Next December 3-4, at the Pacaembu Stadium in São Paulo, OGS Brazil will bring together operators, product and service providers, regulators and authorities to discuss the current scenario and future regulation of the Online Gameing and Sports Betting sector in Brazil.
GMB - With what expectations do you get to the Online Gaming Summit Brasil, an unprecedented event for our market? Which services/products of your company would highlight for this new market that opens in the country?
Ramiro Atucha - We arrived with much expectation. We understand that Brazil is on track to regulate online gaming and that is the market in which Leander has developed over the last 10 years. During the evento, in our stand we will present our content aggregation platform and more than 200 slot games that have successfully competed in the main European markets.
In Europe Leander is an important provider of operators such as Pokerstars, Betsson, Vera & John, Paddy Power / Betfair, among others. We believe we have learned a lot from that experience and with humility, we would like to be able to contribute that experience in the nascent online gaming market in Brazil.
Recently, the Brazilian Congress legalized sports betting. What do you think of this progress? Which are your epectations now?
Regulation in Brazil has been an imminent fact during the last 10 years, but it never came. We were always clear that at some point it was going to happen and we celebrate that it is happening. Brazil is a leader in Latin America and its regulations and results will be considered by the rest of Latin America.
How do you think the regulation of the sports betting business should be in the country? Do you expect it to be with multi-licenses?
It's always good to have competition, so we definitely recommend the multi-license. There is a lot of travel made by European regulators. In that sense, we would recommend considering European regulations as a basis. The advantage of starting later in regulation is the possibility of comparing regulations of other countries and their results. It makes sense to start with sports betting and gradually incorporate the rest of the betting options.
If you should suggest to the Finance Ministry some model of a country with successful regulation to take as an example, what would it be?
I find the Philippines model interesting because it clearly shows the impact that tax collection can have on the state's collection. The UKGC model seems interesting to me from its player protection and high regulatory standards.
If I could suggest something - with humility - it would be valid to consider the highest standard certifications in Europe (UKGC, Malta, AGCC, Gibraltar) in such a way that the provision of a variety of games is simpler, without sacrificing quality.
Licenses for operators (where the tax side is unified) and existing certifications for the providers of those operators. Of course, operators' suppliers collaborate with their tax ratio.
Is this kind of knowledge-sharing meeting something that the country needs to prevent the population from being misinformed about the false "dangers" of the gaming sector?
We always fear what is unknown for us. Know and learn always help. Throughout history it has been demonstrated that whoever wants to play finds a way to do it. Regulated or not. When not regulating it stops collecting taxes, the player is nos protected and the person who respects the law is penalized. Through regulation the state protects players by ensuring that the spirit of the game (entertainment) is maintained, and avoiding the development of ludopathy. Taxes on gambling can represent an important contribution to the collection of the state, but we must take care that it is not excessive, to allow the arrival of the best groups and the best long-term investments.
Online gaming seems today to be the fastest growing modality in the world. Why do you think this is happening?
It is definitely related to technological advance. In Europe the game through mobile devices represents 60% of the total bets, against 40% through personal computers. Inexplicably, the operators of physical casinos in LatAm have made efforts to delay the regulation of online gambling, when they could have led it. Hopefully they assume that leadership, and rely on the experience generated by markets with history in the online gaming sector.
In terms of size, what kind of market do you imagine the Brazilian one will be? Which product do you think will be most successful?
In Latin America, gaming is part of the culture. We like to play, we like to bet. That added to the size of the population in Brazil, the penetration of technology and the cultural level of Brazil suggests that it will be an important market and that it will exercise a leadership in the region. Of the regulation and the attention of the government depends the possibility that it becomes an entertainment option, a contribution to the society and the collection instead of a vice and a way to lose money.
How do you think the new government led by Jair Bolsonaro will address the rest of the gaming market in the country?
I imagine that he will advance in a regulation protecting the interests of the Brazilian people.
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Source: GMB
