Responsible "Flavor" Game

Who hasn't felt cheated upon arriving home, opening a chocolate bar, and realizing it wasn't chocolate at all, but a jumble of letters labeled "chocolate flavor"? The frustration is immediate. The feeling of having been deceived is too.

The packaging promises one thing. The product delivers another. It's all there, technically correct, written in small print. But that's not what the consumer expects when they buy. The final feeling isn't one of conscious choice, but of frustration. Of having been led to believe in something that wasn't exactly true.

This same mechanism is becoming increasingly present in another rapidly growing sector in Brazil: online betting.

Consumers who choose to bet with a regulated operator don't do so because it's more expensive, because it isn't. They do it because they seek security. They seek customer service. They seek predictability. They seek the confidence that their money won't simply disappear and that they are dealing with a brand that is accountable, has clear rules, and can be held responsible.

The problem begins when this promise doesn't hold up in practice. When a large part of the industry claims to practice Responsible Gaming, but doesn't actually do so, the impact isn't limited to a specific platform. It becomes a credibility problem for the entire sector.

Because, for the consumer, there is no technical distinction between operators. There is a perception of a market that promised care, protection, and responsibility, but that often delivers only rhetoric. Generic warnings, hidden links in the footer, and phrases that transfer all responsibility to the player. "Play responsibly." "Gamble responsibly." As if that, by itself, were enough.

It is not.

Risky behavior doesn't appear overnight. It's progressive. It gives signs. It changes pattern. It's noticeable. And, most importantly, it's preventable.

That's why the concept of "Responsible Flavor Gaming" makes so much sense. Just as "chocolate flavor" isn't real chocolate, Responsible Gaming that exists only in discourse isn't real responsibility. It has the appearance, it has the label, but it has no substance.

The consequences of this go beyond the regulatory debate. For an industry in which the word reputation is always accompanied by a question mark, trust is the most important asset one can have.

While the regulated market insists on focusing its efforts solely on combating the illegal market, perhaps it's time to adjust its focus. The most urgent battle now is not only against those who operate outside the law, but also to ensure that those who claim to be regulated actually comply with what the regulation requires.

Unfortunately, today, doing the right thing is still the exception. And as long as that remains true, the regulated market will continue to promise one product and deliver something that sounds diluted. Only when the practices required by regulation are actually implemented, and not just communicated, will the grass of the regulated market truly be greener than that of the illegal market in the eyes of the consumer.

No industry can survive for long selling something that frustrates its customers. Labels help sell once. Trust sustains the market in the long run.

Ultimately, the same logic applies as with supermarkets. Those who deliver on their promises build relationships. Those who rely solely on "flavor" lose customers.

Shall we serve the recipe or will we keep reheating the alphabet soup?

Thiago Iusim – Founder | CEO @ Betshield Responsible Gaming – www.thebetshield.com