SBC Summit Lisbon took place from September 24-26 at the Feira Internacional in the Portuguese capital and brought together more than 25,000 delegates, 450 speakers, and over 600 exhibitors from around the world.
During the event, Yogonet had the opportunity to interview Rafa Costa, Acquisition & Marketing Manager at Rivalo Brasil, who deemed the expo a great success and said he was ‘surprised’ by the size of it in terms of square meters coverage.
We are on the second day of the SBC exhibition, the first day for the affiliate hall. Has it met your expectations?
The event is great and well-organized. As always, SBC put on a fantastic show—they are masters at it. I’m really surprised by the size of it; it’s huge. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and you can get pretty tired by the end of the day. With our stand located here at the Affiliate Summit, we have been really pleased with the footfall and level of meetings so far.
With SBC being one of the major iGaming shows, what opportunities does this event open for the brand, and what are some of your main goals here at the show?
We are an operator that has been established for a long time, so we have a lot of partners to meet, and these shows are always a great opportunity to connect with them face-to-face.
Our first goal is to strengthen the partnerships that we already have, as this is always our priority because we are loyal to our partners. Secondly, it’s about meeting prospective partners across the industry, whether it be game providers, new affiliates, or new potential media. Anyone who is looking for a well-established brand to work with in Latin America. We welcome everyone to visit our stand.
Rafa Costa
Rivalo has officially applied to enter the regulated Brazilian market. What can you tell us about this major milestone? And how is the company preparing for this new chapter?
That’s a huge milestone for us. We’ve been operating as Rivalo in the Brazilian market since 2016, so I’d say our journey in the country began back then. We are now deep in the application process for the license. With any regulation, as we know from experience, there will always be further changes along the way. We have applied however and are confident that come the 1st of January Rivalo will be operating in a regulated market in Brazil.
We are actively transferring our existing key staff and wider operations to Brazil. It’s an exciting period where we will be opening our new office in Sao Paulo and hiring local talent. Rivalo is actively recruiting in preparation for this period of change. We’re excited to see 2025 as a new chapter in the company’s story.
In which other ways is the company preparing? For instance, is there something you can tell us in terms of promotions or partnerships, such as the company’s relationship with football legend Cafu?
We are currently exploring all the possibilities and opportunities available in the market. As everyone knows, the Brazilian market is highly competitive. Right now, there are so many brands, and they’ve been inflating the market over the past few years. Everything has a price however and there are still many opportunities outside of the mainstream media.
We are definitely proud to have Cafu as our brand ambassador. He’s been with us for the last three years and will continue to represent us moving forward. We are actively searching for new media partners, sponsorships, and collaborations to build long-term relationships. At Rivalo, we welcome any opportunity that aligns with our overall strategy and approach, especially when it comes from like-minded and trusted sources. That’s how we operate: focusing on a few, but long-lasting partnerships.
It’s safe to expect that, once regulated, the major sport in the Brazilian market will obviously be football. Do you see that as a key factor for the brand having this partnership with Cafu?
The key factor in our partnership with Cafu is that he embodies the core values of our company. We are a well-established, trustworthy, and local brand that embodies the will to win and do the best for our players. Much like Cafu throughout his career. He’s a five-time world champion, and you won’t find any controversy around him, just like Rivalo. We may not be champions on his level yet, but we’re on our way. He represents what we aspire to be: a champion. We couldn’t have found a better match than Cafu.
Rivalo Brasil's stand at SBC Summit
Brazil has caught global attention with the prospect of becoming one of the largest markets worldwide. What are your expectations for it starting the next year? What do you feel the picture will look like?
It’s a difficult question to answer because this is a new scenario for everyone—us as operators, the clients, and even the government. The regulation comes with a tough list of requirements that we, as a brand, are working hard to comply with. How the market will react to the regulation is still unknown.
However, we remain positive. We’re optimistic that the regulation will build more trust both for the players and for us. It’s important that there is a focus from the government to keep a level playing field and take steps to curtail the black market.
Besides Brazil, Rivalo also has a presence in Colombia, one of the most consolidated markets in the region. Do you feel this experience in another regulated market in LatAm can help Rivalo in Brazil?
The fact that we are licensed with the Colombian entity will greatly benefit our platform in terms of player security, gambling, and all the requirements that Coljuegos asks for the license in Colombia. Having the Coljuegos license is very positive for us.
As for my role, I oversee the acquisition for the Brazilian operation. In Colombia, Felipe Aguero takes care of the Colombian operation, and he is doing a great job there. We are sponsoring Deportivo Pereira and Bucaramanga, both of which are excellent local football teams.
It seems like Latin America is seeing a new momentum driven by regulatory changes and investment. What challenges do you anticipate in the region in general, and which opportunities do you see there for Rivalo?
I think the biggest challenge will be to capture our market share amongst the numerous operators that have applied for licenses in Brazil. We’re talking about over 100 operators, each of which has the opportunity to offer three brands. So, we’re potentially looking at 300 to 350 brands in total. It’s a highly competitive market.
To tackle this competition head-on, Rivalo is making significantly larger investments in the market. This will create new opportunities for us to establish partnerships, secure sponsorships, and fuel even more growth. We’re confident that this expanded commitment will position us strongly to thrive and lead in Brazil!
In terms of opportunity in this newly regulated market, our goal is to ensure transparency in our operations in the eyes of the government while providing our customers with the best support and entertainment experience.
