GMB – It is the first time the company has set up a booth of this size, debuting at BiS SiGMA, what's your impression of the show?
Darwin Filho - BiS SiGMA is wonderful; those of us who have followed this industry for many years see how much it has evolved. We were here 5, 6 years ago, and the fair had 10, 15 booths, and today we see the size to which the industry has grown. It's very gratifying for us who have been building.
Particularly, as Esportes da Sorte, we have exhibited for a few years. Now we have obtained a larger space to do some activations, to show partners, affiliates. We are very pleased with the result and with the networking we have achieved here at the fair.
Esportes da Sorte has gained enormous prominence in Brazil in a very short time. You are truly growing with sponsorships, such as BBB on Globo network, for example. Can you comment on the next investments you are considering?
Yes, BBB is a fantastic case. The biggest entertainment and TV show in Brazil, it's the second year with them, a very cool experience. We were able to really seize that moment to present the attributes of our brand to consumers.
And looking ahead, we are a young, up-to-date company, looking for the best opportunities, whether in the physical world, in the digital world, from OOH media (out of home), TV, and the internet, we are always open. And also analyzing the international scenario, trends from abroad to try to anticipate them here and continue with the growth of Esportes da Sorte.
In football, you are already sponsors of the women's team of Palmeiras. Are you now eyeing also the men's team?
Yes, we have several important sponsorships in football. We are sponsors of Grêmio, Atlético Paranaense, Bahia, clubs from Serie A. We are very happy with the partnership with Palmeiras. Women's football was our opportunity to diversify investments also into sports, for women, which is very representative for our company.
We still have confidential plans with Palmeiras, internal negotiations, but they are big. It is a club that needs no introduction. We don't need to present Palmeiras, and we are happy with what is to come.
What other sports besides football are you targeting?
We have a big project with X1 Brasil, which is a variation of football. Football with 2 players, a goalkeeper, and one outfield player. It was a project that exploded in Brazil, with the partnership of Casé TV. Recently we also received a major sponsorship from Adidas, which believed in us. These are projects conceived in-house with the help of Esportes da Sorte, which is why we are very proud.
We always look at sports on the broader spectrum. In an Olympic year, we see Brazilian athletes and know how much support they need, whether in athletics, swimming, volleyball, basketball. So Esportes da Sorte, being a very plural company, always looks at sports as a whole.
Is the company also involved in programs and social actions to help the population, like the Esportes da Sorte truck, for example?
Yes, we have many social actions. A company the size of Esportes da Sorte also needs to be a social reference. We live in a country with many inequalities, lacking in many aspects, so wherever we can help, fulfill our role, as a legal entity, as Esportes da Sorte, we will try to do so.
We have some very cool philanthropic actions. We also have a capitalization product, which ends up helping philanthropic entities and makes us very happy about it. We believe that if everyone does their part, we can have a much better country.
Is the idea of Esportes da Sorte to cover just whole of Brazil, or are there plans for Latin American expansion?
Certainly, we understand that Brazil is at a key moment, in the course of regulation being handled by the Treasury. Therefore, in this context, we have all eyes focused here, which is a country of continental dimensions. We understand that we still have a lot to grow internally, but always well-informed and open to opportunities.
We have plans for expansion here in Latin America, some in other continents as well, some in early stages, others a little more advanced. But at this moment, the company's focus is really on building fair regulation, good for the bettor and the operator, good for the government that needs and should collect taxes on this activity that moves the economy so much. This is how we see this scenario today.
So do you consider that the new regulations and ordinances that are coming out are positive for the future? Is there any of them that seems negative to you?
For us, it is extremely positive. The process of regulating the market is necessary. All jurisdictions that have gone through this moment that Brazil is going through today know this. It's a public, private dialogue, it's a collective construction, and I believe the Treasury is doing a good job. Some ordinances have already been released; others are on the regulatory agenda.
There is a timetable, and we are very confident, with good anxiety, to see our market actually finalizing this regulation. We believe that from now on we can only grow, only improve, bringing more legal security to the bettor and the operator.
What was the purpose of acquiring Ronald Lopes' company, a very well-known figure in Brazil? What impact is Esportes da Sorte noticing from this?
Loyalty already had a lot of work in the sphere of affiliation and technology, with applications and game studios. We felt that there was a great synergy when we met it and saw that there was a company with a lot of potential and synchronization with our group.
It was a long negotiation, for a long time, until we reached an agreement that was interesting for both of us. Today we really see the Loyalty group as an extension of the Esportes da Sorte Group. We have been doing more and more projects in partnership, they have helped the company's development a lot and we want to continue building together, growing, and everyone is very committed to the same goal.
Would it be possible for you to disclose who the new ambassadors will be, future influencers you are thinking of hiring soon?
We are always looking at the market, at all the opportunities that arise. We always keep this information confidential because in these negotiations, influencers and artists often receive multiple proposals, and we know that the time to disclose is when we reach an agreement.
But what I can say is that Esportes da Sorte comes with a lot of news, very cool projects in football, in sports as a whole, in entertainment, in digital with influencers. It's a 360 media that we are willing to do and believe that it has done well so far.
Source: Exclusive GMB
