GMB - How did the possibility of sponsoring the eSports charity event “Todos por um” come about?
Fernando Rivas - “Todos por Um” is an initiative of “Jogo do Bem” (Good Game), an entity that was baptized with this name in Brazil where it is a pioneer. Formally “Jogo do Bem” is part of the international non-profit foundation called “Gambling for Change Foundation.” This “Todos por Um” project aims to attract donations from companies that will have their brands exposed in the broadcasts and from viewers who may donate through the website www.jogodobem.org/todosporum. Due to the close connection that “Jogo do Bem” has with Betsul in Brazil, when we heard about the beautiful initiative, we immediately made ourselves available to help in this cause fighting against COVID19 to help the more fragile population where the “G10 Favelas” makes a beautiful work in the 10 largest poor neighborhoods in Brazil. I suggest that everyone watch these videos of the project to understand how donations will be used:
Will Betsul also be present during the broadcasts? Will there be brand actions to collaborate with the collection that will be donated?
The broadcasts of the event will take place between May 11th and 17th at 11:00 am on the BandSports channel, on the UOL portal homepage, on the TVNSports and 365Scores applications as well as on the “Todos por Um” website (www.jogodobem.org/todosporum) free of charge. There will be entries of live flashes on BAND's open TV with pre-game and interviews with participating athletes during the Open Game and Band eSporte Clube programs. Betsul will be present with its brand as one of the sponsors of the charity event where it has already collaborated with a fixed amount for the NGO “G10 Favelas” and will take actions to engage its customers to collaborate with donations for the project. We were also privileged to help with the relationship that Betsul has been creating this last year with sport in Brazil to bring the support of clubs and football players in this social action.
Betsul's solidarity actions and donations to Brazilian society have been a trademark since the company's birth, it that right?
True, this is in our DNA. Betsul's mission in Brazil is to be a transforming agent of society, even before being a commercial company, we believe that only with equality and social justice will Brazil have its place in the world. We understand that it will only be by helping and engaging our customers in social causes that the sports betting sector will have the unrestricted support of Brazilian society.
The suspension of sporting events due to the pandemic led bookmakers to offer eSports as an alternative. How was the entry of this new modality and how much did it grow in percentage approximately?
Betsul already had the plan for the second half of 2020 to start offering eSports to its customers, so we just had to anticipate the plans for the first half of this year. We understand that a large part of the eSports audience is different from the common sports client base, and to bring this new audience, specific campaigns are needed for this audience. However, with the great lack of sporting events, part of the client base of ordinary sports started to bet on modalities of more familiar eSports such as the virtual football games FIFA or PES. However, most customers who are used to betting on ordinary sports still do not know a good part of the most popular eSports such as LoL, CS: Go, among others.
Do you consider that eSports are just a current trend or they here to stay and grow within the betting market? Do they also add a younger audience that bets on responsible gaming bases?
Yes, eSports will grow even more sharply, especially in the post-COVID-19 world. It is a younger audience that has grown up with more access to information and technology. As a result, they are more aware that sports betting is just another form of entertainment and not to make them “rich” with the activity. It is a more up-to-date public and attuned to future trends.
Due to ignorance or prejudice, bookmakers are often criticized. However, even with the huge losses they have, most of them, including Betsul, transmitted positive messages, asking to stay at home with a high level of social responsibility. Did you notice the same?
If we analyze the recent history of gaming in Brazil in a macro way, it is very easy to understand society's prejudice about the activity itself. In my opinion, the lack of adequate regulation, control and inspection that existed during the bingos period in Brazil caused a huge wound in the population. At the time, due to the lack of best practices by many operators for a very long period, it ended up causing almost irreparable damage and destroying the lives of many people, their families and relatives. This was marked in the “soul” of the Brazilian, so we understand that this is the main reason for prejudice and that this is a form of defense for society to prevent this from happening again in the future. Regarding the losses during the pandemic, there is no doubt that not only sports betting has suffered a great impact due to the stoppage of major sporting events, but everyone must adapt, and everyone involved in this process must be responsible and gives the correct guidance to the public, so that we can get back to activities as soon as possible.
How does the pandemic affect the company’s daily internal work and its level of business?
The pandemic is changing many work-related paradigms. Many companies in various sectors that were opposed to remote work ended up being forced to adapt to this new model. Betsul was no different. Many sectors of the economy are suffering, but not all. There are sectors where there are also many opportunities for growth. Creativity will once again be the big difference between companies, because those that are more flexible and creative will stand out.
How much do you think Brazilian football can handle without activity? Are you in favor of following a strict quarantine or moving slowly towards the European training model with few players to think about the return of games behind closed doors?
I think that the current model of Brazilian football was already facing problems. The pandemic will only force the Brazilian football system to have to reinvent itself and change for the better. In my opinion, part of football clubs is in this delicate situation because part of their managers often end up making decisions based on internal politics and not rational decisions based on the football business. I think that in the end, after this painful process that the quarantine will trigger, it will bring positive results in general, but for this to improve, before it will get a little worse, and then most clubs that still did not have compatible attitudes to big European clubs will bow and I hope they will happily learn from this whole process. We at Betsul are in favor of science for the safety and health of the population, always preserving life. Each country and region now face a reality, and I believe that quarantine should be conducted in each location according to its reality.
At some point, were you interested in the Brasileirão international streaming rights business for betting sites? Do you have any thoughts on the process and its winners?
Yes, Betsul was part of a consortium of companies that was interested not only in the Brasileirão international streaming rights for betting sites but also in other club assets. We believe that one of the great assets that clubs have but is still very poorly exploited in the vast majority, is the data of their fans. The most valuable companies in the world today are based on the management of large amounts of data, or “big data”, and clubs have immense potential in this regard for their fans to accept sharing their personal data, mainly because of their passion for their heart club. With the new LGPD law that will come into effect soon in Brazil, it is expected that the online world will become a little more secure, that people will have a little more privacy on the internet and that this data will be increasingly valued. I hope that the winners of the process will be successful in spreading Brazilian football around the world and put it at the level it deserves.
Betsul recently hired influencer Natalia Guitler as an ambassador. What did you see differently to add her to the team? Are there other names in mind?
Natalia is a great sportswoman and has a unique ability in several sports. We have a project that is underway, but we had to pause because of the pandemic. We are creating yet another form of entertainment for sports lovers, being able to form a team of Betsul stars with great skillful football idols that will travel around Brazil making presentations and giving the possibility of normal people playing with them. Of course, our ambassador Falcão could not be left out, and will be the captain of this team of stars. We will have news and announcements from other stars hired to participate in this project soon, but this should only occur when COVID19 is under control in the country.
Source: Exclusive Games Magazine Brasil
