I have been immersed in the iGaming market for 8 months, working as a CRM manager for F12 Entertainment. Immediately, I was faced with challenges that would not only appear in my work routine, but also in the job market in general. I decided to bring together the main challenges encountered and comment a little about them very frankly, in my own way.
The importance and relevance of this topic is mainly due to how iGaming has arrived with force in Brazil in recent times. Even more interesting is to realize that even though the movement is extremely noticeable (every minute we see an advertisement for some bet running on TV commercials, or for every new football championship game, at least 5 bets not only sponsor but also many they often give the name to the championship), little is said or avoided in the corporate environment due to their nature: they are betting houses, and that in itself says a lot.
The idea here, in fact, is not to apply value judgments. These are professional perceptions observed in a market that does exist, and that will most likely lead in matters such as hiring, investment and revenue in the future.
For Brazil, the news is new, but it is old
Advertisements for "gringa" betting houses were already common on the internet. The mass expansion of them could be noticed mainly in the mid-2010s. For each film or music download, there was a landing page that kept you hooked for at least 15 seconds communicating "the most incredible bonuses" of the moment.
Mainly in Europe, online and in-person casinos are consolidated entertainment networks, with their own regulations already defined (so much so that most Brazilian betting houses already had some regulation abroad). It was common (and still is) to have Brazilian players in international betting houses. In other words, the market was already moving despite the regrets. (and I'm not saying that this was correct, just observing data).
With the first boom of betting houses in Brazil, in mid-2016, coming both from international bets that nationalized their operations here and from bets created on Brazilian soil, several questions about the security of transactions and reliability of the games were raised, but They only began to take place in the media in more recent times, after the "second boom", which includes the movements we see today within sports betting, with championships such as the Copa BETANO in Brazil, for example.
In other words: regulation, followed by study and understanding of the market, needed to be done for some time. The moment is now latent and trying to make up for lost time.
Sensitivity of the theme
I open this section once again by reiterating: I speak frankly about the topic, how I feel and how I position myself as a professional within this market. Until then, I had never worked with a “sensitive” product like betting houses. I keep imagining that the feeling I felt upon discovering and experiencing my day-to-day activities is minimally similar to that of professionals who work for the tobacco or alcohol products industry: the ethical issues surrounding the use of your product need to be, above of everything, carried out wisely, respected and warned.
One of my first major deliveries for F12 was the creation of a "task force" that would guarantee all Responsible Gaming information to users, in addition to the organization and smooth functioning of the flow. I had Amanda Castro as a partner, and even before the regulation began, we already had a very robust user support structure at F12 and ready to welcome them.
It is precisely by exchanging ideas about the type of market we have, understanding within networking how so many other betting houses and similar industries work that we can ensure that more actions, with greater effect, are implemented so that the balance between fun and the health of users is guaranteed. Regulation comes as a key and driving force to strengthen and establish best practices once and for all.
I reiterate: we need to talk about the sensitivity that permeates betting houses, finding dialogue, balancing the issues that surround it, leaving, on the one hand, desperate and unfounded alarmism, and on the other, total prohibition. I would like to make it even clearer how open my channel is for more CRM professionals (and other areas of the iGaming market) to talk about our practices. I really believe in building best practices based on what we learn.
In fact, I would love to create another article about the recent controversies within iGaming, such as the famous "tigrinho game".
Proof and security
A survey was carried out by the CRM team with F12 users. The intention of this was to understand our users well: what they liked about the house, what is the main factor for loyalty (with such a heated market, with a new bet appearing on every corner, ensuring this user's loyalty is crucial), among others . Our results:
"The house makes me feel safe" was the answer from 51.4% of users interviewed. The nature of this information is of tremendous importance to us, as collaborators at F12, because it reflects not only the work of communications between users and the betting house (with the CRM), but also, in all areas that, in some way, communicate to the user: be it Support, which receives queries, or Marketing personnel, who publicize (and prepare in the best way possible the publicity with Responsible Gaming), or F12's own image in the market, with the player Falcão retired futsal player as "face". I'm talking here about one of the sport's main players, an idol to this day, even after having retired his boots. His career is respected and honored by most Brazilians who have or have not seen his career in real time.
There is also reliability when it comes to redeeming values and prizes, as like every betting house, the promotions created involve winning prizes, often in cash or in "free spins" within the casino games on the platform. Passing security means confirming that the promised prizes are delivered by following all the rules; it is the demonstration that each campaign is not simply created to "attract the unsuspecting", but carefully thought out with the aim of respecting the rules of the game. And what a game.
Attested growth: "you just don't see those who don't want to"
In a report on the growth of iGaming in Brazil, the Poder360 blog reiterates: for at least 10 years, the electronic betting market has generated R$100 billion nationally. Gazeta Esportiva comes with more recent and targeted data: according to the research, the Sports betting market (sports bets, such as football) jumped from US$77 billion in 2019 to US$131 billion in 2021.
I was able to attest (in my own research) that the number of vacancies open on Linkedin and betting house social networks increased considerably in 2019, and today, professionals with experience in iGaming are highly sought after, regardless of the area they work in (CRM, marketing, and so on and so forth). Even with a "first regulation" approved in 2016 under the Michel Temer government, Brazil is preparing for a "de facto" regulation in 2024, sanctioned by the Lula government. In addition to taxes, a series (gigantic indeed! You can trust me) of requirements are being imposed on betting houses to operate in Brazil, from very "salty" license fees to strict communication standards.
Detail: I believe that the measures are absurdly necessary. I really looked forward to them and I genuinely believe in their power to change the very negative scenario that betting houses have today.
With major events such as BiS SigMA Américas already taking place on Brazilian soil and some small openings of communication within the job market, it is possible to see that: against facts (data) there are no arguments. Spaces for discussions about Brazilian betting houses will need to be created, because we may be facing a new boom in job acceleration and a real scale of professional and financial growth in our lands.
I hope to talk more about the subject soon and exchange a lot of information about it. If you liked it, be sure to share this article!
Ana Clara Medeiros
CRM Manager, F12 Entertainment
