Genius Sports and EstrelaBet on how to safeguard Brazilian sports

The recently concluded SBC Summit in Lisbon, Portugal has proven an important opportunity for broaching discussions that can prove critical for the success of individual sectors or entire markets.

One such discussion was held between Genius Sports and EstrelaBet which focused on addressing the urgency of protecting the sports betting market in Brazil by shielding sports from fraud and keeping it free from manipulations that undermine the integrity of competition.

In the words of Genius Sports VP for Brazil Guilherme Buso, "match-fixing is a huge issue, not only for the sports side of the business but also for sportsbooks." As Brazil prepares to be one of the largest regulated gambling markets, this warning seems particularly important and one that must be taken heed of.

However, Buso also charts a path forward for overcoming this important challenge in three steps. "Number one, use technology, monitor bets worldwide and share information, because we have our system," he noted during the event.

EstrelaBet Chief Business Officer Fellipe Fraga is of a similar mind. Buso said that Genius Sports and EstrelaBet had a good working relationship, allowing them to share data and analyze betting behavior.

The second important part of safeguarding the industry is taking a look at education. "Education is relevant," Buso mused.

"There are cases, very famous cases, where athletes claim that they didn’t know a yellow card was a betting market, or a red card, or corners, or in basketball for instance where you can bet on player performance. Education is really important," he added.

Moving on, Buso explained that the third pillar of safeguarding sports in the industry is based on what policies are enacted.

"We help organization’s develop and improve their policy, so in a case of match-fixing they are ready to react, ban a player or give them a fine. These are the three most important pillars, we’ve been doing that worldwide, and Brazil is a big focus now," Buso noted.

Apart from ensuring that there are data-sharing agreements between individual operators and tech companies such as Genius Sports, EstrelaBet has also focused on building closer ties with clubs and leagues.

By offering sponsorship deals, the operator can help direct and organize educational sessions that focus on integrity and seek to offer better protection against match-fixing and fraud. As Fraga puts it, it’s vital for operators to be a part of the movement that seeks to protect the integrity of sports.

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