GMB – Is this your first visit to Brazil to participate in an event that addresses integrity in sports?
Khalid Ali – I was in Brazil last year to participate in a major gaming conference, where I had the opportunity to meet a large number of operators, regulators and other stakeholders. But specifically at an event exclusively focused on integrity, this is my first time in São Paulo.
Is Brazil prepared for sports integrity? Are the regulatory bodies aware of this and do they know what to do?
The heart of this event was to realize that the entire ecosystem is starting to work together and preparing for when the market is fully open in January 2025. Among the stakeholders present, we found operators, sports entities and associations discussing common points so that everyone can work in an integrated manner and be ready for next year.
Is it a good time to discuss sports integrity in Brazil?
It is a very important moment. The August 20 deadline showed the sector's interest in operating under government-determined rules, with more than one hundred companies applying for licenses to operate in the Brazilian regulated market. Therefore, this is the best time to discuss integrity.
The topic has been under discussion for more than eight months and now it is "show time" because everyone must be ready on January 1. Operators will need to join entities such as IBIA to monitor bets and report any attempts to manipulate results to us. And we will forward the data to the most relevant sports entities and regulators. One of my goals here is to make sure that we are establishing very close communication with operators and sports entities.
How can IBIA contribute more effectively to the future Brazilian regulated market?
The first thing is that all operators who have applied for licenses should join IBIA, since we have adequate standards to monitor and report attempts to manipulate results.
The second thing is to work on educational programs with other stakeholders so that everyone knows what to do in the event of suspicious activity, as a preventive measure. We have several tools to contribute and we know how and where to act to contribute to the sports betting ecosystem.
Are both combat and prevention measures already being taken in Brazil? How many Brazilian members are part of IBIA?
The first step is to identify the operators to be part of IBIA. We adopt due diligence processes for a careful selection. Once we are satisfied with them, we move on to the second stage, which is to enable them to implement strict monitoring and reporting standards to identify any suspicious gambling activity.
Regarding the number of members, we have more than 30 operators who have applied for licenses to begin regulated operations as of January 1st. Some have not yet completed the due diligence we have carried out, but as of November, when the licenses are issued, I will be able to tell you the exact number.
Source: Exclusive GMB
