Brazilians Overwhelmingly Prefer One Gambling Option, Per Betsson Study

Posted on: August 5, 2022, 07:13h. 

Last updated on: August 5, 2022, 02:17h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

As Betsson continues to gain momentum in Latin America, it decided to take a closer look at what casino gaming options Brazilians prefer. The gaming and sports betting operator discovered that one particular option stands out well above the rest.

Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Overlooking Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A study by Betsson of the country’s gambling preferences points to one clear favorite. (Image: Shutterstock)

Using data from Google searches, Betsson determined that Brazilians overwhelmingly favor roulette, at least in their searches. There are over 135,000 searches for the game each month, according to the operator.

This is more than double the number of searches for the second-most popular term. Brazilians search for poker around 60,500 times per month. However, the figure may be climbing.

Roulette Rules

Betsson, which just became a sponsor of Brazil’s Club Athletico Paranaense soccer team, analyzed Google search data with the help of SEMrush, a keyword research and online ranking tool. Roulette and variations of the game?are apparently big draws with the Brazilian gaming population.

After roulette and poker, blackjack ranked third. It has around 27,100 searches each month. Baccarat followed, but at a distant fourth, with just 4,400 searches per month.

Another, somewhat morbid option takes the fifth spot in Brazil. Aviator gets around 2,900 searches monthly. In the game, players wager against an airplane crashing. However, they don’t bet on the time that the plane will fall.

Instead, they place their wager and wait. As long as the airplane remains in the air, the potential winnings increase. The potential to win as much as 5000x the original wager makes Aviator attractive.

There is a risk, though. If the player withdraws the bet before the plane crashes, he or she wins. However, if the wager remains in play when the steel bird meets its demise, the player loses the wager and any of the potential winnings. It is a game of nerves, with players riding the increasing risk with every second the plane is flying.

One Popular Option Missing

Betsson Brazil’s marketing manager, Bruna Calda, pointed out that the patterns hold for land-based and online gamblers. She also emphasized that one particular option common in both segments elsewhere in the world isn’t a big attraction in Brazil.

Slot machines are low on the list of priorities with Brazilian gamblers. While many enjoy hitting the slots at gambling halls, playing them online is something else. Perhaps the lack of the social environment most often associated with the slot experience is a turn-off for some.

Over the first six months of the year, searches for roulette maintained overall control. However, poker saw larger increases in the first quarter before settling down.

Interestingly, when looking at the statistical movement of the two, they seem to have synchronous patterns. When roulette searches increased, so did poker searches. When they decreased, poker followed suit. The percentage of changes varies, but the peaks and valleys reflect similar activity.

The online gaming market continues to gain ground, which has some land-based casino operators concerned. They fear they will lose gamblers to the digital segment, which is a real possibility.

However, it won’t happen overnight, nor will it happen in the next decade. Research confirms that newer generations prefer digital options in virtually every aspect of their lives.

This is going to include gambling, but it will take decades for land-based operators to feel any impact. A recent report by Acumen Research & Consulting showed that the iGaming segment could be worth $172 billion by 2030.

However, despite a CAGR of 11.6%, that is nowhere near the land-based segment. It is estimated to be worth $764 billion within four years.