The project has already been approved by the city government, but it also depends on the institution being authorized by the Prizes and Betting Department of the Ministry of Finance to operate nationally in the gaming market. The request is already included in Sigap (Betting Management System).
On Wednesday (31), a decree was published in the Official Gazette of Americana that sets the ISSQN (Tax on Services of Any Nature) rate at 2% – the lowest possible – for Big Brazil. This is the lowest possible percentage to be charged on the company's services.
The Liberal report found that the city hall expects to collect R$500,000 (US$88,000) per year from the tax, which would help the city's development.
The request for accreditation to the federal agency was made on the 26th and, if approved, the company will be able to operate in the sector, just like companies such as Betano, Superbet, Rei do Pitaco, Sportingbet and Betnacional.
“We are from Americana. When you do a project that is online, virtual, it doesn't matter where you are located, because the type of infrastructure is different from a physical business. Americana has a very good infrastructure in technology to set up a 'bet' (as the opperators called) and has the advantage of quality and cost of living, with professionals trained in the IT area,” said André Feldman, CEO of Big Brazil.
“We wanted to set up this project in São Paulo, where companies in this area pay 2% of ISSQN. It is the law there. There is no such law here yet, but we were able to obtain this benefit through Promaie [Business Investment Incentive Program],” he added.
According to Feldman, the company, which currently manages a poker world in Rio de Janeiro, intends to act on two fronts: the first in lottery bids created by municipalities and states.
The second in its own project, with the creation of a betting app. In both situations, people will be able to bet on sports competitions.
In the case of its own app, approval from the ministry will be required to operate nationwide. According to Feldman, if this does not happen, the company will continue to participate in the management of lotteries linked to state public agencies.
However, if it is authorized, Big Brazil has the license to operate the North American brand Caesars Sportsbook, so this should be the name used by 'bet' in Brazil. Caesars already operates in the sports betting area in the United States and belongs to the giant conglomerate that manages casinos and hotels.
Last week, the company carried out a Proof of Concept (PoC) for Loterj, seeking to begin its activities in Rio de Janeiro, which should happen in October of this year. The official contracting will be announced on August 8.
“We will participate in the contracting processes for all municipal and state lotteries. We are even trying to convince the City of Americana to create its own lottery,” said Feldman.
The company’s headquarters will operate in Americana, in a business building with an area of over 300 m2 and will have technology, call center, customer service and financial sectors, and the structure should be set up within 12 months – although the intention is for it to be ready this year.
The expectation is to generate 70 direct jobs, with an average salary of R$5,000 (US$880), and 140 indirect jobs. The professionals will work in the areas of IT, communications and finance. The projected revenue is R$25 million (US$4.4m) per year.
Source: GMB / Liberal
