Paulo Saad, vice president of Bandeirantes Group, mediated the panel on communication and advertising in the gaming sector, stressing that it is very important that the regulation of sports betting is done in a very transparent way. "Brazil is an excellent market and should be among the top five in the world in sports betting."
Advertising in Brazil is very well established, with the most consistent self-regulation, and the gaming sector should not be different. “As a representative of a communications group, I reaffirm that we will be very attentive to the best practices of the sports betting operation and I am sure that all investors and operators will have the same responsibility and commitment,” he said.
Then, Juliana Albuquerque, Conar's chief legal officer, talked about the ethics and best practices for gaming advertising. "The initial relationship with the consumer comes from advertising, ie the gateway to a lasting relationship involves complete and accurate information to ensure consumer confidence," she said, noting that "self-regulation is nothing more than analyzing what is being offered and whether the consumer is understanding what is being offered. So, we understand that this self-regulatory code will be targeted by operators and affiliates when advertising their products and platforms.”
According to her, “the rules proposed in the regulation of sports betting are in accordance with the policies adopted by Conar, and this will guarantee consumer protection in this new market that opens up.”
Witoldo Hendrich Júnior said he felt privileged to have a successful case when Hendrich Digital Content signed a contract with NetBet and everything that involved NetBet's sponsorship of Maracanã stadium, which later ended up having its brand on the subway and bus stations. “This was the gateway to gaming advertising in the Brazilian market. Today, a lot of football teams have their famous brand shirts stamped with brands that are here with us, at the OGS.”
According to him, operators will have to understand very well the characteristics of the market and Brazilian consumer protection laws. "Advertising and gambling do not go against the consumer and therefore will have to be appropriate to the characteristics that arise in the regulation," he said.
Carlos Cardama, CEO of Games Magazine Brasil, brought his experience in the Brazilian gaming market through communication, which involved the launch of Games Magazine and now with the Gamesbras news portal. “We sell the illusion, because this is gaming… it's a playful moment. To sell this, we need to believe and, even more, to believe that what is being offered is a reliable reality,” he said.
For him, the potential of Brazil is huge and the regulation of sports betting will be the starting point for the legalization of all gaming modalities. "This time will come, and the country will be one of the largest gaming jurisdictions in the world." At this point, Paulo Saad emphasized that the role of journalism is fundamental for the sector as a whole to be recognized as an important economic activity.
“We have to be clear and helpful in every article we publish to help those working on the gaming regulation. It is our responsibility not to give up and work seriously on matters involving quality information," added Cardama.
Rodrigo “Loco” Alves, editor of Aposta F.C. and president of the Brazilian Association of Sports Betting, brought his experience as a gambler. “My betting story started in 2008, when I started betting on the Paulista Championship and where I lost a lot of money. I started by chance and I say this to show that I see the theme of 'sports betting' from my personal experience. It was through this knowledge and involvement that I began to study and explore the issue of affiliations and social media, when I started developing some communication projects with gambling companies and when Aposta F.C., a gaming portal offering gaming courses, was released,” he said highlighting that today he has a marketing company focused on gambling and sports betting precisely because he has understood the matter deeply.
For Alves, social networks are very strong in Brazil, but everyone needs to have their own spaces to attract more visitors. “For this, it will be very important to build good SEO tools. In the area of betting, this will be fundamental, as well as serious work focused on transparency in advertising.”
According to “Loco”, the sports betting law was not well drafted. “I am totally in favor of a law for the activity, but the one that has been approved adopts, among other things, inappropriate and complicated tax attitudes. Hopefully these issues will not lead the gambler to foreign sites or the gray market,” he said, noting that “sports betting is not the same as lottery.”
In summarizing the presentations and concepts, Paulo Saad said it was important for the “gaming industry to self-regulate and seek transparency in its communication to have the credibility it needs to succeed. This will be important to the operator and its affiliates from the standpoint of economic success as well as security for the gamblers who will receive exactly what they have been offered. We need to create a critical mass for non-demonizing public opinion in the gaming industry.”
Source: GMB
