Jeff Tabone to represent KTO Group at Kambi’s Festival of Sportsbook

The inaugural panel of the Kambi Festival of Sportsbook, ‘Sports Betting in 2025 and Beyond: An Executive View’, takes place tomorrow, 3 June, at 9:00 am Brasília time. The discussion will bring together a line-up of leading executives: Jeff Tabone (KTO Group Deputy CEO), Werner Becher (Kambi CEO), Mattias Stetz (Rush Street Interactive COO) and Sam Sadi (LiveScore Group CEO). The topics to be covered include BetBuilder innovation, regulatory shifts, AI and emerging trends in the sports betting landscape.

Ahead of the event, we caught up with Jeff Tabone to hear his thoughts on these key issues.

Concerning the current state of BetBuilder, Tabone asserts it is for the long haul. “From my perspective, BetBuilder offers a highly engaging experience for players, extending beyond simply betting on the match outcome. It enables sports enthusiasts to create bespoke betting propositions based on their knowledge of how a match may unfold”.

“It’s also important that the regulator continues to evaluate current and potential new regulatory changes. Overly stringent measures—whether technical requirements, marketing restrictions, or disproportionately high taxation—risk creating an unprofitable environment for legitimate operators. This, in turn, could drive players toward unregulated alternatives, eroding tax revenue and compromising player protection.”

Jeff Tabone, KTO Group Deputy CEO

As knowledge becomes entertainment, these mechanics reflect the KTO spirit. “I am confident that our BetBuilder product at KTO is best-in-class in Brazil—its ease of use and extensive market variety set it apart in the marketplace”.

Regulatory Landscape and Opportunities

With regard to the regulatory challenges and opportunities in Brazil, Tabone explains that,”Continued dialogue between regulators and licensed operators is very important to ensure alignment, while safeguarding player interests”.

“Effective collaboration should go beyond rulemaking. It should include active enforcement to curb offshore, unlicensed operators, which remain highly relevant in Brazil,” he added. As offshore casinos predate the newly regulated market, “Ultimately, the licensed operators are following the rules and trying to work in the framework set out as best as possible. But they need support in combatting those who operate illegally”. 

Addressing this issue, Tabone also stressed that the cooperation of regulatory authorities is paramount. “It’s also important that the regulator continues to evaluate current and potential new regulatory changes. Overly stringent measures—whether technical requirements, marketing restrictions, or disproportionately high taxation—risk creating an unprofitable environment for legitimate operators. This, in turn, could drive players toward unregulated alternatives, eroding tax revenue and compromising player protection.”

To mitigate these risks, Tabone recommends taking the following steps:

1. Introduce a B2B licensing framework: This would formalise partnerships between operators and software providers, streamlining compliance and oversight. Ultimately, this would make it harder for unlicensed operators to utilise the same content as licensed operators.

2. Enhance enforcement and monitoring: Strengthen collaboration with banking and payment providers to identify and block transactions linked to unlicensed operators.

3. Education and collaboration: Work together to educate customers about the importance of using regulated .bet.br operators and how to protect themselves and bet responsibly.

According to Tabone, Brazil would benefit greatly from taking a lead. “This proactive approach would prevent mistakes seen in some European markets—where the unlicensed sector continues to thrive despite existing regulations”, he explained. 

In conclusion, the executive pointed out that tackling the illegal market is key to this. “”By fostering a regulatory environment that balances robust player protection with commercially viable conditions, we can reduce the appeal of the unregulated market, while ensuring sustainable growth for all stakeholders.”