EP626: How Is AI Transforming the Affiliate Market in Brazil?

Julia Moura (0:05)

Hello, welcome to SiGMA North America 2026 We are here with Guga Júnior. He is a specialist in Slot, right? And I would like you to introduce yourself to us, talk a little bit about yourself.

Guga Júnior (0:19)

Hello, guys, my name is Guga Júnior, I am a specialist in Slot, a specialist in affiliation in the Latin American market, mainly in the Brazilian market.

Julia Moura (0:29)

Now, for us to start, I would like to know what were the challenges you encountered when you created this affiliate ecosystem and to migrate from the traditional format to this more technological one, and the way you work today.

Guga Júnior (0:48)

In Brazil, we have a saying that says that we make a lemonade from the lemon. So, with the difficulties we had in the last years with goals, WhatsApp, and blockages, we are forced to find a way out. And it was at this moment that we decided to create our own social network. A social network where we have stories, streams, we do live streams, we connect with our public from the casino, and there we don't suffer any blockages or boycotts from these big techs.

Julia Moura (1:17)

Now, about artificial intelligence, how do you see this format, this new tool? You have used artificial intelligence.

How has this differentiated the retention of the player, or the way you capture a new person for you? How has this worked?

Guga Júnior (1:40)

I tell you that if it wasn't artificial intelligence, today we wouldn't even have this app. Because through artificial intelligence, we can see numbers and data that we didn't see before.

For example, we can know what is the most played game, we can know the player's behavior, where he stays longer, what he likes to watch the most. So artificial intelligence was able to summarize a huge amount of data in only necessary data there, and it made our life easier. I think that in some moment of our trajectory, we also use artificial intelligence to create virtual experts. Today we don't use it anymore because of the regulation of the Brazilian market that doesn't allow it, but during the period we used, it worked out quite well. And if it wasn't for the regulation, I believe that today we would be practically, 50% of our experts would be artificial intelligence.

Julia Moura (2:37)

Still in technology, I want to know about you. What do you believe, what differentiates the strategies to retain a player from other people, other companies?

Guga Júnior (2:56)

A player is a person, so people connect with people. I think the main strategy, the base of retention today is the connection with the player. The Brazilian player, for example, today is a mature player, he has gone from that phase of believing and understanding that the casino is extra income, he can already understand that the casino is fun, and when you want to have fun, you want to connect with people. For example, you are not an environment that is cool, They are the people who are in that environment that makes it a cool environment. In the same way, if you have an expert, an influencer, who connects with that person, that live, that platform will be interesting, it will be cool.

So the main strategy is this, the connection, in fact, of player with player, expert with player.

Julia Moura (3:40)

And about trends, what do you believe that, for example, we should be having a more attentive look for some sector, maybe some area that could potentialize the affiliates area, and so on.

Guga Júnior (4:01)

The trend that I believe for the market and affiliated with the iGaming market in general is the Brazilian way to dominate the world. Here in Sigma Mexico, for example, what I realize is that the Brazilian temper is what is missing in the world. So, I believe that the Brazilian market in this part, by the part of the influencer, the expert, is already quite evolved.

What we have to do now is to work and bring this experience to the rest of the world. Because I see in many countries still focused on direct traffic, CEO, but as I explained at the beginning that people connect with people, when these other countries take this Brazilian experience and bring it to them with connection, with community, We will be the next step of iGaming World.

Julia Moura (4:46)

Now, an extra question. I want to know about you. What do you think about this moment that we are living in Brazil, politically, economically, socially, and what the gaming industry has faced in Brazil? I want to know your opinion about it.

Guga Júnior (5:05)