GMB - Until the pandemic, how did you evaluate the penetration of the BetGold brand in the Brazilian market? The firm incorporated the most popular local payment methods, sponsored clubs and other branded actions that made you grow, is that right?
Thomas Golding - The evaluation is certainly very positive: BetGold, despite being a repositioning of an older brand and already present in the Brazilian market for one year or so, is a very new brand in the sports betting scenario in Brazil. It was launched in February of this year and had little time to grow before the pandemic hit Brazil and the sports industry stopped.
BetGold's product is very complete and perfectly suited to the reality of the local gambler: the website is very simple to access and navigate, the consumer can move funds easily and with a wide range of options. The launch of the brand was accompanied by the agreements with Santo André and Boavista that were highlights in the respective championships and that gave great visibility to the brand. With the resumption of some championships in Europe, we are already seeing significant results and we can return to work on the strategy for 2020 with more confidence.
How did the pandemic affect you and what measures were taken to reduce the level of damage?
Right after the suspension of the biggest sports events and leagues, we saw our sales decrease considerably and we know how much Brazil is a market that lives and breathes sports. The first thought of OGaming, the holding company to which the BetGold brand belongs, was to put all employees and collaborators in safety, implementing processes and tools so that everyone could work from home.
As a second step, we postponed some planned marketing activities that were about to start and renegotiated the agreements already in courses, realigning them to actual deliveries. In terms of supply, we focused our communications on what was available in the portfolio, such as slots, eSports, virtual sports, simulated reality leagues. This allowed us to limit the huge drop in sales due to COVID-19 and to be able to expect the resumption, at least in Europe, of some championships.
Have you already felt some recovery with the resumption of the German and Portuguese leagues? Do you have high expectations with the return of the Spanish LaLiga?
Yes, the German league gave a clear signal of how much the public in Brazil really likes sport and football. We are sure that this month the improvement will be even more pronounced, not only thanks to the return of the League in Portugal, but we have great expectations with the Spanish League and the Premier League in UK, in addition to other championships that will greatly increase the number of events available to our customers.
How was the experience of incorporating eSports into the website's betting offer? Is it a modality that has come to stay and grow without limits?
eSports represent a phenomenon that is growing worldwide, and Brazil is among the most important countries for this discipline. BetGold already had eSports before the pandemic started, a sign that the brand is always aware of the latest trends to constantly offer news to its customers. We believe that eSports will be a product that will help our industry a lot, either as part of the offer or as a channel for brand promotion.
After the pandemic, do you have ideas and projects to make BetGold grow even more in Brazil?
The strategy remains the same; we had to adapt the beginning of some activities and we will have to wait for the local championships to return to start operating locally, for example with sponsorships. Our presence in the market is stronger every day, currently focusing on digital. We strongly believe in our operation and we are convinced that BetGold will establish itself between this and next year among the most popular betting platforms by Brazilian players.
In your experience, a new global online market is born after COVID-19 or will it be the same, but just with some time to recover?
A difficult question. I would not go so far as to say that a new market is born, I would say we are at a stage where everyone is trying to adapt to a new reality, the normal will probably become the new normal, for a long time. Our purpose will not change, to provide moments of fun and entertainment for our customers, always maintaining a safe and responsible way of proposing our products.
Source: Exclusive Games Magazine Brasil
