Hobby Trip

Surfing, yoga, padel? As the industry was gearing up for busy days at SBC Summit, Belatra Games invited delegates to swap formal suits for wetsuits and sneakers. The company teamed up with Portuguese streamer João Lavadinho to launch an original Instagram series featuring a guide to some of the best places in Portugal to enjoy your favourite hobbies.

The idea grew out of a large-scale hobby survey conducted by Belatra Games and G&M News in August. The partners asked iGaming professionals about their hobbies and later published the results. In September, the theme of hobbies continued through a collaboration with Portuguese online casino streamer João.

The collaboration resulted in six co-posted videos highlighting places around Lisbon and across Portugal where visitors can go surfing, hiking, diving, practise yoga, go fishing or play padel — one of the biggest sports trends in Europe in recent years. Instead of another generic list of tourist attractions, the series offered local tips on where to escape for a few hours and clear your head before or after a busy day at the stand.

Working with João allowed Belatra Games to explore the theme of hobbies organically through someone who knows Portugal from the inside. For delegates, it was a ready-made route to new experiences; for the brand, it was a way to bring the idea behind the Belatra Adventure Club at SBC Summit Lisbon to life, built around the tagline "Life is an adventure."

All six episodes, packed with recommendations for hobbies, sports and places to explore in Portugal, are available on the Instagram profiles of Belatra Games and João Lavadinho, and Belatra Games Youtube channel.