GMB - Betmotion was one of the first sports betting sites to start operating in Brazil. What does it mean, today, to have reached a leadership position in this segment?
Luis Traversa – We have been in this market for over 14 years and, in this way, we have gained the credibility of our customers, for whom our main objective is to offer them the best experience, in which we guarantee customer service and all payment methods to serve them and all that. We are a serious company that has been focused on this for many years.
Localization and attention to user experience are key. What are the other differentials of Betmotion to achieve this prominence in Brazil?
We started with bingo, at the beginning of our activity, and many remember us for this vocation. We have the largest bingo network in all of Latin America, with 90 and 75 ball options, in addition to video bingo. Over time, we added the casino vertical and today we have more than 70 providers in the market. Top global leaders are our partners. In addition, we are also offering the great sensation of the moment, the crash games. We add sports betting to our offer, with Altenar as a partner, whose oldest customer we are. There are more than 100,000 events per month for sports betting, streaming, cash out, eSports and BetBuilder, among many other features available to our players. That was a bit of Betmotion's history, which makes us one of the leaders in Brazil.
Even with an unregulated market, Betmotion continues to grow. What is this due to?
This repeats a little what I said. We have been working in this market for over 14 years and the keywords for us, as a mantra, are credibility and quality. We have registered customers who have been playing with us for over ten years. There is some reason for this!
Surely for the competence and dedication to the Brazilian user and the guarantee of a safe and reliable site with countless options, isn't it?
Of course. Betmotion has a Brazilian DNA and is focused on the region. To work in this market, we need to highlight the importance of an excellent platform that has the same objectives. And that's why I'd like to talk a little about the work being carried out by Salsa Technology, which you know very well. They continue to grow and evolve their product, adding numerous features to the platform, such as jackpot tools, in addition to the game aggregator (Salsa Gator), with more than 70 providers. In this way, they support us a lot in developing offers for our customers.
Both the technology provider and the operator need to be focused on the market and understand the needs of the end customer. If only the operator focuses on this and has a technology supplier that does not know the Brazilian DNA, it is a problem. And with Salsa, on the contrary, this does not happen.
Have these games been key and are they catering to good user experience?
Yes. And it is essential for us to have a platform that is focused and understands our market. As we said earlier, I commented that crash games are the sensation of the moment. And they are currently focused on that, giving us solutions so that we are always close to our users' needs.
Is Salsa Technology developing a crash game specifically for Betmotion with this growing market in mind?
Yes. We can't say much about it yet, but we are developing a very cool game that we can offer our users.
What is your assessment of the growth of this instant gaming trend?
I think there is a generational change. It's been a long time since I've seen a change of concept in betting and this type of more dynamic and fast game, with easy betting, is essential to attract a new generation. This type of game is linked to video games and that is what makes this type of game popular in Brazil, as it meets other needs that slots or video bingos do not have. New bettors are arriving precisely because of this offer, as they needed another engagement format. I've known this game for a few years and participating in various events in Europe, I could see that they would be a rage and that at some point their time would come. Today, we can see several providers developing this type of game, generating success for operators.
We return to the issue of user experience. Are Millennials, X and Y generations being considered in the offers and has this changed the theme of the game in Latin America?
It has changed a lot. The minds of gamers – and especially those of those generations – very much the minds of gamers across the region. And our market has to adapt to that.
Speaking of the market, Brazil is still waiting for the regulation of sports betting. How is Betmotion preparing for the future Brazilian regulated market?
It is in our interest to focus on the future license. We are looking forward to this happening at the federal level and we will have the authorization. There are three important points that we must always remember. Firstly, that the regulation is good for the player and guarantees him protection. And the other two are that the regulation is beneficial for the government, which will start to collect from the activity, and for the operator, so that it makes a profit and generates new investments and jobs. When the legislation comes out, we want a license and we want to be present. For us, it is a dream to be able to have a license in Brazil after so many years of work.
And what are Betmotion's plans when that happens?
With the license, we want to remain one of the market leaders. When that happens, it won't be a dream just for Betmotion, but for all the players that you and I know in this industry and who are fighting for this moment to arrive. It will be winning a prize.
One industry concern is about not allowing online gambling when regulations come out. We know that the casino is an important part of the income of a sports betting site. How is Betmotion seeing this issue?
If the license only allows sports betting, we will have to adapt to that. This is a fact, but we are sure that in the future the casino and bingo verticals will be regulated. And we want to pursue a license for that as well. Meanwhile we will adapt to each of these steps. I understand that the license needs to meet these other two verticals, casinos and bingos. All operators have revenue divided between the three verticals and the government needs to understand this so that it is a good license for it, for the operators and for the player.
Do you think that at this point there should be a course correction allowing online gambling or in the future to adapt to a new regulation?
When correction is difficult, talking about it is just an exchange of ideas and concepts. I would like to see a regulation reaching the three verticals. We are talking about something conceptual, but not something concrete. In any case, a regulation must be good for all three parties and if any one of them is left out in the creation of the license, it would not work very well. We support regulation and wait for it, hoping it comes soon.
Are you looking for all the necessary certifications that are being mentioned by the government?
Clear. We understand that many laws are common in regulated countries in both Europe and Latin America. So we are already working on it to gain time and have a very close interval for winning the license.
Source: Exclusive GMB
