Why Smarter Curation Is Defining LatAm Growth

Rapid regulation, shifting player behaviour and the sheer dominance of Brazil are forcing suppliers and operators to rethink how they approach Latin America. Tatiana Koupepidou, Director at Sevenex Solutions Ltd, explains why success in LatAm now depends less on catalogue size and more on portfolio intelligence, localisation and the ability to adapt quickly as markets mature.

While Latin America is moving fast on iGaming regulation, the U.S. remains cautious when it comes to online casino. How do you compare these continental trends?

Over the past few years, Latin America has transitioned from an emerging curiosity in the iGaming world to one of the highest potential regions globally. At Sevenex Solutions, we see great potential. Brazil’s shift to a fully regulated online betting and gaming environment at the start of 2025 has been a major catalyst for this trend, setting a benchmark for other countries in the region.

In practical terms, that means operators and suppliers can plan with far greater confidence. Permits, compliance frameworks and technical standards are being shaped using lessons learned from Europe’s regulatory evolution, effectively using established best practice as a blueprint for long-term success. In contrast, the United States has been much slower to introduce regulatory frameworks. Regulation in the U.S. happens at a state level, and new markets can take years to open or expand. The result is a fragmented landscape where each state has its own timetable, requirements and risk profile, which makes scaling difficult and costly from an operational perspective.

In LatAm, regulation is not uniform yet, but the pace of formalising frameworks is catching the industry by surprise. Within a single year, multiple jurisdictions have evolved from uncertainty to clear, regulated markets. That pace of change creates both opportunity and challenge. While operators can build long-term plans they also need to stay agile to regulatory updates as they come through. At Sevenex Solutions, we’re ready to give them our support.

Which LatAm markets show the strongest growth potential right now? Could markets like Peru, Ecuador or even Venezuela play a significant role in the near future?

Brazil will always dominate conversation due to its sheer size and regulatory progress, but several other LatAm markets are emerging as meaningful growth vehicles. For Sevenex Solutions, Peru is a standout. Since passing its online gaming and sports betting law in 2022, Peru has created one of the clearer regulatory frameworks in the region. The predictability of its licensing and regulatory expectations has attracted operators looking for stable, sustainable markets to build into. Ecuador is also interesting. It’s not yet as large in scale as Brazil or Peru, but recent regulatory developments have signalled serious intent from the government to open the market for structured iGaming growth.

When it comes to Venezuela, regulation remains largely speculative at this stage. There has long been clear, informal demand for gambling activity, but a coherent, regulated framework has yet to take shape. Any operator looking ahead to Venezuela would need to approach it with caution, recognising that regulatory nuance and local realities will matter far more than applying a one-size-fits-all LatAm playbook.

Elsewhere, more established markets such as Colombia and Mexico continue to play an important role in the region’s development. Colombia’s early decision to regulate online gambling in 2016 has given it a level of maturity and revenue consistency that many newer markets are now trying to emulate. Mexico also remains a key market with a strong land-based culture that continues to shape operator strategy.

What player behaviour trends are you seeing in LatAm, and how should operators respond to them?

One trend we’re seeing across LatAm is mobile-first engagement. Smartphone penetration is high in Latin America and for many players it’s the primary channel for iGaming. This means mobile slots and apps are a definite requirement for success in the region. Operators that optimise interfaces, gameplay mechanics and promotional flows for mobile users tend to see better engagement and retention.

On the content side, localisation matters and this has directly impacted the way Sevenex Solutions’ approaches its roadmaps. Players engage most with games that reflect cultural themes or narratives that feel relevant to their region. Titles that embrace cultural themes like football and Carnival in Brazil tend to outperform generic catalogues that feel imported from Europe.

We are also seeing this reflected in studio performance. Mobile-first suppliers with broad demographic appeal, such as PG Soft and TaDa Gaming, continue to deliver strong results in regulated LatAm environments. Those insights feed directly into how Sevenex Solutions shape portfolios for partners, helping them prioritise content that aligns with both player expectations and the commercial realities of regulated markets.

Across LatAm today, how do verticals like slots, live casino, crash games and esports compare in terms of strength and engagement?

Slots remain the backbone of iGaming in LatAm, both in revenue contribution and player reach. They are easy to access, work seamlessly on mobile devices, and can be tailored culturally or thematically for localised appeal.

That said, there’s a growing appetite for other verticals that add variety and a differentiator for operator portfolios. Live casino, for example, is increasingly important in markets with a strong retail gambling culture. It bridges the gap between the social experience of land-based venues and the convenience of online play, which resonates especially in parts of the region where players are accustomed to physical casino environments. Crash games have carved out their own niche for players looking for quicker sessions. They’re especially effective with younger, mobile-first demographics who want a more modern and fast-paced experience.

While esports is still early days in LatAm, it is quickly growing in popularity among younger audiences and operators that integrate casino with competitive gaming options often see higher cross-vertical engagement. Over time, this trend is likely to strengthen as Gen Z and millennial player preferences continue to shape roadmaps.

Brazil has quickly become a central focus for the region. How is Sevenex Solutions approaching the market, and why is the new regulatory framework so important to your strategy?

Brazil matters because it introduces structure at scale. For the first time in Latin America, operators and suppliers are operating within a clear regulatory framework, and that fundamentally changes how aggregation, content and operations need to be built.

For Sevenex Solutions, Brazil has shaped our wider LatAm strategy. Regulation brings pressure around certification, reporting and delivery standards, and our focus has been on building infrastructure and processes that can handle that pressure without slowing partners down. The framework has also made content selection more critical. Compliance comes with cost, so operators are far more selective about what they launch. Our role is to help them navigate that by curating compliant, high-performing content that makes commercial sense, rather than pushing volume.

Beyond Brazil itself, the market is setting expectations for how regulation will evolve across the region. By building around Brazil’s requirements, Sevenex Solutions are creating a model that is scalable and adaptable as other LatAm markets follow a similar path.