SBC Summit Rio's last day focused on the defense of regulated and legal gambling

SBC Summit Rio 2025, held this week in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil, came to an end on Thursday, February 27, in an edition marked by the defense of legal and regulated gaming. On the last day of panel sessions, speakers highlighted the importance of the sector being seen as an economic activity that generates employment, contributes to the development of Brazil, and brings returns to society.

The concern is not without reason: a few months ago, at the end of last year, the sector suffered an attack in local mainstream media, with police investigations, criticism of the activity by politicians and business groups, and even a lawsuit in the Supreme Federal Court (STF) requesting the unconstitutionality of Law 14.790, which regulated online gambling.

During the SBC Summit Rio, however, different market representatives were optimistic about the regulatory framework and the possibility of changing the public's perception of legal gambling. 

Andre Gelfi, General Director of the Brazilian Responsible Gaming Institute (IBJR), highlighted the innovation of the gambling regulation. "Brazil brings some components to this regulated market that are unprecedented. Facial recognition [mandatory for bettors to access betting platforms] is trivial for Brazilians, but for our industry, it is absolutely new,” he said in one of the panels of the day. 

He pointed out that, although the regulatory framework is only two months old, the Brazilian gaming and betting market has existed for much longer, and now faces the challenge of building a competitive industry. 

Hazenclever Lopes Cançado, President of the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (Loterj), was another panelist who defended the legal market and the rules established by the authority he heads. 

"We cannot allow Brazil to continue criminalizing our entrepreneurs, criminalizing those who pay taxes, create jobs, and generate wealth. We have to continue believing in a serious country, an honest country, a country that respects and values its people and generates opportunities. It is an obligation for those of us who are in public office, as leaders and as businessmen. We have to join forces," he said, in a speech that was widely applauded at the SBC Rio Summit.

Exhibition

In the exhibition area, bookmakers, suppliers, and other companies from the global betting ecosystem leveraged the event to showcase products and solutions, and network. According to the organizers, there were some 400 exhibitors and an audience of 15,000 people.

Among the many brands present were SOFTSWISS, BetConstruct, Pay4Fun, Pragmatic Play, EGT, Sportradar, Sportingtech, Belatra, PayBrokers, Sportingbet, Esportes da Sorte, Reals, Blaze, Control F5, BETBY, EstrelaBet, CredRoomZ, Digitain, NGX, Oddsgate and OpenBet.

After the end of the conferences and the trade show at Riocentro, the SBC Summit Rio bid farewell to its 2025 edition with the INFINITY party, to the sound of DubDogz and Afrojack. 

Inside SBC Summit Rio 2025