Regulators and operators discuss the current status of gambling in Latin America at Juegos Miami

After a breakfast offered to attendees, Marcelo D'Amato, non-executive chairman of Juegos Miami, set the ball rolling with the panel sessions.

Oliver Zugel, executive director and founder of Spring Capital, analyzed the current status of gambling in the region and shared future prospects, highlighting the business potential of both Brazil -should the gambling bill be passed-, and Argentina, stating that the changes in government are an invitation for foreign investment.

“Brazil is no longer a sleeping giant, the market is finally waking up. If the gambling bill becomes a law, Brazil would be a market three or four times bigger than other markets in the region such as Mexico or Argentina,” Zugel noted. Commenting on the opening up of the Brazilian gambling market, he said it will not lead to cannibalization in the region: “30 casinos and hundreds of bingo halls would be opened in Brazil. Of course, gambling legalization in the country will have an effect in markets such as Uruguay or Paraguay, but it will not be a threat to the Latin American casino market as a whole.”

“Mexico is an interesting market -especially for online gaming operators- since there are only two big online gaming companies in the country, and the market has much more potential,” Zugel stated.

When referring to online gambling in Latin America, he said that 80% of market will be in the hands of giant international companies. “Those land-based operators looking to exploit opportunities in the online gambling sector, will have either to partner with another company or to get down to business right now,” he commented.

Zugel was followed by Felipe Ludeña, International Director of Codere, who talked about the paradigm shift taking place in the industry. 

Roundtables

Among the novelties presented by Juegos Miami, there were 14 roundtables in which manufacturers, operators and businessmen had the chance to get a first-hand contact with regulators from Latin America.

The most attended roundtables were those focused on the future of gambling in Brazil, which were chaired by Waldir Marques Junior, General Coordinator of the Ministry of Finance, and Evert Montero Cárdenas, president of FECOLJUEGOS. The session related to the Argentinian gaming market was presided by Belisario Álvarez de Toledo, VP of the National Lottery; the roundtable on the prospects for gaming in Mexico was chaired by Rodrigo Galván Graf, director of Juegos y Sorteos, Jalisco; and last, but not least, Luis Gama, Director of Pools, discussed gambling in Uruguay.

Exhibition space

Nearly 20 companies showcased their latest products and services. Merkur Gaming and Ainsworth stood out from the rest by exhibiting their innovations in adjacent spaces to the main conference rooms.

At 5 p.m. the event concluded with a cocktail sponsored by Novomatic.