GMB - Tell us a little about Rivalry and what is the company's proposal for the Brazilian market.
Luis Guilherme - Rivalry is an electronic sports betting site licensed in Isle of Man. This license is considered the highest quality one that a company can obtain. We launched our website just over two years ago and focused on building a product, brand and content strategy that aims to serve the electronic sports market first. This is where many team members come from and some of us were even professional players. In Brazil, we believe that we can bring this community-oriented experience to the market in a way that is not offered by any other sportsbook. We create social media channels focused on PT-BR content, we produce original content for the market, we support streamers, we are the big sponsor of FURIA and we will continue to invest in the market to create even more incredible experiences for fans.
Do you also operate in other countries? Do you intend to expand borders in Latin America?
Yes, we operate in several countries at LATAM where we can do it legally according to our regulator at the Isle of Man. We also accept customers from some EU countries, CIS and, soon, in the SEA region. The company is also working on a variety of licenses to operate in countries where this is needed and we hope to launch our product in some of these markets by 2021.
Are you a bookmaker site that started offering eSports bets or an electronic sports betting site that started offering sports betting?
We are definitely a betting site focused on eSports that started offering sports betting. Our company is based on the passion for eSports, we only had this product in the first year of operation, and our No. 1 focus is to offer an incredible product to this audience, which we complement with sports betting. We focus on what we love and what we are good at, and that is certainly electronic sports.
Is it possible to offer complete and reliable statistics on eSports?
We think so, and we are improving day by day. A few years ago, when we started, this was not as available as today. Many companies are being formed with a focus on data and are getting very good at it. We believe that statistics in eSports will be as deep and reliable as in traditional sports in the near future.
How to analyze players and teams and set the odds?
Almost everyone uses third party oddsmakers for this. These are really big global companies that are dedicated to placing bets on sports and electronic sports. They get data feeds sometimes from editors, leagues, OTs and, combined with historical data, they produce the odds. In the last few years, we have found that the odds have improved a lot and that the market is really starting to get a much better and more accurate product.
What is the profile of the eSports bettor?
They are on average less than 30 years old and the vast majority play some type of game online. In many cases, they are more fans of eSports than of traditional sports. They watch electronic sports as their primary form of entertainment, along with streaming, and are interested in betting as a way to increase the pleasure of watching matches and the thrill of having something personally at stake to win or lose when their favorite team play.
How to win players for eSports?
We care a lot about the experience of our users, this is one of our great differentials. We understand that helping the growth of the Brazilian scenario as a whole, creating quality content and having an excellent product, players will come naturally. There is no magic formula, just hard work and always worrying about generating a positive experience for our users, Rivalry is an eSports betting site, made by fans for fans. This makes our work much easier, more enjoyable and more real.
How do you see the regulation of sports betting in Brazil?
We are following this very closely. This has been an ongoing process for years and very uncertain. The timeline remains unknown and it is not known exactly when this may happen, but it is possible that at some point in the next 1-2 years sports betting will become regulated in Brazil. When this happens, we will ensure that our operations will follow the law of the new regulation. That's how we operate globally, and we always make sure we are doing the right things. It can be positive for any country to regulate betting and this will certainly support the economy; so these would certainly be good changes for Brazil.
Source: Exclusive GMB
