André Feldman, who was responsible for bringing both the Caesars and WSOP brands to Brazil, tragically died last Thursday in a helicopter crash. He was just 50 years old.
His wife, Juliana Alves Feldman, also passed away as the result of the accident, which took place in a densely wooded area in Caieiras in the state of São Paulo.
Feldman was CEO of BIG Brazil, which represents the Caesars brand in the country. He was at the forefront as Brazil enters a new online gaming era in 2025, being personally responsible for allowing Caesars to obtain their sports betting and iGaming licenses.
He was a huge part of BIG Brazil, managing the group’s business for over 12 years. He worked in the gambling sector for well over 20 years in total.
In the poker space, Feldman brought the WSOP Circuit to Brazil, organizing the event since 2016. He also had the partypoker MILLIONS Live brand visit Brazil, bringing in some of the game’s biggest stars. Feldman was a strong supporter of poker regulation in the country and regularly fought his battles in the courtrooms of Brasilia.
Brazil now hosts plenty of huge poker tournaments, including the BSOP Millions Championship. Brazil is now notorious for their players having some of the best and most aggressive poker tournament strategy in the world.
When reflecting on the success of WSOP in Brazil, Feldman said:
“The first WSOP in Rio was an adrenaline rush. Many believed it would not be possible. I confess that sometimes even I had doubts about whether we would be able to hold the event. We made history, retold history and marked an era.
“For approximately 70 years, those halls built in 1927 did not receive players, dealers, tables or chips. It was historic, especially for me, who fights for the regulation of the sector. That was a dream, an honor and an achievement.”
Fortunately, there were two survivors in the flight – Feldman’s 12-year-old daughter and the pilot. The helicopter signal was lost at 8:34pm on Friday and was considered a lost craft three hours later.
The aircraft wasn’t located until 6:15am on Friday morning, as the helicopter went down in a very hard-to-reach area of forest in the Morro do Tico-Tico region.