GMB – What were the new developments presented by OpenBet at SBC Lisbon, and what were your objectives at the event?
Águeda Yoshii – We came to reconnect with our clients in Europe, but of course also with other global partners and those in Brazil. We showcased the new features of our Trading System, for which we gave a presentation at the event. We also highlighted our Protector Pillar, a protection pillar with a geolocation product, the OpenBet GeoLocator, and Neccton, our Responsible Gaming solution. We brought awareness to the entire audience, both clients and those who were not fully aware of the breadth of our product portfolio.
You chose a more private environment in the form of a lounge, rather than being on the exhibition floor. How did visitors respond to this approach by OpenBet?
It was very positive. We hosted a cocktail event with great attendance from client partners and new prospects. We managed to fill our lounge with deeper and more private conversations, discussing business, the future of the industry, and our expansion proposals. We achieved our objectives.
We know one of OpenBet’s hallmarks is innovation. How do you develop this? Is it driven by regulatory requirements or client needs?
We always aim to cover both. We make sure to stay compliant with the markets in which we operate, whether it’s new requirements from regulators or new regulations, such as in Brazil. We are constantly evolving to fully address the demands of each jurisdiction where we operate. At the same time, we focus on delivering innovation and competitiveness to our partners so we can stay ahead of the competition with new features, more products, and services.
Our motto is to lead in sportsbooks, with everything tied to compliance. We want to deliver products and verticals beyond the betting platform – which is our core – to promote sustainable growth for operators.
When talking about innovation, it’s not only about products and services, but also about OpenBet’s positioning. You recently released an important study on Responsible Gaming. Is this a demonstration of OpenBet’s commitment to the ecosystem?
Exactly. That’s what it reflects. Not only within the platform do we offer the solution as a SaaS that can be integrated into any platform, but the purpose of the white paper we published was to present real data from the regulated market and show what our solution provides in terms of understanding player behavior and raising awareness. It was also about establishing a stronger position on what we expected to happen with regulation versus what actually happened over the past eight months. We conducted a real-data analysis and published a report filled with insights to educate and inform operators and help them plan future strategies.
How did OpenBet prepare for regulation, and what is the company’s position now that the market is consolidated?
We made sure to work very closely with regulators. Our compliance team is quite robust. We drew on the experience we gained in other markets—for example, in the U.S., where we operate in every state—working in highly regulated environments. I would humbly emphasize that while we are a global company, we never enter a market assuming we know everything.
We leveraged our expertise from other countries to meet Brazil’s regulatory requirements. That’s how we approached it: closely monitoring developments and applying previous learnings where relevant, while respecting the principles of a regulated market that ensures sustainability for our operators.
OpenBet entered Brazil through partnerships with two of the country’s biggest media networks, Band and SBT. Is this a result of OpenBet having an excellent product?
Yes. This reflects OpenBet’s philosophy, which is to partner with operators who have the potential to capture a strong share of the market. OpenBet’s global positioning is not about quantity but about the quality of our partners. Although both are just starting, they have great potential to become major operators in the short term.
We also considered the experience with Sky Bet, which has been with us from the beginning and remains a benchmark for us. That success story helped guide their decision to choose us as their platform provider.
What are OpenBet’s expectations in working with these two major media groups in Brazil?
Our expectation is that, over time, we will build knowledge and maturity, overcoming many challenges, adjustments, and regulatory and tax changes, which add extra layers of complexity. We expect to have the resilience and maturity to navigate these initial challenges intelligently and strategically, stabilizing over time. We approach this not as a sprint, but as a long-term relationship. OpenBet has been active for over 25 years, and in every market where we have invested and established a presence, we have never retreated.
Having gone through Brazil’s highly robust and strict regulatory process, does this open opportunities for OpenBet to target new markets in Latin America?
Yes, absolutely. That is something we are pursuing. Brazil introduced a very interesting regulatory framework, and we don’t view that as a drawback, despite the initial adaptation challenges. It gives us solid experience in how to operate across Latin America and plan expansion into other countries such as Peru and Chile, which are already on our radar.
Source: Exclusive GMB
