Aposta Ganha: "The final text of the regulation meets 85% of the needs of the Brazilian market"

Hugo Baungartner, Vice President of Global Markets at Aposta Ganha, attended the SBC Summit Rio 2024, held March 5-7 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. At the event, the executive participated in a conference on the topic 'State vs. Federal Licensing', along with other industry representatives.

After this debate, Baungartner talked to Yogonet about Aposta Ganha's work, the perspectives of regulation in Brazil, responsible gaming, and the company's presence in Mexico. 

There is consensus that the market needs regulation, but certain points are still criticized. For example, the question of how gamblers will be taxed and the subsidy value of BRL 30 million (about $6 million). What is your opinion on this?

The final text responds, in my opinion, and that of Aposta Ganha, to 85% of what the market needs. If we think about the first text that was published, the first idea, and what we have now, there has been significant progress.

Is there anything missing? Are we missing the details of the players' tax? Yes, it is an important point. It [the article on the exemption of income below the first income tax rate] was vetoed, it's still being discussed and it's going back to the House.

But I think, one way or another, this will undergo a process of adaptation. If it goes down, let's put it that way, inevitably in six months or a year, I think it will be identified and I think it will change. So not all laws are 100% perfect. I think this process will take six months, a year, two years for the market to adapt to the final regulation.

A topic that always comes up is the concern of Brazilian society about problem gambling. What response can the companies give to reassure people who have this concern?

It is a legitimate concern, which we are also addressing in all the ongoing advertising that we have. Our marketing pieces already carry this type of warning or message.

But it is a problem that already exists: it does not exist because of regulation or non-regulation. With or without regulation, it will exist. We, in the Aposta Ganha group, have a very interesting project that we are finishing formatting and that we are going to launch together with the regulation, a project that will help address this concern from the population, from the market, and also from the government.

Could you tell us about Aposta Ganha's operations in other countries? The company has also entered Mexico. Do you see familiarity between the Brazilian and Mexican markets or are they completely different?

I lived in Mexico for ten years, so I know a lot about the market, the players, the details. We launched in Mexico three months ago, it's a project that is still in its infancy. Are there similar things? Yes, but to be honest, not much.

The Mexican market is mature, it is land-based, there are land-based casinos, and there is a different gambling culture than in Brazil. The odds are different. The way of communicating with Mexicans is also different. It is a challenge. We are prepared, we have a local team and now we have to make it stronger, to grow, but it is a long-term project, not a short-term one.

What is your schedule for upcoming industry events?

We will have a booth at BiS SiGMA, in São Paulo, in April. I will be at the SAGSE convention in Buenos Aires. At the end of the year, we will be at SBC Lisbon, G2E Las Vegas, and SBC Miami.