Watch: Barrichello champions tech, regulation and responsible gaming in Brazil’s iGaming boom
Articulate, thoughtful, and warmly generous with his time, Reubens Barrichello gave the impression of a man fully at peace with both his past and his evolving present. He’s not just Brazil’s most successful Formula One driver with 322 Grand Prix starts, 11 wins, and a career spanning nearly two decades but he’s now a thoughtful advocate for responsible gaming and technological innovation in iGaming.
One-on-one with this Brazilian racing legend at SiGMA in São Paulo, what struck me was his sheer absence of ego. Most of his peers would link greatness with aloofness, but Barrichello (photo above on the left with SiGMA’s Eman Pulis) displayed instead a kind of humility that is the hallmark of a true champion.
Source: 8gfg.shop
“I think responsible gaming is what brought me close to SOFTSWISS,” he said, referencing his role as a non-executive director with the company. “We have monthly meetings about technology. I’m so involved with technology from my racing, and to see their purpose, responsible gaming, just makes it all worth it.”
Merging motorsport precision with iGaming innovation
It’s no coincidence that Barrichello’s post-racing passions align so closely with tech. His entire career was built on a foundation of precision engineering and data-driven performance. “Since I was 18, I worked on gearbox development, moving from the sequential gearbox to the semi-automatic. That same technology ended up in cars on the road,” he explained, eyes lighting up as he spoke about innovation.
It’s clear he sees parallels between the worlds of F1 and iGaming. “You push the throttle or the brake and see how the suspension responds – that’s the same principle behind platform movement in iGaming. It’s all about data, simulation, feedback loops. Both industries depend on constant evolution.”
And Barrichello isn’t just lending his name to a brand. He’s actively contributing. “I don’t only have to offer, I have a lot to learn. It’s a growing technology where both worlds can thrive.”
Voice for regulation and education
Barrichello is also using his profile to support regulation in Brazil’s emerging iGaming landscape. “Since regulation came in, everything got better,” he told me. “People felt the care that the government needs to have. When you have regulation, you know what’s right and wrong. That’s how the world progresses.”
He spoke with admiration about Malta’s iGaming regulatory journey in iGaming “25 years ago, there was no regulation and now, they are proud to have the best-regulated iGaming space. That’s progress, and it makes me proud to see Malta helping Brazil do the same.”
Yet for Barrichello, the cause is personal as well as political. “In Latin America, we often judge what we don’t know,” he observed. “Education is key. If we don’t understand, we reject. That’s why I want to spread knowledge, not just to support gaming, but to ensure it’s safe, understood, and beneficial.”
Family man on a mission
Despite his high-profile roles, Barrichello’s eyes truly sparkle when he speaks about his two sons, Eduardo (23) and Fernando (19), both of whom are now carving their own paths in the tech world. “The most important thing I taught them,” he said, pausing reflectively, “was that success only comes from wanting it yourself. Not because I want it for them. It has to come from inside.”
Both sons are supported by Coinspaid, Fernando in his studies and Eduardo in his motorsport aspirations. “It makes me so proud. They’re in technology. They’re travelling, learning, associating with new ideas and different people. That’s all I ever wanted.”
Even with his growing commitments in tech and advocacy, Barrichello still races in two series and clocks over 20 race weekends a year, plus time at the tracks with his sons. “If I have the time, it will be a great pleasure to be more involved with SiGMA globally,” he said with a laugh. “But racing is still my life.”
Indeed, that ongoing discipline, those relentless Saturdays and Sundays are spent chasing milliseconds. “Racing taught me about structure. You can’t fake performance,” he said. “That same discipline is why I’m passionate about iGaming tech. You have to be sharp, transparent, and constantly improving.”
Human first, legend second
There’s an ease about that belies the intensity of his career. Perhaps it’s the wisdom that comes with experience. “What people forget,” he once said in another interview, “is that I loved racing. Every time I got in that car, it was joy.”
That joy now spills into his new roles as father, mentor, advocate, and tech enthusiast. He’s proof that reinvention doesn’t need to be loud or forced. Sometimes, it’s just about moving the same spirit into a new vehicle.
Barrichello doesn’t talk like a man who dominated the track. He speaks like someone who has seen the world, made peace with its chaos, and is now doing his part to make it a little better.
Yet he doesn’t pretend to have all the solutions “I still have a lot to learn,” he repeats. But that curiosity, that openness, is exactly what makes him such a compelling figure. In a sport where confidence can so often become cockiness, Barrichello remains beautifully free of ego, a very rare quality today.
8gfg.shop spoke with Rubens Barrichello who is a non-executive director at SOFTSWISS in Latin America and continues to race professionally while advocating for responsible gaming and tech-driven growth in Brazil’s iGaming sector.
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