"Brazil is entering a very interesting phase: With competition increasing, operators now focus on efficiency and long-term value"

Brazil’s iGaming market is becoming more competitive, and operators are starting to pay closer attention to retention and CRM structures as the market evolves.

Fast Track is bringing its Spark workshop series to Brazil at this stage, focusing on how operators manage player lifecycles, organise CRM functions, and apply data in practical ways.

In this interview with Yogonet, Muriel Le Senechal, Regional Commercial Manager - LatAm, discussed why Brazil was chosen for the first edition, the challenges operators are facing, and what the workshop is aiming to address.

Fast Track Spark launched its first edition in Brazil. Why was the country the right place to bring this CRM workshop series?

Brazil is entering a very interesting phase. For a few years, the market was defined by rapid growth and player acquisition. Now, with regulation stabilising and competition increasing, operators are starting to focus on efficiency and long-term value. That’s where CRM strategy becomes central.

Retention is no longer just a marketing activity. It’s an operational discipline that connects data, lifecycle strategy, player experience and commercial performance. We launched Spark in Brazil because operators are asking the same question: how do we structure CRM properly as the market matures?

Spark creates a space where teams can step away from daily operations and work through those questions together. The goal is simple: give operators practical frameworks and clarity on how to scale retention in a market that is becoming more competitive.

Spark promises practical learning rather than traditional conference discussions. What kinds of insights or frameworks do operators take back to their teams?

The intention is that people leave with things they can implement immediately. A lot of CRM conversations stay theoretical, but operators need to translate strategy into daily execution. Spark focuses on that gap.

We spend time looking at lifecycle structure, retention metrics, campaign planning and how teams organise their CRM calendars across the year. There are also sessions around data usage, automation and gamification. 

By the end of the workshop, operators have a clearer view of how their CRM operation should function, from onboarding journeys to VIP engagement and event-driven campaigns. In a market like Brazil, where many teams are scaling quickly, that operational clarity becomes a real competitive advantage.

Retention is becoming increasingly important in Brazil’s newly regulated market. What are some common challenges operators face when building their retention strategies?

The biggest shift operators are going through is moving from campaign thinking to lifecycle thinking. In early-stage markets, CRM often focuses on sending promotions or reactivation messages. As competition increases, that approach becomes less effective. 

Retention needs to be structured across the entire player journey. That includes early onboarding, engagement around sporting moments, loyalty progression, and understanding how incentives impact long-term value.

Another common challenge is relying too heavily on bonuses. Bonuses can drive activity, but sustainable retention usually comes from relevance, understanding player behaviour and responding with the right experience at the right moment. These are exactly the kinds of discussions we’re encouraging during Spark.

As you noted, the workshop explores the full player journey, from registration to VIP. Which stage of that journey do you believe deserves more attention from operators today?

The early lifecycle stage. The first hours and days after registration are when player habits start to form. If the experience is engaging and well-structured, the relationship grows naturally. If it feels generic, it becomes much harder to build loyalty later.

Many operators still focus their attention further down the lifecycle, reactivation campaigns or VIP management, but the foundation of retention actually happens much earlier. That’s why we spend time at Spark analysing those early journeys and how they can be structured more intelligently. Small improvements there can have a very large impact on long-term player value.

Data-driven decision-making is a key theme of the workshop. How is CRM evolving with automation and new technologies?

CRM teams today have access to more information than ever before. The real challenge is turning that information into action. Automation plays an important role here. When systems can respond to player behaviour in real time, teams can focus less on manual processes and more on strategy and experimentation.

For example, campaigns around large sporting events like the World Cup can be planned and executed much faster when segmentation, triggers and workflows are automated. Technology accelerates execution, but it doesn’t replace strategy. Strong lifecycle design, clear segmentation and disciplined value management remain the foundations of effective CRM.

Brazil is often described as one of the fastest-growing iGaming markets. Are there any particular player behaviour trends operators should pay attention to?

Brazil is a highly engaged sports market, and that has a strong influence on how players interact with operators. Engagement often follows major sporting moments, which means timing becomes very important for CRM teams.

Another aspect is how mobile-first the market is. Players expect immediate, intuitive interactions, and that puts pressure on operators to react quickly and personalise experiences effectively.

What we’re seeing is that the operators who succeed are the ones who combine those local behavioural insights with structured CRM processes. Spark is a great opportunity for operators to share these observations and learn from each other as the market evolves.

With major sporting events like the World Cup on the horizon, how can operators design CRM campaigns that drive engagement without relying heavily on bonuses?

Major sporting events create natural excitement among players. The opportunity for operators is to build experiences around that excitement rather than focusing purely on incentives.

That can include personalised communications tied to favourite teams, interactive campaigns, gamified challenges or loyalty mechanics linked to tournament moments. When engagement is built around the event itself, the experience becomes more meaningful for players.