GMB - One of the latest innovations announced was the acceptance of credit and
debit cards for BSOP enrollment payments. How did you come to this decision and
what does it bring in term of benefits?
Igor Federal - It's a great innovation for us. What happened was that the
credit cards charge a fee. And when they do that, the charges everything,
including the player's prize. And, of course, players didn’t accept that. Now we
can charge separately, and that's why people now accept the method. If you want
to pay in cash is the common price, if you want to pay with card you have this
additional fee. It is a way for all the money to go to player's prize without
any discount.
How do you explain the importance of the
city of Sao Paulo to BSOP? Why can it move so many people as we see in this
last stage?
Professional players run after the best prizes. As in Sao Paulo we have the
stages with more players, consequently the stages with greater prizes,
obviously everyone comes here. So, sportily is a very competitive stage, with tables
of great level. If you go to smaller steps you have to beat 600, 700 players, and
in Sao Paulo you have to beat up 1000 players to become champion. So, sportily it
is also very attractive.
At the end of last year a partnership
was announced with Ronaldo, André Akkari and you to buy part of the Brazilian
CNB eSports Club team. What do you expect from this new investment?
I think that's the future. Regardless of qualifications eSports is a game,
we must keep in mind that it is a game practiced by teenagers. By the time you
get an activity that is practiced by teenagers you are working with the future.
There you have a very great value of a client that will be historical in your
life.
Can you see any resemblance between
eSports and poker?
There is a lot of interaction with the intellectual mechanic, with the
strategic ability with poker. Obviously that each one has its own skills, own
strategy, but in one way or another it is a mechanic that conceptually
resembles. Because of this conceptual and philosophical proximity, because I
believe that this is a fever and that the future value of being in this market
is great, I think it was a very successful step.
In your opinion, eSports and poker work
together to get new achievements and grow together?
In some points yes, in others, no. We have the same battles, breaking
paradigms, showing new concepts, new formats, so in that sense we have points
in common. But in return, eSports has its own stuff and poker also has things
that only belong to poker. We will unite in what is possible and, then, each
one will fight itw own battle when there is no agenda in common.
Source: GMB Exclusive
Author: Pedro Henrique Feitosa
