Editor's Letter

Brazil, Brazil, Brazil. If you work in sports betting, that’s probably all you’ve heard about for the last few months...

But with good reason. US sports betting is growing fast, generating excitement and gross gaming revenue aplenty. When all is said and done, though, only a handful of operators are benefiting from that growth – and most are still yet to approach anything near turning a profit.In Europe, core markets are just as competitive, requiring the resources to either advertise en masse or overhaul compliance procedures in the face of changing regulation.

So, in terms of pure growth prospects, that leaves us with Latin America, the sports capital of which is… Brazil. And industry anticipation is reaching ‘Carnaval’ levels after a regulated sports betting market was finally written into Brazilian law at the turn of the year – with a launch to follow later in 2024.

Understandably, then, it is a busy time for Brazilian sportsbooks priming to capitalise on this newly legalised source of revenue, while it is equally busy for international brands looking to earn their slice of the pie. Our cover feature duly explores the potential of Brazil’s legal sports betting market, during a year that not only sees the Euros in the summer but (more importantly for Brazilians) the Copa America. Indeed, we hear from EveryMatrix, WA.Technology, OpenBet and SCCG Management about what’s on the horizon.

Elsewhere, we have an exclusive, in-depth interview with Stéphane Pallez, the Chairwoman and CEO of La Française des Jeux (FDJ) – French gambling behemoth and potential buyer of Kindred Group (in what is the biggest industry merger of the year so far).

We dedicate four full pages to the FDJ CEO. Beyond that, however, we look as far afield as VR in gaming, global compliance, Paddy Power’s UK innovations and the Canadian market.

Particularly interesting, in my opinion, are insights from iGaming expert Itsik Akiva, who tells us all about how sweepstakes now form a multi-billion-dollar industry. Beware, though, sweepstakes may be a perfect companion for casino companies in the US – but Akiva explains exactly why US sports betting is not yet a natural cross-sell.

Coming full circle, alongside our regular company profiles, all that’s left for me to do is bring our conversation back to Brazil and say: Bem vindos à festa!