“CAIXA is thrilled about Brazil hosting the World Cup 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016”

Caixa is the largest lottery operator in Brazil; what role do you see for the company in the Brazilian gaming/lottery market for the next 2-5 years?
CAIXA is a 100% public bank – the largest in Latin America – and one of the most important financial institutions in Brazil. In 2012, its assets reached the us$ 568,721 million mark, an increase of 37.8% when compared with the previous year. In addition to the typical responsibilities that a commercial bank has, such as being the main agent of public policies in housing and sanitation, CAIXA also undertakes various roles to manage special funds, projects and services as delegated by the Federal Government, including the federal lotteries.

CAIXA’s vision of the future is to be among the 3 biggest Brazilian banks through to 2022, keeping its leadership as a public policies agent, with a view to ensuring that federal lotteries are aligned with the strategic goals set by the company to achieve that vision. In the next few years, we will intensify our research and development projects linked with the enlargement and modernization of our lottery products portfolio as well as the expansion and diversification of our sales channels. With this, we will be prepared, in-line with the Ministry of Finance guidelines – the federal lotteries regulator in Brazil -–  to work towards the sales growth of the federal lotteries, increasing the efficiency of this public service and contributing even more towards social causes.

The world’s two biggest sporting events are soon to be hosted by Brazil. What will this mean for the country overall, for the gaming/lottery/betting industry and for your company specifically?

Besides providing unforgettable moments to those who will be visiting Brazil for the World Cup 2014 and the Olympic Games 2016, we do hope that these events also bring good results to the country, both economically and socially.

CAIXA is thrilled about Brazil hosting these major sports events, as our company is traditionally one of the big sponsors of national sports, and particularly the lotteries, which are recognized as a massive supporter of Brazilian sports. In addition to the legal transfers that CAIXA lotteries do to the Ministry of Sport, The Brazilian Olympic and Paralympic Committees and to the football clubs, we have also sponsored the Paralympics’ since 2004 so we can contribute to the development of our athletes and the emergence of new talents from the national para-sports. Thanks to CAIXA and the lotteries sponsorship contributions to the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, our country has presented extremely positive results, rising in the world rankings in every Paralympic games.

How would you describe the state of gaming in Brazil? How does it compare to the rest of the world?

In general, the requirements adopted by the Brazilian Government to authorize the operation of the federal lotteries are in -line with those shaping the lottery operations by other state entities, even though, sometimes, the operational model of this activity in other countries can show variations due to cultural or social differences.

Gaming operations are authorized in Brazil exclusively by the Federal Government, having as their main requirement to protect society and generate resources aimed to be applied for social good nationally.

In- line with those requirements, CAIXA allocates about 48% of its proceeds from sales of the federal lottery towards social causes in segments such as Social Security, Sport, Education, Culture, Public Safety and Health, in addition to the income tax on the prize. Moreover, our company stands out for its transparency, and security of our operations was distinguished with the World Lottery Association Security Control Standard – WLA: SCS Certification.  Regarding responsible gaming, we are also certified by the WLA and by Corporación Iberoamericana de Loterías y Apuestas de Estado (CIBELAE).

According to data released by the WLA, CAIXA was ranked 11th by sales in the world rankings of lotteries 2012.  When comparing that result to previous years, we find that our company has continued the gradual ascent of the Brazilian Federal Lotteries when compared with the worldwide trend. A big part of this outcome is due to adopting new initiatives to improve our lottery products, releasing special competitions on festive dates of the National calendar – offering great prizes that don’t accumulate – but also due to accepting bets online.

Why have you decided to get involved in the Brasilian Gaming Congress?
We’re honoured by the invitation to this event because we consider it not only an opportunity to follow the discussions that will be presented during the technical workshops, but to listen to the State Lotteries market representatives and their regulatory bodies, and gain an international  perspective of the gaming market.

The Brasilian Gaming Congress has been developed to start the debate on gaming in Brazil. What kind of debate is needed in Brazil, why now and what issues should it focus on?
Considering that games of chance is an activity of a special nature, any debate about this topic must be focused on those principles which justify granting authorization to operate lotteries all over the world – to generate resources for social causes and protect society.  This is the only way to achieve results that may contribute to expanding the State Lotteries market, using current technology innovation, without compromising the security requirements to protect the player and encourage responsible gaming.

Nevertheless, to clarify, CAIXA operates the Brazilian Federal Lotteries by delegation of the Federal Government; it is the Secretaria de Acompanhamento Econômico (SEAE) from the Ministry of Finance that is responsible for the gaming regulation in Brazil.

How do you think the Brasilian Gaming Congress can contribute to that debate and what are your expectations for the conference?
Events that bring together regulators and representatives of the big State Lotteries, alongside gaming solution providers, provide a suitable environment to improve knowledge about the world’s lottery and gaming markets through dissemination of successful experiences – which is a very positive step towards acquiring knowledge that can contribute to the improved management of the Lotteries in Brazil.

The event will attract many international experts - what value can this bring to the Brazilian gaming/betting/lottery sector?
Hearing all the best practices used by leading state lotteries from around the world is a great resource for us to learn from, and use when implementing new projects for the development of the Federal Lotteries in Brazil. In addition, these speakers’ opinions and visions about efficiency and sustainability of lottery operations are another encouragement and motivation towards perfecting the management of CAIXA Lotteries, as we are always committed to improving our contributions towards social causes, safety and security of our lottery operations.