Latin America
Big game player: Betinvest engage lucrative LATAM sports betting market
After scouting out a whole host of opportunities on the rise in South America Betinvest’s VP of Business Development Valentyn Kyrylenko explained that the solutions provider is catering its products to the specific requirements of the LATAM market.
In recent weeks you’ve attended both Juegos Miami and LIMA in Peru, what makes Latin America and the Caribbean so exciting for you at this time?
Yes, we’ve attended a lot of industry events recently. We also exhibited at the Brazilian Gaming Congress, which took place shortly after the Peru Gaming Show in June, and we visited FADJA in Colombia earlier in the year. We’ve gathered a lot of useful information about the key features of the market at panel discussions and through face-to-face communication with local businesses and regulators. We firmly believe that there’s a huge potential for the gambling industry in Latin American countries and that their governments have taken a positive step in regulating it. As a leading provider of sports betting solutions, we’re obliged to keep abreast of and be active in the places and markets where the industry needs to be driven. That’s why the LATAM region is not the only region we’ve got our eyes on, although it is a very important one. The market is huge and it has limitless potential for companies in the iGaming sector. It’s only going to get bigger, better and more lucrative in the years to come, and that’s good news all around. Sport is an important part of LATAM culture; people love to watch sports, and to cheer on and support their favourite teams by placing bets. At the moment, locals don’t have particularly good or relevant industry experience so they need high-level sports betting products and must learn how to work with them. This is one of the upcoming tasks for European providers. In fact, if estimates are to be believed, Latin America could be more lucrative than all the regulated gambling markets in the United States for the foreseeable future.
Could you give an indication of the scale of Betinvest’s initiatives in the region at this time?
We’re still researching and exploring this region. We decided to visit these countries ourselves to participate in the biggest events, to network with partners, local operators and regulators, and to get industry insights. In accordance with the knowledge we now possess, we can tailor our plan for entering this market as a sports betting supplier and start new projects with our LATAM partners, but it’s going to take time. Long term, we plan to open a Betinvest office in Brazil, the largest South American country, and continue to provide our products and solutions to local operators who’ll be able to operate legally under the new legislation. In our opinion, Brazil is an excellent point of entry into the whole region.
When measuring players habits and regulatory red-tape, how different is it to working within Europe and do you feel you’re still having to make a name for yourself in this emerging market?
People in this region live and breathe sport and, what’s more, they love to bet. You can see this on the streets where almost everyone watches football matches on their mobile phones and glances through windows into houses where there’s a match showing on TV. They’re obsessed with sport, especially football. It’s the favourite sport of almost all the men and roughly 50 percent of the women (these figures are not based on official statistics). If we look at the behaviour of Latin American players, we can see that people usually place bets with small stakes of around $5-10. It would be very unusual to see a stake as big as $1,000. We can see that their gaming style is quite different to that of European bettors and generally less advanced. Taking Peru as an example, having just a few markets and only around 4,000 events is sufficient. Another important point is that local players are more likely to trust you as an operator if you have physical betting shops as well as online services. This is not due to the quality of the internet connection – it’s perfectly stable and having a mobile application is vital for every operator in order to meet their customers’ needs. The reason is simply that people have more confidence in a company when they’re used to seeing it in their local area. On average, the audience for gambling in Europe is younger than it is in South America. Some sports, including those that have a huge following in Europe, are practically non-existent in the LATAM region. Many will be surprised to hear about the passion for lotteries, as well as the rise in search traffic for sites that focus on games of chance. Regulators are very open and it’s easy to find all the necessary information. Making a name for yourself is an important step when you enter any new market. It’s something we do every time we exhibit or visit industry events and promote our sports betting products. We expect this market to show impressive growth. We’re ready to invest in it and to help the region to develop experienced players and reliable operators.
With such an engaged player base in the region, how are you adapting your business model to ensure your pricing and infrastructure is both profitable and sustainable?
We plan to open a Betinvest office in this region and to supply our time-tested sports betting products and solutions. Our products are 100 percent compliant with LATAM market requirements. We’ll be reconsidering our pricing for this region, since the offers we have for our European partners won’t suit those in the LATAM market very well. They don’t need as many events or markets in their Sportsbook, which means that we can reduce the price for them. We’re also working on creating some special offers for our partners in Latin American countries.
Award-winning fast-betting content provider strengthens its position in the region with the latest hire
BETER, the in-demand provider of fast-betting content, data, and live streaming for esports and sports, has strengthened its team with the appointment of Juliana Querino as LatAm Business Development Manager.
Juliana, a seasoned business development specialist based in Brazil, has extensive experience in the Latin American iGaming industry. She has previously held various business development positions at Better Collective, Endorphina, Salsa Technology, and other companies. Her expertise was recognized by the G&M News platform, which included her in its Top 5 Women in the Industry 2024 list—highlighting women making significant contributions to the growth of iGaming in the region.
In her new role at BETER, she will drive the company’s expansion across Latin America, forging new partnerships with regional operators and aggregators, particularly in Brazil, where demand for BETER’s content continues to grow.
She will also drive BETER into new LatAm markets where the provider does not currently have a presence while managing relationships with existing partners to ensure they get the most out of the provider’s next-gen content offering.
Chuck Robinson, Chief Revenue Officer at BETER, said: “Latin America is a fast-moving market with opportunities opening up all the time. To capitalize on these, we need an exceptional specialist, and in Juliana, we have found exactly that. Her expertise and deep market knowledge make her a valuable addition to our team.
“We are already experiencing strong demand for our fast-betting products and solutions across the region. With Juliana on board, we can further identify key operators that would benefit from partnering with us, driving even greater growth.
“I’m delighted to welcome Juliana to the BETER team.”
Juliana Querino commented: “Fast-betting content has become essential for operators in Latin America and beyond, and I’m thrilled to join BETER in expanding awareness of its award-winning portfolio.
“BETER is renowned for its ESportsBattle and Setka Cup tournaments, which are already popular among bettors in LatAm. But our offering goes far beyond that, and I’m eager to showcase the full suite of products and solutions to operators from Brazil to Peru.”
“I look forward to helping BETER maximize the full potential of the LatAm market.”
Soft2Bet, a leading global iGaming platform provider, is excited to announce its participation in SBC Summit Rio 2025, taking place on 26-27 February at Riocentro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The company will host an exclusive workshop focused on its cutting-edge casino gamification solution at Stand B960, designed for operators seeking data-driven gamification insights for casino and sportsbook brands.
Soft2Bet’s MEGA workshop, presented by Nicolas Campano, Sales Director LATAM, will provide in-depth insights into how MEGA enhances the player retention loop through motivational engineering and personalised experiences. Users play and bet for real money, collecting additional loyalty points. They spend these points to play bonus games (e.g. Bonus Crab, City Builder, etc) to get extra rewards, including free spins, free bets, bonus money, and real money, which they utilise to play more. This hands-on session will feature live demonstrations, showcasing how the solution boosts engagement and drives business performance for operators in regulated markets.
Alongside MEGA, Soft2Bet will present powerful turnkey solutions with new updates and strong PAM, front-end and sportsbook solutions tailored for LATAM operators. With extensive experience in localisation and personalisation, Soft2Bet has successfully launched B2C brands across multiple highly competitive markets. As one of Soft2Bet’s leading brands, Campobet MX, officially launched in Q4 of 2024, is a prime example of how the company’s platform delivers high-performance, localised gaming experiences for operators looking to expand in the region. Soft2Bet’s products personalise the casino and sports betting experience, delivering an engaging user experience.
“Through this exclusive workshop, we aim to highlight how our API-based, standalone product can enhance the player experience and drive retention in the rapidly growing LATAM market. We look forward to connecting with industry professionals and showcasing the power of innovation in iGaming,” said Campano.
Soft2Bet invites all SBC Summit Rio attendees to Stand B960, where operators can meet with the team, explore Soft2Bet’s full suite of products, and learn more about the company’s strategic growth plans for the Latin American market.
Compliance Updates
IBIA establishes innovative Payment Provider Forum to protect the integrity of the sports betting market in Brazil from financial fraud
Six payment providers have signed a Declaration of Commitment and Participation
In a pioneering move to bolster the integrity of Brazil’s newly regulated and rapidly expanding sports betting market, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) today launched a dedicated Payment Provider Forum with the explicit goal of protecting the market from financial fraud related to competition manipulation. The project has launched with six prominent payment providers already signed up to a Declaration of Commitment and Participation: Bazk, Z.ro Bank, OneKey Payments, OKTO, VPag and Pay4Fun.
With IBIA’s members forecast to generate over 70% of remote gross gambling revenue in Brazil, IBIA will play a key role in protecting the integrity of the sports betting market. Payment providers and other related financial services can also play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of sports betting. The IBIA Payment Provider Forum has therefore been established to foster collaborative activities that contribute to a robust, secure and responsible gambling market in Brazil.
Regulatory and other institutions linked to financial payments and competition manipulation will be invited to join Forum meetings and engage in the development and implementation of preventative actions against financial fraud.
The Forum will also benefit from IBIA’s extensive knowledge of sports betting integrity issues and trends, obtained from its global integrity monitoring and data intelligence network. That includes many of the world’s largest regulated betting operators, active across six continents, and partnerships with leading sports bodies and gambling regulatory authorities. It will also leverage IBIA’s expertise in establishing industry standards, such as its Data Standards Kitemark.
Khalid Ali, CEO at IBIA, said: “Cooperation between financial services, regulatory authorities and betting operators is essential to address the challenges from financial fraud and to maximise the potential of the sector in Brazil. IBIA is therefore delighted that these major payment institutions have agreed to explore collaborative activities to protect the market. Working together, we can create a sustainable and thriving sports betting market in Brazil that benefits all stakeholders. Cross-sector partnership working is a central pillar of IBIA’s global activity, and the association will be assessing the potential benefits of replicating this group in a wider international setting.”
To that end, the Declaration’s signatories have committed to:
- Collaborate in the development of standards and best practices for payment processing.
- Engage with regulatory bodies to defend a robust, fair and effective regulatory framework.
- Promote responsible gambling and consumer, market and sporting event protection.
- Share knowledge and expertise to innovate and improve the payments ecosystem.
- Maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct and compliance with regulations.
The first meeting of the Forum will take place during SBC Rio.
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