By Thiago Iusim Founder & CEO of Betshield Responsible Gaming
With editing and adaptation by Gaming365’s editorial team
Responsible Gaming has never been so present in the discourse of the regulated betting market in Brazil. It appears on websites, in applications, in campaign footers, in TV commercials and in institutional communications. It is written everywhere, accompanied by stamps, notices and well-intentioned phrases.
At first glance, it appears that the issue is resolved.
It seems that the sector has matured.
It seems like everyone does their part.
But when you look a little closer, something doesn’t add up.
Responsible Gaming is there — but it’s not complete. It’s recognizable, but it sounds strange. Like a word read too quickly. As something that the brain understands, but that practice does not confirm.
It seems like it, but it isn’t.
When the speech arrives before the system
In practice, a large part of the market still treats Responsible Gaming as regulatory aesthetics. A necessary element to comply with the schedule, reduce noise and signal goodwill. It became communication before it became operations. Sign before becoming applied intelligence.
This is not about denying progress. The topic exists, it is cited, it is defended. The problem is more subtle — and precisely for that reason, more dangerous.
The market confused:
- presence with depth
- effective visibility
- intention with structure
Saying you care is not the same as building something that works.
What regulation really requires
THE SPA/MF Ordinance No. 1,231/2024 makes this difference very clear. It does not regulate intentions. It does not ask whether the operator believes in Responsible Gaming.
She demands:
- Continuous monitoring
- Identification of risk patterns
- Proportional actions
- Traceability
- Governance
- Technical responsibility
In other words:
It doesn’t matter if you say you do it — it matters if you can prove it.
It is exactly at this point that the distance between discourse and practice appears.
The contradiction that the market has not yet resolved
The same sector that operates with a very high level of sophistication in:
- acquisition
- CRM
- customization
- retention
- journey optimization
… still tries to deal with risky behavior using generic banners and links hidden in the footer.
The market dominates behavioral reading, but hesitates to apply this same intelligence to the most sensitive point of the experience: risk.
As if a static warning is enough to deal with dynamic patterns.
Responsible Gaming is not a cost — it is an infrastructure
There is a central strategic error in this logic.
Although Responsible Gaming is today the main shield of the regulated industry — far beyond any regulatory obligation — many operators still see it as expense center.
But the reality is different.
Responsible Gaming:
- does not compete with growth
- sustains the growth
- does not reduce revenue
- increases predictability
Effective monitoring and intervention practices:
- increase lifetime value
- reduce invisible churn
- strengthen confidence
- create more lasting relationships with the player
The operator who helps the player maintain control does not lose money.
He gains permanence.
When it becomes a system, it becomes a competitive advantage
When Responsible Gaming stops being a warning and becomes a system, it stops being an obligation and becomes strategic asset.
He:
- reduces regulatory exposure
- strengthens the industry’s social license
- increases market resilience
- legitimizes the sector before society
It does not limit the market.
He makes it sustainable.
It seems like it, but it isn’t — yet
Maybe that’s why this phrase describes the current moment so well.
As long as Responsible Gaming continues to be treated as an appearance, the sector will continue to be questioned.
When it is understood as:
- investment
- minimal infrastructure
- applied intelligence
… it stops being speech and becomes maturity.
At some point, each operator will have to decide:
Responsible Gaming will be a cost to be minimized
or a strategy to be built?
Sooner or later, this choice defines who leads the market — and who just passes by.
🔎 About the author of the review
Thiago Iusim
Founder & CEO — Betshield Responsible Gaming
Specialist in player protection, behavioral compliance and applied Responsible Gaming systems.
Fonte: Gaming365 – Brasil
