Sergio Longo: "Our São Paulo office will be a hub, Brazil is our major focus in Latin America"

During the company's exhibition at this year's BiS SiGMA Americas, Yogonet spoke to BetConstruct's Regional Director for Latin America, Sergio Longo, who said that Brazil "is the company's major focus in Latin America", and that the office being set up in São Paulo will be a commercial and technical center for BetConstruct's various brands to consolidate its leadership in the country. 

As part of its plans for Latin America, the company is also expanding its office in Lima, which will now have 70 employees.

Voted "Best Sports Betting Platform of the Year" at the International Gaming Awards (IGA) London 2024 in February, BetConstruct assured that it wants to actively participate in the regulatory process in Brazil and establish its market leadership as a provider of online gaming and betting solutions, "offering cutting-edge products and services" that adapt to the preferences and trends of local operators and players.

What were your expectations for the event after the approval of Law 14.790/23, which seeks to regulate Brazil's betting market?

I had very high expectations because I had already participated with BetConstruct last year, and it was very successful. Expectations are being fulfilled and it is impressive the number of people who have come to visit us at the event. Friends and executives from other companies want to generate business opportunities with us. It is impressive.

What are the main innovations you have come to present to the Brazilian market?

First of all, we are aware of the regulatory developments in place, so our proposals for the region are oriented in this direction. We have been in the market for more than 20 years with our proven technology, always presenting something new, and at the moment we are working a lot with artificial intelligence and the multiverse, where there will also be business opportunities. 

On the one hand, there is everything that we offer related to casinos. On the other hand, we're also working on offerings from other companies within the SoftConstruct group, such as the live casino offering of CreedRoomz, odds creation with FeedConstruct, and the skill game offerings of Pascal Gaming.

We have quite a distinct set of offerings, all under the BetConstruct umbrella. We also have our cryptocurrency offering, Fasttoken (FTN), for markets that allow this type of technology, and that applies to gaming platforms or other types of business as well. We specialize in it.

We offer not only platforms but also services associated with the platforms. We can practically outsource the operation of a casino. We can offer a platform from scratch or operate it together with the companies that buy the service. In some cases, we can also offer our Curaçao license so that companies can operate in jurisdictions where they are allowed to use that permit so that they have our payment platform.

How do you see the regulation in Brazil compared to other Latin American countries? 

The good thing about the Brazilian regulation is that it is a single regulation. In Argentina, there are as many regulations as there are states in the country; they are similar but they have differences. It is something we have been hearing about for a long time and now it is almost a reality, so it is very positive. We'll have to wait and see, and let this child be born and grow up to see the results.

As a company, we have always supported regulation, as we are doing now in Peru. In Peru, we are presenting our platform to the local regulator to be chosen by operators who want to work in the country, and we are testing the laboratory chosen by the government. 

What can you tell us about the company's expansion plans? 

The expansion plans for Latin America are very big. For example, I am now in charge of Peru at the regional level and I am leading a project to move to a much larger office, where we will have about 70 employees. A colleague of mine is working on opening an office here in São Paulo.

We currently have two offices in Latin America, in Uruguay and Lima, and soon we will have an office in Brazil, which will not only be commercial, but also technical, with project managers and other positions, as well as commercial and technical representatives for each of our brands. We will have a hub here in São Paulo because it is clear that Brazil is our major focus in Latin America.

Apart from the differences in the regulations of each country, are there big differences in the preferences of the public and the products in each region? 

The regulations vary a bit, but they are all based on certain international technical standards, with some particularities. However, we already have homologations in several countries and what we do is transfer and modify what needs to be modified for each region.

In Latin America, despite the apparent cultural similarities, each country has its particularities. Some countries are more into sports, others prefer slot machines, of specific types in different regions.

Of course, we know each type of market, such as land-based casinos, which are banned here in Brazil, but are widespread in other countries. For example, there are BetConstruct partners in Peru that have more than 800 physical stores with our products, where players can place their sports bets or play a game, and spend their time with entertainment, so we also have this land-based offer to present today.