SBC Summit Rio: Regulation in Brazil leads discussions on the first day of the conference

2024-03-07

Brazil

Reading time 2:20 min

The SBC Summit Rio 2024 started its conference agenda on the morning of Wednesday, March 6, with executives and experts debating different aspects of the market. The theme that dominated most of the discussions was the regulation process of the online gambling and casino sector in Brazil.

Other issues, such as technology, affiliates, marketing, and responsible advertising, were also addressed during the event, which gathered more than 4,000 people at the Windsor Convention & Expo Centre in Rio de Janeiro.

The opening speech was given by Zé Roberto, a former Brazilian soccer player and current ambassador of bookmaker Betsson. He recalled the most memorable moments of his soccer career and shared strategies for high performance. The conferences were then held simultaneously in two different rooms.

On more than one occasion, participants highlighted the importance of regulation for the market. The SBC Summit Rio is the first major event to be held in Brazil after the Federal Government sanctioned Law 14.790/2023, which regulates online betting and gaming.

"We have made great progress [with regulation]. We have reached a point that was unimaginable until recently," summed up Andre Gelfi, President of the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR), at one of the conferences.

During the event, there was also much talk about the 12 ordinances that the Federal Government plans to publish soon, a process that is seen as the next step in regulation. Participants also shared some reservations about the new legislation: criticisms ranged from the BRL$30 million subsidy to issues related to the taxation of gamblers' winnings.

Manssur at the SBC Summit Rio

The participation of José Francisco Manssur, former advisor to the Ministry of Finance responsible for leading the regulatory process in the Federal Government, was one of the highlights of the SBC Summit Rio, with a strong public presence in the conference room.

"Many of you built regulations in Brazil. It's not just the work of those in the Treasury. It is the work of many people in this room, from all segments that came to speak. If we have something to remember with joy, it is that regulation was built with the civil society," said Manssur.



José Francisco Manssur

Also present at the SBC Rio Summit was Simone Vicentini, undersecretary of the Secretariat of Prizes and Gambling. Appointed in February to assume the second most important position (the holder of the top post has not yet been defined) in the new structure created by the Federal Government, Vicentini followed Manssur's talk from the audience and received praise.

"I have deep hopes that, under Simone's leadership, Brazil will move forward and improve on what was done in 2023. She knows all the fundamentals of what was planned, she has principles and values. It is a small team in terms of the number of people, but it is a tough, technical, and serious team. We could not be in better hands," said Manssur, extending the recognition to the entire team at the Awards and Gaming Office.

In the evening, the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, attended a dinner for executives at the Casa de Saulo restaurant at the Museum of Tomorrow.

The SBC Summit Rio program concludes on Thursday, March 7, with lectures on municipal lotteries, integrity, state and federal licensing, artificial intelligence, the role of women in the industry, and, of course, the regulatory process. The full agenda of the event is available at this link.