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Where does the Sport of Kings fit into the Brazilian market?

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With a regulated Brazil now in sight, Richard Duncan, Head of Business Development at racing odds and data provider PA Betting Services, assesses the potential for the sport to become a key product in this emerging market

 

With the last few months having seen Brazil’s sports betting bill clear all the hurdles needed to finally be signed into law, many in the sports betting world have understandably taken a keen interest in the possibilities offered by South America’s largest country.

The home of footballing greats Pelé and Ronaldo and boasting more World Cup titles than any other country, Brazil’s passion for and the resulting potential of football betting is clear. There are a number of parallels to be drawn between a market such as the UK and Brazil when it comes to football. For one thing, the similar level of devotion among the fan base looks set to ensure that football will easily remain the biggest betting turnover generator in Brazil, as it is in the UK.

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What’s less clear is how likely racing is to come anywhere near the second place it holds in the UK market, where it accounted for 36% of remote betting turnover in the last set of official Gambling Commission statistics. However, there are a number of comparisons that can be made between the UK and Brazil when it comes to racing. For example, there’s a hardcore fraternity of racing fans and many more casual racegoers, those who are likely to view a day at the races as much in terms of the experience as the opportunity to have a flutter. Not to mention that Brazil boasts the third-largest horse population globally. The thoroughbred industry has been growing steadily since the 1990s, with notable group one winners such as Siphon, Sandpit and, more recently, Bal a Bali elevating the breed’s prominence.

But there’s a huge difference in the local availability of racing. While Brazil’s enormous size makes it the fifth largest country in the world and its population of more than 215 million makes it the seventh most populated, it has just four racetracks, albeit these are well-attended on race days. The UK, ranked 80th by land area and 21st by population, meanwhile, is home to 59 racecourses.

This disparity goes some way to explaining why football is taking the lion’s share of sports betting turnover in Brazil despite currently being unregulated, while racing takes a fraction of this even though it’s been legal for many years.

Online operators could be doing more to cash in on local racing than they currently are. The key to making the most of the Brazilian opportunity is educating the local population on the benefits of betting opportunities that the sheer volume of international races affords and cross-selling this to keen sports bettors.

Filling the gaps

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Because while football is unlikely to lose its crown as the most popular sport among Brazilian bettors, the problem with football, NFL, basketball, MMA, golf, tennis and everything else, is that there are so many gaps in the schedule. And once the significant licence fees outlined in the new law have been paid, both local and foreign operators are likely going to need to optimise their product with as little downtime as possible in order to justify their investment.

Racing has the edge over all other sports because on a global basis there exists a full calendar where there is always something to bet on.

In the UK and Ireland we’ve already seen this approach used to great effect with the relatively recent introductions of North American, French, South African, Australian and Asian racing for domestic audiences. This secondary content does well as it lands in either prime leisure hours or is filler at weekends or for poor weather conditions. The increasing globalisation of racing was, in fact, one of the key reasons for our acquisition of Asian racing data provider iRace Media in the second half of last year.

In this respect, foreign operators, some of which have established a foothold in Brazil prior to a regulatory regime and are savvy with this approach used in established markets, may have an edge over others, simply because they’re experienced with the product.

Brazil is likely to be the same as any other fledgling market in the sense that if a company has just started offering a legal gambling product, they are likely going to have greater comfort in offering products to bet on that they are familiar with.

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Mitigating the risk

In conversations our team has had with operators in emerging markets such as Brazil, Latam and Africa, the racing knowledge gap is an issue that’s come up repeatedly. They could easily integrate with a data provider such as ourselves from a technical perspective, but they may not fully understand the data they are looking at and some worry this leaves them overexposed.

There are a number of things that make racing more challenging than other sports to trade. For a start, the vernacular used in racing is not something that everyone understands if they’ve not been exposed to it before. In addition, a lot of operators fear racing because while they believe it can make them good money, they know there are people out there, professional punters and big racing syndicates, that know more about racing than their own traders.

This view is not unique to Brazil or even new markets, it’s something we also hear in our core markets and it possibly goes some way to explaining why new operators sometimes take every sport on offer before they get to racing. But inevitably, most take racing at some point because the volume on offer is too great to ignore. However, one recent shift worth mentioning is that more operators new to racing are opting for a platform partner or pricing partner to avoid being exposed to risks they aren’t comfortable with.

This is something that may be even more attractive to operators in emerging markets like Brazil given their lack of experience with global fixed odds racing to date. One thing that may work in their favour is that the country’s bettors would also appear to lack the maturity shown in established markets when it comes to the type of bets they are placing.

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For instance, virtually all of the bets taken on football in Brazil are multis, which are bad for punters but which operators love as they are high margin and low risk. A diverse racing portfolio similarly has the potential to deliver high margins for operators and keep players engaged year-round, meaning the product could be just as successful in Brazil as it is in many more established markets.

 

Richard Duncan is Head of Business Development at PA Betting Services. He has been with parent company PA Media Group since 2002, with the bulk of his career having been spent working in its racing team.

Brazil

Esportes da Sorte holds forum on “Integrity in Sports” with Ceará and Náutico

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Esportes da Sorte hosted its Match-Fixing Prevention Forum last week at Ceará and Náutico as main sponsor of both clubs. Held in partnership with Sportradar, the initiative is part of a series of in-person workshops, with upcoming sessions planned for Corinthians and Ferroviária.

The project aims to combat illegal practices and reinforce a strong commitment to integrity in sport. Activities were tailored for athletes and members of the technical staff from the men’s and women’s professional teams, as well as the under-20 squads. During the sessions, topics such as the definition of match-fixing, types of fraud, fraudsters’ modus operandi, legal risks, and reputational impacts were covered. Participants were offered practical guidance on how to respond to suspicious approaches.

“This training programme reinforces our commitment to sports integrity and responsible gaming, pillars that guide our actions. We believe education is the best form of prevention, and we want to stand alongside clubs in this joint effort for transparency and the protection of sport,” said Ana Carolina Luna Maçães, Compliance Manager at Esportes Gaming Brasil, the group behind the Esportes da Sorte brand.

“Ceará takes this topic very seriously. The club is an important player in the fight against match-fixing. We act preventively with regular meetings and have a handbook that addresses the topic with our squad. It is our duty to provide these moments of learning for athletes and technical staff. We live in a time when the integrity of sport is being questioned. In this scenario, actions like this are extremely important,” commented Lucas Drubscky, Football Executive at Ceará.

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The sessions were led by Felippe Marchetti, Integrity Partnerships Manager at Sportradar, a global sports technology company and recognized authority in sports integrity. In Brazil, Sportradar partners with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and 17 state federations, monitoring more than 10,000 matches per season. The company recently signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement (TCA) with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Sports.

“Raising awareness among athletes and teams is one of the most effective ways to protect competitions from manipulation. These workshops are designed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools to recognize threats and act responsibly. We are proud to support initiatives like this that strengthen the integrity of Brazilian sports,” said Felippe Marchetti.

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TG Lab unveils new Brazil office to further cement position as market’s most localised platform

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Strategic hub supports continued LatAm expansion and deepens TG Lab’s regional expertise for global clients and local operators

Global omni-channel platform provider TG Lab has announced the opening of a brand-new office in Brazil, further cementing its commitment to delivering industry-leading solutions and localised expertise across Latin America’s dynamic iGaming landscape.

Located in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, this strategic move reaffirms TG Lab’s position as a leader in the region and underlines its ambition to provide clients with unparalleled local knowledge and real-time responsiveness in both Portuguese and Spanish

Designed with comfort and functionality in mind, the new office spans an impressive 400m² and has been purpose-built to provide a modern, collaborative and inspiring work environment.

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The new office will house a growing number of critical functions at TG Lab, including teams spanning casino games, gamification, platform development, DevOps, quality assurance and data analysis – supporting major clients such as Aposta.la, Stake and Playcet.

With Brazil’s iGaming market rapidly evolving and regulatory clarity improving, the timing for expansion was pivotal. TG Lab has continued to go from strength to strength across Latin America and the new office enables the company to scale operations and onboard new talent with ease.

Recruitment is already underway for a range of roles including Project Managers, .NET Developers, React Developers, Data Analysts and QA Analysts.

Commenting on the new office, Dainius Narmontas, Chief Operations Officer at TG Lab, said: “As we continue to expand our position across Latin America, this new Brazil office provides a solid foundation that will enable us to grow sustainably and with local insight that no other B2B provider can match. We’ve built a talented, multidisciplinary team here and created a space that nurtures innovation and collaboration. This is more than just an office – it’s a statement of intent.

“With our increased footprint and deepening roots in Brazil, we’re delivering the most localised service in the market. This is a pivotal moment for TG Lab in LatAm – and it’s only just the beginning.”

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Esportes Gaming Brasil certified as Great Place To Work®

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 Esportes Gaming Brasil, the owner of Onabet and Esportes da Sorte, has been certified as a Great Place To Work®. The recognition – a global reference in people management and organizational climate – highlights the company’s efforts in promoting a positive environment, with development, well-being and inclusion initiatives aligned with the needs of its approximately 600 employees.

The GPTW survey assesses employee perceptions across five pillars – credibility, respect, impartiality, pride and camaraderie. For Sophia Serak, Director of People, participating in the assessment was essential to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. “We want to be more than a workplace: we’ve created a framework for everyone to develop and feel valued. The certificate proves we are on the right path and motivates us to evolve further”, says the executive.

More than just a welcoming environment, Grupo Esportes Gaming Brasil has built a space where everyone has the freedom to be themselves, clarity about where they can go, and real support to grow. An environment where values such as trust, listening, and collaboration are at the heart of decisions — from the selection process to the choice of leaders.

In 2024, the group accelerated its mission to strengthen leadership, with training, assessments linked to values and programs offering regular management training. More than 60 leaders participated in development paths and initiatives such as “Impulso EGB” — an educational incentive program that subsidizes technical courses and specializations for employees.

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Trust is the foundation of Esportes Gaming Brasil’s culture. It manifests itself in small gestures, spontaneous feedback, the freedom to propose new ideas and the construction of real bonds between people. The company invests in inclusive communication, active listening and collective actions that strengthen the sense of belonging — such as themed parties, recognition rituals and direct chats with leadership.

The post Esportes Gaming Brasil certified as Great Place To Work® appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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