Brazil’s gaming and betting sector is preparing to launch the regulated market Jan. 1, as well as for its first major industry event at SBC Summit Rio 2025 in February.
Ahead of a busy first few weeks of 2025 for the LatAm market, SBC Noticias spoke to Yuri Campos, director of media and growth at digital sports marketing agency Samba Digital. Campos will be one of SBC Summit Rio’s featured speakers, and he shared some of his opinions and perspectives in the lead-up to the Brazil market’s launch and the event.
How do you think the industry has managed its communication and marketing so far?
Yuri Campos: In my opinion, the industry has been based on communication pillars that will need to be changed quickly if operators want to be successful in the long term.
Communication has been strongly linked to promotions, bonuses and financial advantages and the success of campaigns for years was strongly linked to offering these benefits to the end user. As a result, brand awareness communication was cast aside for most operators and even initiatives that do exist lack strategies with long-term value. Million-dollar sponsorships and naming rights are closed for short periods of time, which confuses the end user about the brand’s positioning and, for brands, ends up being a large investment that is sometimes ineffective.
This type of communication is now illegal and we find an ocean of operators adrift, without an established communication positioning that conveys important values for brands such as reliability, usability and connection with the country, with a few exceptions.
How will recent changes introduced by the local regulators impact this approach?
YC: First, the purposes of marketing campaigns need to be redesigned. It’s clear that awareness campaigns are becoming more important than strictly performance-oriented communications.
As a result, it will be necessary to pay closer attention to KPIs related to brand awareness, loyalty and a greater association with media spaces and platforms and personalities that enable connections between brands and their respective value propositions.
What can betting companies do to mitigate regulators enforcing prohibitive measures against their marketing and advertising efforts?
YC: This is an interesting question. Some initiatives have already been taken, such as discussions on self-regulation like the creation of ABAESP (the Brazilian Sports Betting Association). This movement is not new; advertising self-regulation bodies have been operating in the country for decades, such as CONAR (the Brazilian Advertising Self-Regulation Council), which has been operating for over 40 years and self-regulates the market from a broader perspective.
Operators must have more contact with civil society entities that act as a middleman between advertising and government bodies, and be present in broader discussions with society.
With so many betting companies trying to take a bite of the Brazilian market, what does a company need to successfully promote its business while remaining compliant?
YC: I was recently at a seminar on Sociology and History at the State University of Santa Catarina, UDESC. It is very interesting to see how gambling has been connected to Brazilians since the 19th century, with the so-called “Jogo do Bicho,” which had a brief period of legality before being included as an illegal activity. Later, the same thing happened with physical casinos in the country, which only became illegal in the 20th century. Bingo was also a phenomenon in the 1990s.
Since the consumer market in Brazil is huge and gambling is already accepted, the internet has made it more accessible. However, it has been very important to bring legality to light so that people feel safe when having fun, that taxes are fair and that, in the end, the ecosystem is healthy for all its participants. It’s now up to operators to convey this sense of security to Brazilians so people feel good about having fun on the platforms.
How important is SBC Summit Rio 2025 in this decisive moment for the industry? What do you think companies in the industry can achieve there?
YC: SBC Summit Rio 2025 is of vital importance to the entertainment industry in the country, as it evidences that a significant portion of Brazilians consume this type of entertainment and that they need to be represented by serious companies. In this way, the event functions as a kind of aggregator for these agents. In my opinion, the debates promoted will be important to address the demands of companies in the sector with the government and regulatory bodies and, in this way, contribute to a healthy business environment.
How do you expect the betting market in Brazil to look five years from now?
YC: It’s undeniable that there is currently a massive number of companies competing in the sector with the aim of seeking notoriety and that over the next five years, there will probably be a reduction in this number.
However, the movement in the sector in recent years has raised a series of issues that are difficult to discuss due to the plurality of Brazilian society, but are necessary. The possibility of gambling in foreign lotteries, possible regulation of games with a wide popular impact such as “Jogo do Bicho” and even the creation of rules for physical casinos will have to be discussed seriously. Much more conservative societies have advanced discussions; for a long period in China, more than 10 years ago, there was already the possibility of entertainment through casinos in Macau.
Certainly, the future will not hold perfect laws and regulations, but in a society that is increasingly digitally connected and also in constant exchange and symbiosis of behavior and customs, refraining from the discussion is not a healthy option. In short, I really hope that in the future there will be greater understanding between the government and companies in the sector and I believe that the seriousness with which the formulation of legislation for the iGaming segment has been treated by different sectors of society has been an important starting point for even more profound change.
