PGS 2026 opens with packed conference sessions and strong attendance across exhibition floor

Peru Gaming Show (PGS) kicked off its 23rd edition with a packed conference program attended by around 400 participants and a busy exhibition floor that drew strong interest from key stakeholders in Peru’s gaming industry.

The Jockey Exhibition Center once again hosted the event's opening ribbon-cutting ceremony on the morning of June 17. The ceremony was led by Deputy Minister of Tourism Nancy Laca Ramos and Director General of Casino Games and Slot Machines Yuri Guerra Padilla, alongside organizers Rubén Solórzano and Joe López.

"We should be proud that Peru has taken very important steps in regulating remote gaming," Laca Ramos told a packed conference hall during her opening remarks.

The deputy minister also reaffirmed the commitment of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) to maintaining "modern, technical, and balanced regulation that provides legal certainty, traceability, and predictability for licensed operators."

The opening day conference agenda continued with presentations from prominent voices across the Peruvian and Latin American gaming sectors, setting the stage for an exhibition featuring more than 50 exhibiting brands and attracting a large audience of local operators, international suppliers, and industry professionals.

Throughout the six-hour exhibition, the venue's aisles remained crowded as attendees explored the portfolios of established brands and visited several companies making their PGS debut.

Industry overview

Peruvian regulator Yuri Guerra opened the conference program with a presentation reviewing the country's gaming industry performance during 2025.

During his address, Guerra Padilla highlighted how certification processes have helped create a market characterized by "traceability and transparency in the development of gaming activities." He also noted that his office has improved administrative processing efficiency by nearly 70%.

He further emphasized the regulator's efforts to combat illegal gambling, including notifying suppliers about unlicensed operators, identifying influencers promoting unauthorized platforms, and carrying out enforcement actions against land-based venues across the country.

Later, Fernando Calderón, president of Peru's National Society of Gaming (SONAJA), discussed the importance of responsible gaming and its role within operator strategies, stressing its importance in ensuring that "gaming takes place in a safe and fair manner."

Calderón noted that various studies have found that between 1% and 3% of customers may be at risk of developing problematic gambling behaviors. As a result, he highlighted the need for clear protocols to identify those users.

"As operators, we must have a protocol in place to develop preventive actions," he said.

He also stressed the importance of customer engagement, providing access to responsible gaming tools and support resources, and, when necessary, referring cases to Mincetur under the country's player exclusion framework.

Expert panels

The first panel discussion, titled "Taxation: Gambling Taxes in Latin America," featured Tomás García Botta, partner at MF Estudio & Abogados, and Carlos Baeza, partner at Carlos Baeza & Cía. Abogados.

Moderated by Gaming Law CEO Carlos Fonseca, the panel explored the challenges faced by Peru, Argentina, and Chile in developing tax structures that both support operator sustainability and generate meaningful revenue for governments.

During the discussion, García Botta noted that "Peru has the luxury of having a regulator that understands what is being taxed," while warning that "the main driver" behind political proposals seeking excessive taxation is often "a lack of understanding" of the industry's activities.

"The industry has a communications deficit compared to other sectors," he said. "I believe it is our responsibility to explain how this industry works, how it provides entertainment, generates thousands of jobs, and contributes millions of dollars in tax revenue."

Baeza argued that there is "an inverse relationship between tax burden and channelization rates" and that, in gaming, the principle remains true that "if taxes increase too much, governments ultimately collect less."

The Chilean lawyer said that studies suggest a tax burden between 15% and 20% represents an ideal range and, like García Botta, praised Peru's current fiscal framework. He added that strong channelization and reasonable taxation are essential both to protect consumers and maximize tax revenue.

The second panel of the day, "Land-Based and Online Gaming: Complementary Channels," featured Pablo Bergesio, co-founder and CCO B2B/B2C at Smart Nucleo; Félix Gómez Cordero, CEO of Gladcon Group; Víctor Cardoso, COO of Palmsbet; and Max Baur, Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean at Novomatic.

Moderated by Arrise Powering Pragmatic Play's Vice President for Latin America, Víctor Arias, the discussion focused on omnichannel strategies and the need for land-based operators to adapt their offerings to online audiences.

Panelists agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic marked a turning point in how consumers access gambling products and noted that, despite the industry's recovery, retail gaming has yet to fully return to pre-pandemic levels.

Baur argued that land-based and online gaming "will continue to complement each other" because online channels help create "a much larger pool of potential customers."

"The younger online player who visits a physical venue is looking for a different type of experience," he added.

Cardoso said that while land-based casinos are not disappearing, they "cannot exist without an online complement."

"Omnichannel is the way forward. We have the opportunity to develop both offerings, markets are growing, and there are opportunities for everyone," he said.

Bergesio echoed the view that online and land-based gaming are complementary channels and argued that operators who best understand their customers "will be the ones leading the market."

Meanwhile, Gómez Cordero noted that while "the crossover between both channels remains low, below 5%, operators must create the right offerings to encourage customers to move between them."

PGS 2026 - Visitors and exhibitors