Gildo Mazza (journalist)
GMB - At the previous BiS SiGMA Americas, Alea came with a small team. For this edition, it made a significant investment. What prompted this change?
Lucas Lebleu - It was a pleasant surprise to see that the fair grew more than we expected. There were only two or three of us last year, and now business opportunities have grown considerably. We had a lot of integration with operators and platforms. Everything that is happening confirms Alea's previous investment in the local market, in Latin America in general, but mainly in Brazil. For us, that is the most important thing at the moment.
Was there positive feedback?
Yes, of course. We went from being a duo to becoming a team of seven, plus people at the stand.
What partnerships were made here at BiS SiGMA Americas and at previous fairs, like SBC Rio and ICE London?
We work with some of the largest operators in Brazil. I prefer not to mention names for confidentiality reasons, but we are integrating with local platforms since our focus is on forming partnerships and having a very close relationship with these partners to aggregate content from local suppliers. This focus is on materials more specific to Brazil with local suppliers according to the demand we receive. Things that other aggregators on the platform probably can't do.
How do you analyze the Brazilian iGaming market today? Is the new law beneficial for Alea?
I think it will be beneficial for everyone, although it seems a bit difficult to meet the proposed two-month deadline, until July. But we are paying attention, and we will do everything to keep up with our partners and friends in the Brazilian gaming sector.
It's promising, as all regulations are. We are entering Peru under the certification law. In other words, wherever there is a regulated country, Alea will enter with full force. We are investing heavily in the region, which is growing a lot in terms of the market. We are also betting strongly on Brazil to be the only aggregator on the operator's mind.
Is Brazil currently Alea's main focus for investment and marketing?
Yes, correct.
Can you comment on the SiGMA Awards prize received for "Best Aggregator"?
For us, it confirms Alea's commitment to providing a very strong and high-quality service. It is well known that we work very well with our operators and friends, and this is the relationship we are developing in Brazil as well. A very close relationship.
Moreover, there is the cultural closeness, with the company being in Spain and my experience in Latin America. We also have a team of Brazilians collaborating with us in quality control and account management, which makes people happy in their roles.
Does this mean that it’s like everyone is part of one big family?
Exactly, we are not joking around; we want to work very closely with our friends, operators, and platforms. At our dinner, there were some existing partners, companies that already work with us, but also some that are not yet with us. We are in the hiring process, but we invited them all the same because we are not afraid, and we do not hide anything from anyone. We want people to talk about us and exchange ideas, as that will give us more strength in the market.
Source: GMB
