Latin America has been a hotspot growth region for iGaming throughout the 2020s and the wider region has been boosted in the last 15 months with the opening of Brazil’s regulated sector.
So, naturally, it has become an attractive region for international operators to come to realise their global growth ambitions. Yet it is never an easy feat, particularly if localisation and precise preparation is not at the foundation of the expansion.
One operator that has expanded into Latin America over the course of the last few years is 1xBet, a global operator with over 35 local licenses.
The company’s Strategic Advisor Simon Westbury outlined that each operator faces unique challenges entering Latin America, but that 1xBet can leverage its vast global footprint to catalyse user acquisition and brand awareness.
“We knew there’d be challenges to enter this market,” Westbury told SBC Media at SBC Summit Rio. “Our strategy to go into regulated markets is based on our product, our digital marketing acquisition tools and sponsorship, when allowed.
“We have the global experience of over 18 years and three million monthly players, but we combine that with our digital marketing experience globally, and then we apply that locally to the market.”
Competition creates healthy markets
Markets with plenty of potential attract global attention, resulting in considerable levels of competition. While good news for consumers, who have a wide variety of choice of sites to gamble with, competition brings a level of pressure for operators who are vying for attention.
Westbury relishes that pressure, noting that crowded markets create a Darwinian environment.
“It’s not that we don’t worry about competition or we don’t look at it, but generally economics tells you when you’ve got a crowded market, it becomes survival of the fittest,” he explained.
“From our perspective as a global brand, we’re always looking to be the market leader, so we’re focusing on what we do well, our global expertise, and how we can apply that locally to drive the 1xBet brand in the market.”
Operators when entering new markets are focused on acquiring players in their droves, producing marketing campaigns, entering sponsorship agreements and offering bonuses. But there comes an inflection point where acquisition spend only becomes useful if the operator has a strong retention strategy.
When asked about the balance between acquisition and retention, Westbury outlined that an acquisition spree is pointless if there is a high churn rate.
“There’s no point acquiring players if you’re losing players. Acquisition is always a key component of what you do, but retention and our digital marketing tools to ensure that the players that we have and the personalised experience we give them maintains that they stay and enjoy their experience with us is equally important.”
Player Protection drives 1xBet’s Latin American strategy
Westbury was speaking with SBC on the week of the launch of part three of the International Player Safety Index, focusing on Latin America. He has spoken extensively about the report with SBC News in the last few weeks, but in Rio he warned that regulators need to have consistency on player protection to prolong the feel good factor enjoyed in the last couple of years.
“We’ve been through a honeymoon period, but we also need to understand as markets evolve, we need to make sure that we’re providing a safe, enjoyable experience for players to enjoy their gambling.”
World Cup dreams
Finally, there are few conversations about sports betting in 2026 without mentioning the World Cup. Taking place across North America, the World Cup poses huge opportunities and challenges for operators all around the world, but ultimately it remains set to be a festival of football which offers a plethora of betting opportunities for players right across Latin America – particularly as Argentina and Brazil among the favourites to win the tournament.
As Westbury concluded: “If you’re a Western European operator solely then you have the time zone difference, but I always say we’re in the entertainment industry and the excitement industry; the World Cup drives entertainment and it drives excitement.
“So that drives us to include that in our product and make sure that our players, newly acquired and existing, carry forward that entertainment and excitement from the World Cup into our product and have an enjoyable, safe experience.”