The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gambling has undergone a leadership change. This industry organization, which includes international giants like bet365, Betsson, Entain, and Flutter, has officially appointed Carlos Lima as the new CEO. With years of experience in government relations, public policy advocacy, and regulatory lobbying, Lima takes over the IBJR at a critical juncture as Brazil's fixed-odds betting and online gambling market transitions from "wild growth" to a "licensed era." His appointment announcement includes a significant statement - "A regulated environment is the main tool for ensuring consumer protection, industry integrity, and sustainable development." Essentially, his first task is not internal restructuring, but to embed the equation "regulation equals safety" into Brazil's policy discourse.
From political-business bridge to industry flag-bearer: Lima plays three cards
Lima's career trajectory can almost be summarized by the "revolving door" between politics and business—long dominating institutional relations, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and industry regulation strategic agendas, skilled in building dialogue channels between public and private sectors. In his inaugural statement, he outlines his roadmap, which can be summarized in three points: 1. Legitimize the industry with data and transparency - "The maturity of the Brazilian gambling market needs to be driven by data, based on transparency, and guided by governance and legal certainty"; 2. Draw a clearer line between regulated markets and illegal platforms - "Regulation should be understood as a consumer safety seal, establishing rules, protection mechanisms, and responsible gambling policies, all of which are nonexistent in the illegal market"; 3. Promote investment, employment, and tax retention in Brazil - "Strengthening the regulated market is about protecting Brazilian citizens and creating conditions for investment, employment, and tax retention domestically."
These three cards actually point to the same proposition: in a market that has just completed a license shuffle, the biggest enemy of the licensees is not each other, but the numerous illegal platforms. PASA's official website had also noted the pre-World Cup preparations of licensed operators in Brazil, when IBJR co-founder Andre Gelfi had spoken about the operators' readiness. Now as Lima takes over, Gelfi has moved to the role of board member and director, continuing to participate in institutional agendas—the experience of the founder and the connections of the newcomer perfectly complement each other.
Behind the luxurious membership lineup: Two pillars support IBJR
If personnel changes are about face, then the membership structure of IBJR is about substance. Currently, the organization's membership list is quite luxurious: A2FBR, BandBet, bet365, BetBoom, BetMGM, Betsson Group, Entain (including Sportingbet and Betboo), Flutter Brazil (Betfair and Betnacional), Kaizen Gaming (Betano), KTO Group, Novibet, SkillOnNet (Bacana Play and PlayUzu), and Todos Querem Jogar (Bet do Milhão), plus Better Collective, Clever Advertising, OKTO, and Unico among other associated members. It can almost be said that most of the top players in Brazil's licensed operations are sitting at the IBJR table.
The entire institution's operation is built on two main pillars: one is combating the illegal gambling market, and the other is promoting responsible gambling. IBJR's stance is clear—effective regulation is the cornerstone for promoting industry development, strengthening the economy, and ensuring the safety of bettors and operators. Lima's appointment will not change the direction of these two pillars, but his background in government relations might give IBJR a stronger voice at the congressional and regulatory negotiation tables. For a market still in a period of dense regulatory issuance, having an industry flag-bearer who speaks the government's language is itself a strategic asset.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
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