Eman Pulis: "Many forward-looking eyes are set on promising emerging markets right now, including Brazil"

Eman Pulis, founder of the SiGMA Group, a company that organizes international exhibitions, had a chat with Games Magazine Brazil, which was kindly shared with Yogonet. The executive gave a 2024 balance of its events lineup, shared the company's plans for the coming year, and highlighted the consolidation of Brazil as one of the world's main betting markets.

Can you share some of the most significant success stories from SiGMA this year? How do these successes reflect the growth and evolution of the brand? 

SiGMA has, this year, expanded its presence to new regions, most notably through new events in South Africa and Budapest, and with the launch of SiGMA South Asia and the SiGMA Poker Tour.

These events showcase the global gaming industry’s increasing interest in emerging markets, highlighting SiGMA’s ability to adapt to different regions and tap into new opportunities, reinforcing its position as a truly global brand.

In 2024, events in other regions, such as Sao Paulo and Manila grew significantly, with a notable increase in attendance from industry leaders, regulators, and investors.

SiGMA Europe’s largest event to date, SiGMA Europe, held in Malta, has reached new heights, becoming the largest edition to date in terms of attendees, exhibitors, and featured speakers. This event underscores SiGMA’s role as a leading force in Europe’s gaming and iGaming sectors, attracting key stakeholders and providing a platform for cutting-edge discussions on regulation, technology, and market trends. 

With Brazil undergoing regulation, will there be many changes to next year’s fair as a result?

SiGMA's events, particularly our conference, always strive to reflect new market developments, changing regulations, and upcoming trends.

The latest move to allow operators to offer fixed-odds betting on sports and virtual online gaming events, as well as new regulations that address responsible gaming and advertising, for example, will certainly be something our panelists will be keen to discuss.

We're currently working alongside a number of experts and advisors to devise an agenda designed to wow. Brazil remains a very interesting market and we have a lot of new developments in mind for the future.

What changes do you think will occur in Brazil from January 2025, with the Brazilian government requiring companies to be regulated in order to operate?

Many forward-looking eyes are set on promising emerging markets right now, including Brazil, where a wave of regulation is beginning to reshape the online gaming industry.

As these markets open, a strategy of entering early through acquisitions will place operators in a prime position to capitalize on the growth potential.

The move will reshape Brazil’s business landscape, fostering a more structured, transparent, and compliant economy, though, as with all change, it may also introduce challenges for smaller and emerging businesses as they adapt to new conditions. SiGMA plays a vital role here, offering the benefits of a strong, connected network that can provide valuable support and advice when navigating change. 

What new features or updates will be brought to BiS SiGMA 2025 in light of all the changes taking place in the country? Is BiS SiGMA Americas now the largest event of all SiGMA events worldwide?

Since launching in 2023, the event has been extremely well received, receiving terrific feedback from attendees, and is one of our 3 largest events globally.

The third edition takes place from 7th to 10th April 2025 at Sao Paulo´s Transamerica Expo Centre and is expected to welcome 18,000 delegates - a significant increase on this year´s numbers (14,000), over 3,000 operators, more than 2,000 affiliates, and an expert-led line up of 300 speakers. 

In light of this, we've significantly expanded the footprint of our floorplan for next year's event, adding over 11,000 square meters of extra space through the addition of 2 new halls. This will provide ample room for us to cater to increased demand from the gaming community - providing plenty of space to accommodate an influx of top-tier exhibitors seeking a spot on the expo floor.