Sports betting and online gaming regulation in LatAm take center stage at GET In Online Buenos Aires

The event was attended by a large number of local executives, regulators, and operators.

2019-07-19

Argentina

Reading time 2:01 min

The first edition of the event, which took place Wednesday at Scala Hotel Buenos Aires, was attended by around 200 operators, suppliers, and regulators, as well as other key players within the industry.

Land-based and online gaming operators, applicants for licenses in Buenos Aires, laboratories, G2E executives, regulators and many more stakeholders gathered together at Scala Hotel Buenos Aires to participate in GET In online.

After organizer Alan Burak delivered his opening speech, Tomás García Botta, partner of Estudio Masot & Frettes Abogados law firm, spoke about the key aspects of the regulation of online gambling in the newly-emerged markets in Buenos Aires Province and Buenos Aires City, Argentina. He highlighted the need to learn from the experience of regulated jurisdictions overseas.

"Moving forward with legislation is of utmost importance, and not only local but also international companies are following the steps towards regulation in the region closely. We need to learn from other markets to avoid making the same mistakes," García Botta said. "We need to guarantee legal certainty for those operators who are willing to invest in the Argentine online market.”

The second talk was delivered by Ricardo Magri, Sportradar’s Business Development Director, LatAm, who delved into the importance of sports integrity in gaming offering while CODERE’s Federico Quintero, spoke about responsible gambling.

Later, Kambi’s Sales Director Juan Barrachina and Apuesta Total Perú’s General Manager Gonzalo Pérez analyzed the different jurisdictions in which they operate and discussed many aspects of the newly-enacted regulatory framework in Argentina.

"I believe in an open and free market. Operators should be ready to invest in advertising, and having a regional team to enter in the Argentine market is fundamental," Barrachina said. Pérez also pointed out that operators should choose a segment and then, outline a strategy to reach it.

Both speakers agreed on the need to demand international operators have a presence in Buenos Aires. "Foreign firms should adapt their offering to the demands of Argentine consumers."

The next speech was delivered by Ramiro Atucha, founder of Leander Games and Alejandro Revich, CEO of End2End. They focused on the major role localization plays in succeeding in regional markets. "Operators should offer games which local players are already familiar with" Revich said.

"We are beginning from scratch, that is why we should take advantage of the European experiences. Business Intelligence is a fundamental tool to get to know players and the games they like. The companies that properly localize their offering are going to make a difference," he concluded.

The event closed its doors after 5 p.m., with a cocktail for all of the attendees, which included Buenos Aires City regulators, Paraguay gaming authorities, potential operators for both jurisdictions and G2E Las Vegas executives.