The Big Bet – Alessandro Valente, co-founder of Superafiliados

EXAME magazine published a special edition featuring 20 profiles of Brazilians who overcame adversity to win over clients and are now leaders in their fields. Their journeys serve as examples for those just starting out who also want to turn their own dreams into success stories.

At the helm of the largest affiliate marketing company in the Brazilian betting market, Alessandro Valente is also the creator of the Brazilian iGaming Summit, an event that this year brought together more than 14.000 people in São Paulo.

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More than 100 billion reais. This is the estimated amount that sports betting websites generate annually in Brazil — equivalent to about 1% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). For a huge portion of the population, they have long ceased to be a novelty, largely due to the ties they have forged with one of the greatest national passions, football. A survey conducted by GloboEsporte.com earlier this year found that these sites are the main sponsors of 39 of the 60 teams in the A, B, and C series. In the Brasileirão (Brazilian Championship), UOL calculated that sponsorships reach 450 million reais.

“The growth potential of the sports betting sector in Brazil is gigantic,” says Alessandro Valente, co-founder of Super Afiliados. “How many people bet in the country? Only 14% of the population over 18 years of age.” He says the sector should be seen simply as a competitor to cinema, theater, and other areas of entertainment. “We need to demystify this segment, whose raison d'être is to entertain bettors. Yes, it is possible to make money gambling. But it is not something immoral or a fixed source of income, as some people wrongly claim on social media.”

Founded in 2007, Super Afiliados is the largest affiliate marketing company in the Brazilian betting market. In short, it uses performance marketing to increase the number of online bettors. "Globally, this type of strategy accounts for more than 30% of all new players," explains Valente, who was born in São Paulo 45 years ago. When he uses a betting site, he usually promises friends or family something like, if he wins, paying everyone's bill at a bar or restaurant. "Generally, I bet against the team I'm rooting for," he reveals. "That way, I'll have reasons to celebrate, whatever the outcome of the game."

Today, around 450 such websites operate in the country. Betting was authorized in Brazil by a law passed in 2018, during the presidency of Michel Temer (MDB). However, the rules licensing the activity were lacking—the regulation only came at the end of last year, and the measures will take effect on January 1, 2025. That is why, until now, all companies in the segment known to Brazilians are formally based in other countries—nothing that the internet and international transactions can't solve.

Globally, according to Grand View Research, the online betting sector generated 63 billion reais in 2022. This figure, the same consultancy maintains, will reach 153 billion dollars in 2030. In England, the segment's firepower is even more evident than in Brazil. There, the second most important football tournament bears the name of one of these sites, Sky Bet, from the United Kingdom itself. According to the University of London, advertisements for such platforms are usually seen during 70% to 90% of the broadcast time of Match of the Day on the BBC, the country's most important football program.

In 2021, Valente created an event whose purpose is to promote the sector in the country. We are talking about the Brazilian iGaming Summit (BIS), whose fourth edition was held this year at the Transamérica Expo Center in São Paulo. With around 250 exhibitors, it brought together more

From 14.000 visitors — the expectation is to reach 18.000 at the fifth edition, scheduled for April 8, 9 and 10, 2025. “We create opportunities for various players in this segment to engage in dialogue, including with members of the government,” summarizes Valente. The summit is linked to Sigma, a world leader in organizing events related to the iGaming, casino and betting sectors.

The co-founder of Super Afiliados also defends the legalization of casinos in the country, something that is being debated in Congress. “We need to reverse a taboo that is almost 80 years old,” he states. He refers to the decision of former president Eurico Gaspar Dutra (1883-1974), taken in 1946, to prohibit gambling—he yielded to the appeals of his wife, Carmela Dutra (1884-1947), known as Dona Santinha, who saw gambling as immoral. “Casinos are not just about betting,” argues Valente. “They help boost tourism and involve a host of other attractions, such as gastronomy and musical shows.”