BgC 2018 reflects the expectations and uncertainties of the Brazilian market

On April 22 in Sao Paulo, and under the "Strengthening roots" slogan, Sergio Jardim (Director of Clarion Events Brazil), and Ewa Bakum of Clarion Gaming, inaugurated the two-day event (BgC 2018. More than 200 people were involved in the activities, including executives of the sector, officials and potential operators.

The first of the sessions was moderated by journalist Eduardo Barao, from Grupo Bandeirantes, who led the conversation with William P. Colley II, Senator from Ohio, and Becky Harris, responsible for the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

In both cases, the speakers emphasized the need for Brazil to find its own formula for the exploitation of casinos and provide development opportunities to a legal industry (currently non-existent in the country) that can return a significant amount of resources and funding. The various forms of legislation chosen by Ohio, and the security measures adopted by the Las Vegas authorities were part of the discussion, providing possible models of regulation that Brazil could adopt when facing the process of gambling legalization.

The legislation process

The most interesting session was held at 10.30 am, with the participation of deputies Nelson Marquezelli and Herculano Passos (President of the Mixed Parliamentary Front in Defense of Tourism). During their presentation, both parliamentarians agreed on the need for casinos to offer a new alternative to international tourism.

"One of the main hypocrisies of this country is not having legal gambling today," said Marquezelli, who also said that the turbulence the country is going through is hindering the legalization process. Marquezelli also expressed his views that, out of the two projects in struggle, the bill presented at the Lower House is more likely to succeed.

"Gambling-derived employment rates are enormous, and we have to on capitalize that. Adding international events and congresses and would also help develop the economy and would be extremely positive from the collection aspect, and translated into funding for education, sports, health and safety, among others," Passos added.

LOTEX, new policies and the best framework for regulation

Later, Alexandre Manoel, Undersecretary of Taxes, Energy and Lotteries (SEFEL) of the Ministry of Finance, and Guilherme Alburquerque, head of the Privatization Department of BNDES, analyzed the concession of the LOTEX to a private operator. "We believe that the concession will increase the competition of this market, improve the collection and give new tools of development to the lottery sector, which is extremely important in our country," said Manoel, in clear support for this measure. On the other hand, Alburquerque made a complete review of the process from 2015 to date.

Prior to lunch, a multidisciplinary panel discussed the best practices to deal with regulated markets. One of the highlights was the debate initiated by Pierre Tourier, Director of Government Relations of RGA, who spoke of various regulatory frameworks and keys for the selection of a suitable framework for each market. Sissel Weitzhandler of Play'n Go, Karen Sierra-Hugues, of GLI, and Becky Harris of the Nevada Gaming Control Board followed, displaying deep who together with the international consultant Thierry Pujol offered their experience on this subject.

A new conference model

In the afternoon, the organizers launched an innovative conference model, carrying out three simultaneous conferences in the same room, side by side, additionally offering the choice of the "audio channel" to the audience. Thus, instead of having a general audio of the conversation, the attendees to the BgC could select the channel of their interest, and follow in this way the most important instances of each talk, being able to perform a vertiginous "zapping" between lecturer and lecturer.

In this format, parallel exhibitions were held on the passage from "gray" to fully legal operations, under Gustavo Schiappa, president of the Tower Group, Santiago Castaniera, operations manager of the same company, and Lorenzo Caci, of Sportradar, along with a space dedicated to casinos and bingos, where Celina Guedes, Sun International's VIP International, and Olavo Sales da Silveira, from Abrabincs, participated. They all joined, in parallel, Paulo Horn, LOTERJ, and Luiz Carlos Prestes Filho, who followed the latest developments related to the Lotteries and focused the analysis on a potential legislation for Jogo do Bicho.

In second shift, this modality offered three new talks, of which Paulo Duarte Lopes, director of gaming activities of the Ministry of Tourism of Portugal, participated; Fabio Ferreira Kujawski, from the Mattos Filho studio; Robinson Fernándes, president of the Institute of Professionals on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing; Pedro Cortés, from Estudio Rato, Ling, Lei and Cortés; and Camilo Millon, Fecoljuegos consultant.

The day closed at 6:00 p.m., and at night the attendees participated in the official cocktail of the event, sponsored by Online IPS at the renowned Chez Oscar de San Pablo.

Second day

In the framework of the second day of the Brazilian Gaming Congress, held in San Pablo, the former deputy Regis de Oliveira said that "if all sectors of the game were together and came to the Senators with a single speech, the law today it would be approved. "

"Today there is a great disunity in the industry," Oliveira said. "The casino groups are looking for one thing, the groups linked to the Jogo do Bicho search for another, the bingos, the online game ... in all cases it is the same".

For the former Federal legislator, there are sectoral interests that do not accompany a common battle for the opening of the market, and that makes fail the various attempts that have been made. "Today it is necessary to find a consensus, because of the way in which things have been approached until now, there is no possibility of reaching a legal framework for gambling," he said.

"In my opinion, first we must seek to legalize the activity, the objective is to break the prohibition of so many years. Once that goal has been achieved, then each sector should look for the best way to open its market to the public, and in the best possible way. But without a common struggle and a single discourse, it is very difficult to achieve results. "

Oliveira pointed out, then, that "if all the sectors of the game were together and reached the Senators with a single speech, the law would be approved today."

These words were also supported by another of the panelists, Magnho José, president of the Legal Gaming Institute, who acknowledged that for years, from his entity have carried out a tough battle to achieve the approval of a regulatory framework, but in recent times some large hotel chains of North American capitals have sought their personal benefit, by seeking a law that only enabled resort casinos, leaving aside the other forms of game in dance.

In the end, Magnho José carried out an alert to the audience: "Either Brazil legalizes its bets, or the illegal market will grow and change towards criminal models that are much more worrisome. Legalizing is the only way, and if we do not do it, as a society we will pay dearly".

BgC 2018