Kambi LatAm director says Brazil betting measure threatens sports integrity

Kambi's director for Latin America, Mateo Lenoble, said Brazil's provisional measure banning betting is disrupting projects the supplier had been developing in the country, in an interview with iGaming Business. Lenoble said Kambi works only in regulated markets and that the measure is affecting the company's plans there.

Lenoble said the market remains attractive and that Kambi would be open to returning under a new regulatory framework, and to supporting partners who decide to enter or return to Brazil. He said uncertainty around the country would persist for some time, arguing that a breach of regulated-market rules that happened once could potentially happen again.

The executive said Kambi has key clients in Brazil who used its complete sports betting platform until the provisional measure was published. He said those clients are suffering from the measure and that Kambi is supporting each of them until a final decision is reached. Some clients operate only in the country, while others operate in other jurisdictions, he said.

On sports integrity, Lenoble said a regulated market with clear rules helps combat match-fixing, and that without regulation bettors tend to migrate to clandestine platforms. He said that in that scenario the authorities are stripped of the means to supervise the market, and that there are risks of compromising the integrity of the sport.

Lenoble said Kambi has partnerships to combat match-fixing and is a member of the International Betting Integrity Association alongside many of its partners. He said Kambi also has its own integrity department to protect its clients.