GMB - First of all, how was Rio Aposta born, to which public does it aim and what products does it offer?
Lauren Farrell - Rio Aposta is a sportsbook and casino offering funded by successful figures in the industry, it aims to combine innovative technology and local expertise to offer the best possible betting experience in Brazil.
Why is it aimed focued the Brazilian public? How do you consider the local market and how big do you think it is?
Brazil is recognized worldwide as the country of football, we know how passionate and excited Brazilians football fans are. The country’s population size talks for itself on how big the potential market could be, we are talking about 210 million+ population with football running in their veins. Not only are we a specialist in providing fun and entertainment to football supporters, the whole team at Rio Aposta are football-mad we are very confident that passionate sports fans will find in Rio Aposta the right place to spend hours betting safely and be thrilled with the possibility to win their bets on all their favourite markets!
What are the unique features of Rio Aposta’s platform?
Rio Aposta is based on a world renowned sportsbook platform, providing top class sportsbook features, 24/7 markets across thousands of events and leagues, live odds and constant innovation in technology.
How will customer support be for users in Brazil?
Customer support will be through live chat functionality and email support seven days per week, always with Brazilian-Portuguese speaking agents.
What promotions do you offer in this launching to attract audience?
We have various welcome bonuses across our sports and casino products, as well as offering free bets, odds boosts and competitive odds on local leagues and events. Unlike some international brands we have a real passion for and understanding of Brazilian football, so there will be plenty of special odds promotions on domestic games in Brazil.
The arrival of RioAposta to Brazil contemplates presentation in events, brand actions or sponsorship?
Rio Aposta will be exhibiting at Afiliados Brazil in May, at which time we will also be hosting an affiliate event to strengthen our relationships with existing affiliates and make new ones in an enjoyable occasion in São Paulo. We also hope to announce some very exciting sponsorship deals over the coming weeks!
Is there any idea of settling in Brazil with offices and staff?
We currently have members of staff located in Brazil however we are also going to expand our Brazilian based operations over the course of 2019.
Does current site managers have experience or relationship with the Brazilian market?
We have a strong staff of people who have worked at top competition both in LATAM and European Markets such as bet365, and with local experts on the ground in Brazil we have a strong understanding of the needs and wants of the Brazilian market and aim to satisfy these through excellent product development, support and promotions!
What vision do you have of how should be the regulation of bets in Brazil and how long do you expect it to come out?
This is a simple and complex question at the same time. Our vision is that the more open the market is, the better. Overall it will create great opportunities for gaming companies to see Brazil as an exciting potential market to make business and to inject relevant budget locally. Regarding how regulation would look, Brazil could use either the recently regulated market like US or more mature regulated markets like many in Europe to take advantage of their experience. A system with local licences is what we expect to have, and with a fair taxation we think Brazil could be one of the 5 most important betting markets in the world. With new government now committed to approving very important reforms, it is hard to imagine when the regulation could be expected, we hope to have it soon of course, since it will benefit the entire industry.
Do you have an opinion on the legalization of the gaming sector in general for Brazil?
The trend, after the legalization of sportsbetting, is to have new products entering into this process, we see a lot of talk about casinos and the possibility to build them into big resorts where guests can play and have fun. This would mean getting huge investments in the country and a boost for the tourism industry as a whole. In general we feel that a full legalization would give from one side a great help to the economy in terms of growth and employment opportunities and, on the other, will allow to fight against illegal operations that are more likely to happen in non regulated markets. We think it is fundamental customers to feel safe and protected when they play and legalization and regulation are the basis to have these mechanisms in place.
We have a significant focu on being a very ethical and fair company and with senior figures backing Rio Aposta who have spent decades building up very respected reputations, we actually welcome regulation. We have nothing to fear from it and are happy to pay fair taxes for the good of the Brazilian economy. But until regulation comes in, we will be running our business to the highest of standards anyway. Every customer should be able to trust the site they are playing on and the great thing with Rio Aposta is they can.
Source: Exclusive GMB
