GMB - This is the second edition of Bet Masters. How do you rate the first edition? What's new for this year?
Danilo Pereira - The first edition exceeded expectations in the sense of having the public engaged with the themes and mainly because of their emotion when being so close to the speakers; we knew that this would be something extraordinary, but it was even better, a really success.
The second edition will bring all this and more, as we now have many more important names and a panel format, in which the public will participate actively and the dynamism itself will be even greater.
You are part of ABAESP and the association will be the topic of one of the panels. What is the importance of this type of institution in the current betting scenario in Brazil?
ABAESP's role is to interface the bettor with the bodies responsible for any act that impacts sports betting. It occupies a position of simply representing the category in a professional way, taking advantage of themes discussed in the government or elsewhere in order to put our voice on the field.
It is formed by those who understand the subject, gamblers, influencers and people who have been in this scenario for many years. We understand that our points are relevant and can / should be part of the discussions at any point; we want bettors to be heard seriously.
Another panel is “What can Portugal teach us about sports betting? Technically and strategically.” Do you believe that it is essential for Brazil to have a regulation similar to that of Portugal? In your opinion, what can we learn in terms of legislation and based on the regulation of which countries?
I think that in no way should Brazil resemble the regulation of Portugal that scared big players, as well as the industry in every context, having today a completely closed market.
Portugal, as a country that is culturally better prepared for betting, has a lot to teach Brazil and this is not related to the regulations that occurred there, but to marketing strategies and technical issues. I myself learned a lot from the Portuguese in relation to becoming a sports bettor.
The sports betting law that is yet to be announced by SECAP has received criticism from medium and small sized operators. What opinion do you have on this? Do you think it will be approved like this or will it be changed?
What SECAP is about to announce is not a law, it is an announced tragedy.
Brazil is the last great country (massively speaking) to regulate sports betting and instead of following great examples it seems to me that it will opt for the worst; a regulation that if really placed, as pointed out in the minutes, will keep away big players, bettors, advertising companies and the entire industry in general. It is not attractive to anyone and the worst of it is that even the government itself will feel the blow, because if the intention is to place a law to encourage the business itself and thereby collect more, through taxes, it seems to me that what can happen is just the opposite, blocking the market and not collecting half of what it could.
I don't think this will be approved, because it borders on the bizarre, absurd tax rates and without the minimum understanding of the business core of the area. I think that at some point they will review this madness before it is too late.
What is your position in relation to bookmaker advertising? Will it be a big investment in Brazilian sport?
Yes, a huge advance (if not with bad regulation), we will have an even more professional league due to the financial incentive to clubs in the form of sponsorship. We have several examples, such as the Premier League itself that shows the size of the power of this.
Given your knowledge of this segmentation, how do you believe that sports betting can benefit Brazil?
The Brazilian is passionate about football and who doesn't like to make money doing what he loves? Here is the prescription. If you allow the public to bet fairly, without abusive fees, without stopping operators with absurd regulation, we will have a heated market on all sides.
New jobs, new foreign companies making bases in our country and the government gaining its share in a clean and transparent (fair) way. Brazil tends to open a win-win loop, where everyone, the public, operator and regulator (Brazilian government) win.
Finally, you have almost 20 years of experience in the field. How could you summarize the route taken by betting so far in Brazil and how do you see this situation in the future?
The whole industry, not just me, knows that Brazil has the potential to be one of the best markets in the world in this field; we have almost everything in hand to attract all kinds of operators, public and company itself, in addition to having the passion of our people for sport and especially for football.
How will that be? For me there is only one selector in this path and that is regulation. If it is placed fairly, in successful models such as the England model, I see a bright future on all sides (including for the Brazilian government to raise money).
If placed in the wrong way, as for example with Portugal or others, we should have an unattractive and problematic market for the entire industry.
In short, regulation will decide the future of everything.
Source: Exclusive GMB
