Leadership Duo with Expertise in Brazil to Open SBC Summit Rio

Hazenclever Lopes Cançado, President of the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (LOTERJ), and Iuri Castro, former Undersecretary of Lottery and Sports Betting Regulation at the Ministry of Economy, will lead the lottery-focused keynote session at SBC Summit Rio on Thursday, March 7.

Commencing the 'Integrity & Compliance' track of Brazil's top-tier executive betting and gaming event, the 'Ask Me Anything - Lottery Edition' keynote is scheduled to inaugurate the second day of SBC's first conference and exhibition in the country, taking place at the Windsor Convention & Expo Center in Rio de Janeiro from March 5th to 7th.

Panel host Ludovico Calvi, Honorary President of the United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS), will moderate the discussion with Castro and Lopes Cançado as they respond to inquiries from a live audience about essential industry themes concerning the Brazilian market. Topics to be covered include gambling regulation in Brazil, industry trends, and the adoption of emerging technologies.

With a law degree from the Univesity Unieuro, Hazenclever Lopes Cançado has dedicated the majority of his career to serving as a lawyer and founding partner in the Brazilian law firm ‘Lopes Cançado.’ 

Having amassed considerable expertise in Electoral and Public Law, alongside his service in federal public laws within the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate for almost thirty years, Lopes Cançado’s comprehensive grasp of politics, law, and regulation positioned him for the role of President of LOTERJ in 2022. 

LOTERJ, widely known as the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery, is overseen by the State Government's Civil House Secretariat and primarily focuses on game administration, management, and supervision across all municipalities in the state of Rio. Since the company’s inception in the 1940s, it has played an instrumental role in the development and evolution of gambling in Brazil, finding particular success in the ‘lottery service’ in the wake of the Casino ban of 1946. 

In June 2023, Lopes Cançado played a pivotal role in LOTERJ securing the first online betting contract in Brazil. This historic achievement made LOTERJ the first state lottery in the country to authorize sports betting through accreditation with the Government of Rio de Janeiro. The milestone not only enables players to place bets through online access, including mobile applications and websites, but also extended to video lottery terminals (VLT), point of sale (POS) systems, sports betting terminals, retail outlets, and sports bars, marking a significant advancement for the Brazilian market. 

Lopes Cançado remarked: “The recent regulation in Brazil has unlocked a myriad of possibilities for our market. With LOTERJ leading the charge in this domain, we have managed to gain first-hand experience navigating its intricacies and complexities. I trust these insights will prove invaluable to the SBC Summit Rio audience.” 

Castro began his professional career in the lottery sector more than twenty years ago as a consultant for a chain of lottery outlets. Since then, he has made significant contributions to various areas within the lottery industry, playing a pivotal role in retail network management, fostering institutional relationships, and overseeing product management. 

Throughout his career, Castro held various roles at the state-owned Brazilian financial services provider CAIXA, whose presence in the gambling sector dates back over six decades. His journey included serving as the Head of New Lottery Business in 2013 and advancing to the position of National Superintendent in 2018. Remarkably, within just a year and a half, Castro was further elevated to the role of Executive Director of Caixa Loterias.

With years of expertise and a comprehensive grasp of the Brazilian context, Castro assumed the position of Undersecretary for Lottery and Betting Regulation at the Ministry of Economy in 2022. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in formulating regulatory frameworks for sports betting. In January 2023, Castro returned to CAIXA to oversee Project & Process Management initiatives.

Castro said: “SBC Summit Rio will be a crucial event for members of the lottery and betting industry, as it provides a comprehensive, precise overview of the Brazilian market - one of the most promising markets in the world. I am excited to interact with the key players in the industry, and contribute towards their understanding of the business opportunities in the country.”

Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and Founder of SBC said: "We're thrilled to extend a warm welcome to Hazenclever and Iuri as they launch day two of the conference at SBC Summit Rio. With their pivotal leadership roles and extensive expertise in longstanding Brazilian institutions, we couldn't hope for more fitting candidates for this keynote panel."