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Igor Federal began with an important and emotional speech. “Anyone who's played poker for a decade knows the importance of what's going on here,” he began. “We went through a lot of questioning for a long time, and we won a series of battles until poker consolidated itself as a sport of the mind, a game of skills, and obviously not a game of chance, as they initially wanted to frame us.”
The BSOP CEO recalled what happened the last time the circuit went to town, at a time when poker legality was already in place. “When the discussion was already pacified and this matter was already consolidated, including jurisprudence, in 2013, we made a stage in Rio de Janeiro, and this stage was paralyzed by the State authorities. And the BSOP took ten years to come back,” said Federal.
After revealing a promise, he acknowledged the authorities that cemented the 2022 event: “In 2012, with hundreds, maybe thousands of players waiting to play, I made a promise: 'If I die before holding a BSOP stage in Rio January, my family must not bury my body'. And ten years later, Brazilian poker manages to return to Rio de Janeiro, with the following support: Rio de Janeiro City Hall, State Department of Tourism, Turisrio, Municipal Tourism Department, Riotur, Brazilian Association of Travel Agencies, of the Hotel Industry (ABIH), APRESENTA (Association of Event Promoters in the Entertainment and Related Sector), Union of Hotels and Accommodation Facilities, Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau, Civil Police, Military Police, Rio de Janeiro Public Security Department de Janeiro, Municipal Health Department, and finally, the permit from the City Hall of Rio de Janeiro.”
Sávio Neves, secretary of tourism for the State of RJ, also spoke at the ceremony: “I come on behalf of Governor Cláudio Castro, who could not be here, but invited me to welcome all of you from the BSOP. What the State needs to do now is apologize to all of you, to the entity you form. It is a joy and an honor to welcome you all to this event, and may you have many more successful events. May you come often, enjoy the city and the state. The house is yours."
Afterwards, Federal gave the floor to Pedro Guimarães, director of APRESENTA, who was secretary of tourism for the City of Rio de Janeiro at the time of the 2013 incident. “Today I am leading a flag that is precisely asking the public sector for help to embrace entertainment activities like this, which transform lives, generate opportunities and promote our identity through tourism, sport, and the economy. Thank you and congratulations to you for believing in Rio de Janeiro. In these ten years, it was only Rio de Janeiro who lost for not having you here,” said Guimarães.
Marcos Kac, prosecutor, was playing at the tables and was called to the stage to give a speech. “I think the circuit is not complete without a stop here in Rio de Janeiro. I'm here having fun, just like you. Compared to ten years ago, a lot has changed in relation to the view of fairness in the game of poker, it came to this consensus that poker works much more with the mind than with luck. I would like to congratulate Federal, who I met a long time ago in a home game, is a very dedicated person to this cause, and congratulations to everyone who is participating in this event,” he said.
Igor Federal concluded: “The members of the Public Ministry who fought against us at another time only did their job in the sense of trying to follow a line that they believed to be correct. Then the Court decided, and poker today can exist. We won after ten years of battle. Now I say to my family: if I die, you can bury my body. We have a BSOP in Rio.”
