Esportes Gaming Brasil, the owner of Onabet and Esportes da Sorte, has unveiled Ana Carolina Luna Maçães as its new Compliance Manager. The hire reinforces the company’s commitment to transparency, integrity, and good governance in Brazil’s evolving betting market.

Esportes Gaming Brasil’s new Head of Compliance, Ana Carolina Luna Maçães, commented: “Esportes Gaming Brasil has set a high standard in Brazil’s betting market with its total commitment to integrity, governance, and responsible gaming. It’s a privilege to join this exceptional team as Compliance Manager. My role is to reinforce our culture of compliance, navigating us through complex regulatory frameworks across multiple jurisdictions with as little friction as possible. Our mission is to deliver secure, transparent, and competitive services for our partners and clients.”  

A seasoned legal and compliance professional who has spent time at NSX Brasil, Maçães joins with expertise in financial crime prevention, responsible gambling, and corporate ethics. She has earned a CPC-A certification from LEC (Legal, Ethics & Compliance), and she significantly strengthens the group’s in-house compliance work.

Esportes Gaming Brasil CEO Darwin Filho, added: “It’s more than just complying with and supporting regulations. Esportes Gaming Brasil has been actively leading the process of maturing the betting sector in the country. Our commitment to governance has been an essential part of our business model since the beginning. The arrival of Ana Carolina represents a strategic reinforcement, further strengthening the culture of compliance that has always guided the company.”

Esportes Gaming Brasil is proud to be one of the Brazilian-licensed operators under the SPA/MF framework and is renowned for impactful responsible gambling measures, including self-exclusion tools, behaviour monitoring, and an addiction support network.

With deep relationships to national sport and culture through major football sponsorships and experiential collaborations, and a growing digital presence via Onabet, the group is committed to shaping a safe, sustainable, and responsible future for Brazil’s gaming sector.

Xsolla, a leading global video game commerce company, announced the launch of a new podcast content ecosystem designed to inform, inspire, and connect the global games industry. Anchored by the flagship series State of Play and supported by the fast-paced companion show Xsolla Conversations, the company’s new audio strategy seeks to surface meaningful stories, emerging trends, and practical insights from the people building the future of games.

At a time when platform policies are shifting, monetization models are evolving, and developers are facing increasingly complex challenges, these podcasts provide a timely and much-needed forum for dialogue. Each show plays a distinct role in Xsolla’s mission to foster transparency, education, and thought leadership within the industry.

State of Play is the centerpiece of this strategy. It’s a narrative podcast created for decision-makers in the games business, combining long-form interviews, editorial storytelling, and immersive sound design. Hosted and narrated by Chris Hewish, Xsolla’s Chief Strategy Officer, along with co-host Lia Ballentine and Joe Pierpont, the show offers a documentary-style look at what’s impacting the business of games, from high-profile platform battles and regulatory shifts to breakthrough trends in direct-to-consumer strategies. Episodes are carefully structured to walk listeners through a multi-perspective journey, weaving in the voices of founders, economists, product leads, and policy experts. With rich production and a journalist’s curiosity, State of Play delivers context and clarity in a world where change is constant.

In contrast, Xsolla Conversations provides a more nimble, informal listening experience. These short-form episodes, typically under 20 minutes, are designed to surface key insights in real time. They feature candid interviews with Xsolla partners, internal experts, and developers worldwide who are experimenting, adapting, and finding success in today’s market.

The first slate of episodes from Xsolla Conversations highlights the diversity of voices shaping the industry. In “Rethinking Mobile Game Finance,” Niantic CFO Jeff Shouger joins Chris Hewish for an honest conversation about Niantic’s move into web shops. Shouger details what it took to shift from platform-restricted monetization to a more direct, data-rich model. Shouger shares hard-won lessons about the importance of agility, the internal decision-making process behind going DTC, and what other developers can learn from Niantic’s experience.

In another episode, “Where Mobile Monetization Is Headed,” Xsolla’s own Artem Liubutov sits down with Hewish to unpack what makes a webshop succeed. The conversation explores both the technical considerations and the behavioral factors at play, offering grounded advice for developers who want to take more control over their revenue streams in an era of platform uncertainty.

“The Power of Player Communities” brings another critical perspective, as AJ Sath of Xsolla speaks with Stephen Lee of Deca Games. Their conversation focuses on long-term player retention and the cultural architecture behind thriving game communities. Lee discusses how Deca Games approaches live ops and community-driven design not just to extend the life of a title, but to create environments that players want to invest in over time.

According to Hewish, these conversations reflect Xsolla’s core philosophy: that the best ideas come from practitioners. “We created State of Play and Xsolla Conversations to elevate real stories from the people doing the work,” said Hewish. “Whether you’re a developer launching your first game or an executive navigating global business decisions, you deserve content that doesn’t just inform, but connects. These shows are about substance, not soundbites. And they’re part of our broader effort to make the business of games more transparent, collaborative, and resilient.”

Both podcasts are part of a strategic content engine that feeds Xsolla’s broader communications platform. Episodes are shared via major podcast platforms and repurposed into blog posts, LinkedIn articles, conference narratives, and social media content, ensuring that the insights don’t stop at audio but travel across the formats and channels where developers already live and learn.

Betano, the leading online sports betting and gaming brand, owned by Kaizen Gaming, has refurbished and revitalised a state-of-the-art basketball court in Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, and invited none other than its global ambassador, Giannis Antetokounmpo, to inaugurate it.

In addition to undergoing a full refurbishment, the court located in Rio de Janeiro now features a stylized design of Giannis Antetokounmpo on the playing surface by Brazilian artist Neto 78.

The inauguration took place on Monday, June 9.

During the event to open the new court, Giannis, known affectionately by fans as the “Greek Freak,” signed the court and unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion. Following its inauguration, the court hosted its first game as The Payback group, which had regularly used the court in the past, played its debut match. Following the event’s culmination, the court was fully handed over to the community for public use.

George Daskalakis, co-founder and CEO of Kaizen Gaming, said: “The choice of Giannis as our ambassador was a natural one from the beginning, as we have many things in common. We share a journey of humble beginnings in Greece, and through hard work, determination, and a mindset focused on continuous improvement, we have managed to expand our reach globally.”

A Betano ambassador since 2023, Milwaukee Bucks player and two-time NBA MVP (Most Valuable Player), Giannis understands the importance of public spaces as a source of entertainment, social inclusion, and for fostering a consistent and healthy relationship with sports.

Giannis Antetokounmpo said: “My story is deeply connected to public courts. That’s how I discovered my passion for basketball. I hope this court inaugurated today by Betano stays full and inspires the development of new talent.”

The court inauguration is part of a broader strategy by the company to support national sports. As the main sponsor of major football championships such as Brasileirão Betano, and Torneo Betano in Argentina, as well as the first official global betting sponsor of the UEFA Euro 2024^TM and official partner of CONMEBOL until 2028 – including sponsorship of the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024^TM – the company is looking to expand into more areas.

Guilherme Figueiredo, Country Manager of Betano in Brazil, concluded: “We want to be a major supporter of national sports, whether through sponsorships, the construction of public sports spaces, or social transformation initiatives through sport.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family have been in Brazil since last Saturday, invited by Betano. During their stay there, they have the opportunity to get in touch with the people, immerse in the culture of the country and visit landmarks like the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family’s presence in Brazil will conclude on Wednesday, June 11th, with their visit to the Kaizen Gaming/Betano office in São Paulo, where they will connect and engage with the company’s local team.

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