In an interview with staging-latam.next.io/, Fernando Fischer, CEO of TQJ, discussed onboarding protocols for new bettors during the World Cup, the criteria used to identify signs of addiction, and the assessment of regulatory gaps in the Brazilian market, a backdrop that gained repercussions after cases of compulsive gambling involving other bets.
TQJ, an operator of Grupo Silvio Santos, received a license from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA/MF No. 1,344) in June 2025 and currently operates the Bet do Milhão brand.
The platform is expanding its campaign “The Game Goes On” during the 2026 World Cup, associating the brand with sports coverage while reinforcing responsible gaming mechanisms.
The company maintains partnerships with the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) and the Brazilian Company for Support to Compulsive Gamblers (EBAC) to monitor risky behavior and provide psychological support to bettors. Fernando Fischer, CEO, spoke with staging-latam.next.io/.
NEXT: TQJ launched the ‘The Game Goes On’ campaign associating Bet do Milhão with the World Cup. How does the company balance this association with the responsibility of not encouraging excessive gambling?
Fernando Fischer: The ‘The Game Goes On’ campaign was designed to connect Bet do Milhão to Brazilians’ passion for soccer and the great moments of the World Cup, always positioning the brand as a safe, accessible entertainment platform aligned with the regulated market.
The idea is to be present in the cultural conversation around sports, reinforcing attributes such as trust, experience, and closeness to the public.
At the same time, this appeal comes with a very clear commitment to responsible gaming. All campaign communication follows compliance and consumer protection criteria, without encouraging impulsivity or any association of betting with extra income, a financial solution, or even quick enrichment.
For TQJ, growing sustainably in the sector means balancing excitement, entertainment, and responsibility across all fronts of the operation.
NEXT: How do the partnerships with the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming and the Brazilian Company for Support to Compulsive Gamblers work in practice within the platform?
FF: These partnerships play a very practical role within the operation. With IBJR, the focus is institutional and involves joining forces with the country’s leading betting companies to build a sound, sustainable, and responsible online betting ecosystem.
This work has two main focuses: combating the illegal market and strengthening responsible gaming practices. With the Brazilian Company for Support to Compulsive Gamblers, the work is focused on providing psychological support to users who show signs of risky behavior, with specialized guidance and referral when necessary.
In addition, EBAC assists us in auditing compliance with responsible gaming rules. In practice, this translates into an additional layer of user protection: clear information, monitoring, and access to qualified support.
For TQJ, responsible gaming is not a campaign message, but a component of the operation, governance, and experience within the platform.
NEXT: After the Betano case, which was ordered to compensate a compulsive gambler, what concrete measures does TQJ take to identify and protect vulnerable players?
FF: Widely publicized cases involving responsible gaming reinforce the importance of operators maintaining effective prevention, monitoring, and protection mechanisms for bettors, in compliance with current regulations.
At TQJ, we work with monitoring mechanisms to identify patterns that may indicate risky behavior, such as excessive frequency of use, recurring deposits, and other signs of vulnerability, always within consumer protection protocols and regulatory compliance.
When these signs appear, the platform may adopt proportional measures, such as alerts, guidance, pauses, and referrals to specialized support channels. Our commitment is to build an operation in which technology, compliance, and responsibility work together to offer safe and sustainable entertainment in the long term.
NEXT: Is AI already being used to recognize patterns of compulsive behavior, beyond the campaign’s creative process?
FF: Yes. Automation already exists and is used to help identify behavior patterns that may indicate risky use of the platform; AI is certainly part of the entire automation process.
But for TQJ, technology needs to go hand in hand with governance, compliance, and human oversight to ensure a safe and responsible experience.
NEXT: The World Cup brings a wave of new players. Is there a specific onboarding protocol focused on responsible gaming for this period?
FF: Our onboarding process includes clear information about responsible gaming, control tools, and preventive communication from the very first access.
In addition, as required by regulation, our registration tools require CPF verification and facial recognition, reinforcing procedures to ensure that minors cannot access our platform.
The idea is to ensure that entertainment begins within a safer, more transparent, and more conscious journey.
NEXT: What are the biggest regulatory gaps that SPA still needs to address to truly protect Brazilian players?
FF: Regulatory progress has been important, but there is still room to evolve on fronts such as standardizing criteria for preventing problem gambling, establishing more objective guidelines for monitoring risky behavior, and greater integration between regulators, operators, and player support networks.
It is also important to consolidate parameters for responsible communication and oversight mechanisms that clearly differentiate operators committed to compliance from those operating outside the rules.
For TQJ, protecting the player requires regulation that combines legal certainty, operational requirements, and a real focus on the consumer.
NEXT: How are governance and compliance structured to ensure simultaneous compliance across the brands operated by TQJ?
FF: Currently, TQJ operates only the Bet do Milhão brand. Governance and compliance are centralized, ensuring unified standards of operation, following the same guidelines for integrity, responsible gaming, and adherence to SPA regulations and industry best practices. This way, we ensure operational consistency and ongoing compliance across the entire operation.
NEXT: The Silvio Santos Group has a strong connection with classes C and D, historically more vulnerable to gambling-related debt. How does TQJ handle this responsibility?
FF: TQJ treats responsible gaming as a central pillar of its operation. We focus on responsibility from the very conception of our products, with user protection mechanisms, betting limits, behavior monitoring, and self-exclusion tools.
In addition, we strictly follow SPA/MF guidelines and international compliance best practices, with ongoing actions to prevent problem gambling and protect vulnerable audiences.
All of our communication is designed to inform that sports betting and online gaming are entertainment for adults, without any appeal to vulnerable audiences.
The Silvio Santos Group’s historical connection with different audience profiles further reinforces our commitment to offering a safe, transparent environment focused on responsible entertainment, not on encouraging risk.
NEXT: Does PIX, as the sole payment method, make it easier or harder to control compulsive spending?
FF: Since PIX is an instant payment method, it brings convenience and speed, but it also requires additional layers of control to prevent impulsive decisions.
At TQJ, we understand that responsibility does not lie in the payment method itself, but in how the user’s journey is structured. That’s why we combine the convenience of PIX for the bettor with responsible gaming tools, such as deposit limits, behavior alerts, and self-exclusion mechanisms.
This way, we seek to balance convenience and player protection, ensuring that the experience is safe and aligned with SPA/MF guidelines.
NEXT: What will differentiate operators that will consolidate from those that will disappear over the next two years?
FF: The operators that will consolidate in the coming years will be those able to combine regulatory discipline, operational consistency, and a clear long-term strategy focused on responsible gaming.
In the regulated Brazilian market, compliance, governance, and consumer protection are no longer a differentiator but a basic requirement for survival. At the same time, the ability to operate with robust technology and real-time risk management will become increasingly decisive.
In short, the companies that stand out will be those able to balance sustainable growth with regulatory compliance and responsibility in the user experience.