In just a few short weeks the Latin American gaming industry will descend on Brazil for the upcoming SBC Summit Rio.

Ahead of the event, Ted Orme-Claye, Editor of Payment Expert, was joined by Lucía Mouriño, SBC’s VP of Relationships LatAm, and Isadora Marcante, SBC’s Relationships Manager for Brazil, to look ahead to the conference, taking place from 24-27 February at the Riocentro.

The event is a landmark moment as it marks the first time the industry will gather in the region given it is the first international conference since Brazil launched its regulated online gaming and sports betting market.

On the anticipation, Isadora said: “There’s a lot of questions, a lot of things that we still need answers from the government, the states and the municipalities that are now launching their own lotteries to provide sports games and online casino games to their audiences. 

“So there’s still a lot of questions, a lot of things that we’re wondering what’s going to happen.”

In addition to the usual panels and exhibits expected at the conference, there is also going to be an Influencer Academy, which will aim to explain the unique role that individuals play in Brazilian affiliates, 

“The Brazilian market is very unique, they have different ways of operating and they use affiliation very differently than what you see in Europe, what you see in North America and what you see in other Latin American countries,” explained Lucía.

“So this Influencer Academy is definitely not just for affiliates, it’s also for operators, suppliers and other stakeholders to be able to understand how the Brazilian ecosystem actually works.”

Both Lucía and Isadora agreed that the industry’s excitement for the event is palpable as it looks forward to meeting in Rio de Janeiro. 

Summing up what people can expect from the summit, Lucía said: “[The industry] understands the importance of having the first major event since the market launch. I don’t think it’s just about having an event but also about what the space provides for them.

“In this case, the comprehensive agenda, the experts that are participating in the programme, the workshops, the networking opportunities and the new summits. There are options for every single industry profile out there.”