Last March 14th, São Paulo businessman André Feldman met with the president of the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery, Hazenclever Lopes Cançado, to request accreditation and thus enter with the Caesars Sportsbook brand, which already operates in Brazil through the WSOP tournaments.
The next steps would be the granting of bets in the states of São Paulo and the Federal District, in addition to the exploration of physical casinos once they are legalized in Brazil to increase their presence in the country.
GMB - What are the main plans of the BIG Brazil International Games group regarding the sports betting market in Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro? Why did it choose this state?
André Feldman - BIG Brazil has been the Caesars licensed company for Brazil since 2015. We hold the WSOP, the first brand to operate in the country. Last year we had permission from Caesars to pursue the sports betting market and, this year, online gaming in Brazil. We will follow all the quality, ethical, and metrics standards of the international Caesars network as strictly as possible. The technology suppliers are Aspire Global and NeoGames, which are already with Caesars in the USA. NeoGames is listed on Nasdaq and therefore provides an extra guarantee for us to trust what will be presented to the end consumer.
We opted for the state operation in Rio and in other states simply because they have been more agile than the Union, coming out with regulation first. Until last year, we believed that we would have the federal license before the state ones, and since it wasn't like that, we need to start working and bring our product to the Brazilian market. Therefore, the place that presents itself as viable becomes a priority.
What are the next steps after the visit to LOTERJ and the interest shown in operating in Rio de Janeiro?
Our project started in 2015, with the Caesars brand in Brazil, in poker. Now it is going to a second phase, which is online gaming (sports betting). The next steps aim finally at the opening of physical casinos in a third phase. The integrated resorts: this is the ultimate goal of the project that we hope will one day come true.
Does BIG Brazil also plan to acquire a license to operate betting and gaming throughout Brazil? Yes, we have already applied at the federal level, and we will seek this license. In some key states, we will try for the state license, such as Rio, Brasília, and São Paulo.
What are the main benefits the bettor gains by choosing to play with Caesars Sportsbook?
Will the website maintain the casino's trading name?
The benefits will be the UX (user experience) focused on the Brazilian market, including all the guarantees that a brand like this brings to the audience that opts for the platform. Yes, the trading name in Brazil will be Caesars Sportsbook. BIG is just the holding.
Is BiG Brazil's experience and knowledge of the country crucial to the success of the strategy in the country?
Our knowledge of the Brazilian audience helped nationalize the platforms, customizing them to the Brazilian UX. We will be a national company, bringing Brazilian identity to the game and with an international platform that will bring experience, security, and technology.
As American states are opening up to sports betting, which is already a boom, how is Caesars Sportsbook performing in this context?
We have managed to gain some experience from them (the USA) in market opening to help us in the local segment.
Do you project success in Rio de Janeiro equal to what you already have in the United States? Caesars has a lot of experience in these markets because in the USA there is only the state level. There is no federal license, and for this reason, we believe that we will be familiar with the challenges of a state platform.
There was recently another stage of the WSOP in Rio de Janeiro. How is it to resume the most famous tournament series in the world? What's new this year in the tournament?
The WSOP, for the third year in the city, left us with a good experience with the Rio market, and this helped us in the decision-making process for licensing in Rio.
Do you believe that this year the definitive approval of the law authorizing physical casinos in Brazil may come out? Does the Caesars group closely follow and have an interest in this possibility to invest in the country?
We hope very much so that we can move towards new projects in the future. Integrated resorts are our ultimate goal. We hope it happens.
Source: Exclusive GMB
