a chapter apart for the games of skill and the great battle of that moment is that the same is done in the project of the Senate. In the project that is moving on the Senate Constitution and Justice Commission, we are fighting for a separate chapter on skill games to be included. We are spearheading this fight, in name even of other modalities like chess, e-sports, fighting for everybody and leading that moment. We have been successful in this and we continue in the battle, it is an all-day battle and the next step is key: that the bill in the Senate also includes a chapter apart for skill games.
The second key point of management this year is the new positioning of CBTH, the repositioning of the poker product itself. This fun, cool, entertaining, recreational poker thing. We're doing it, I think we're talking to clubs, state federations, pushing this discussion and asking that the gateway for new poker players be opened in na easy way. I make a very positive evaluation this year. The outcome of everything we think ended up being in the BSOP Millions, we did a promotional action with two boys from the interior of Goias, West City of Goias, and we will make the video of this action a viral thing that portrays and that advertise this new moment of CBTH.
In our conversation at the beginning of your administration, you said that you would like to pay more attention to the circuits inside the states. What have you been able to do about this?
I remember that conversation. From the sporting point of view, we are with a project for 2018 which is to try to organize some free rolls through the whole country. That is, bring people who are not accustomed to buy-in, play tournament, join a club, bring these people to play a tournament, organized and subsidized by us and that the person will have the pleasure of playing in a professional way in a table with dealer, director of tournament, etc. This will require partnership, sponsorship, but, we will seek, is already on the agenda to be discussed at the first assembly of the year 2018 with the federations. It shows a little of what we're thinking. Is it secret yet? Yeah, but, you're asking, and I think it's important to know we're planning this for next year.
The 2017 poker calendar featured big events such as the BSOP stages and the WSOP edition. How do you evaluate the events that took place during the year in sporting and economic terms for both the confederation and the cities that received the competitions?
The calendar of 2017 featured huge events across the country, not only international events like the WSOP, but also events organized by clubs, by regional federations, BSOP, Master Minds. This year we had Master Minds both in Curitiba and Goiânia, we had the BSOP schedule, the BSOP Millions that was huge, it was impressive, we do not have all the numbers, but, Millions certainly reached record numbers from the point of view of prizes, of people, was impressive what happened. We had the WSOP, which happened at the Ibirapuera Park Biennial, which was a huge symbolism and it was a beautiful event. The 2017 calendar was wonderful.
What can we expect for the 2018 calendar? New international events like the WSOP can land in Brazil?
I think the calendar of 2018 comes with more things still. More brands, more important events will be in Brazil. I can not speak on behalf of these events, but, the federation expects to have more partners still in our cause. It is more people visiting Brazil and increasingly perceiving the market potential, players, poker that Brazil currently has. Next year promises even more.
A great news for the poker community in 2017 was the possibility of the activity becoming an Olympic sport, and it would appear to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as an "Olympic Observer". How did you get this news and how do you think this achievement will help the sport reach more people?
I think that the Olympic Committee has elevated some modalities to the status of “Olympic Observer”, showing a change of profile, a social change, in the world sports community that recognizes and opens the eyes to other modalities that run away from that old sports feature and begins to recognize other modalities that have been taking over the world scene with millions and millions of fans around the world, such as e-sports. I think it's a step further, a recognition for our community as well as many others that we have had in recent years, and is part of these victories that we've been trying over the last few years to recognize poker as a sport, as in the case, a mental sport.
Regarding the legalization process of the gaming industry in the country. What is your assessment of the latest developments in relation to projects that deal with the topic in the Congress? Do you think the poker community can contribute with some more moves to speed up the process?
Talking about the gaming market, I think it will depend a lot on the maturity and the will of the politicians of our country. It is not simple, our policy is very volatile. Our politics are very volatile, but we are hoping that the progressive forces that discuss this issue will be the majority and overcome those conservative forces that do not want the legalization of gaming and have a long debate about it. We expect the progressive forces to be majority and that the games be legalized in Brazil so that we can position the poker showing that it is not a game of chance. This does not mean that we are against the gaming market, we are in favor of legalizing the activity, it is good for the country. Businessmen who have an interest in acting in this market will be able to undertake with security. We expect that the progressive majority can overcome this conservative minority that is against the legalization of gaming, that we advance in this and that the activity grows as a whole in Brazil. And poker is well positioned, even because, in a country that does not have legalized gambling; poker today as a skill game is gigantic and I'm sure it will boost the gaming market as a whole from a legalization.
To end this interview, would you like to make a projection for poker as a whole in Brazil for 2018?
In the poker market our goal is to increase the number of players, fundamentally, to make players more involved with the activity. Those who are sometimes just used to watching TV, get these guys to play, practice with friends, play with friends, go to clubs, tournaments; those who go to poker clubs come to participate in big events. That is, it is a cycle of involvement of the people that we want to increase. I do not say for 2018, but think for the next three or four years we’ll try to double the number of poker lovers and players around the country. I think it's possible and our campaign is for that purpose.
Source: GMB Exclusive
