Across the globe, gambling, and particularly online gaming, is changing rapidly. It has picked up a great deal of interest over the past couple of years, and nowhere is the industry expanding as quickly as it is across the Americas. The online gaming ecosystem in Latin America (LatAm) is maturing rapidly and is expected to rival that of the European gaming space within just a few years. Fernando Garita, the head of business development for Betcris, Latin America’s leading gaming company, recently discussed how the industry is changing and what is needed to continue to fulfill consumers’ demands.

Garita has been in the gaming business for over 17 years and has continuously helped to innovate across different markets. He has been responsible for opening up new gaming channels across Latin America and Asia and has been fundamental in helping Betcris, a subsidiary of TV Global Enterprises, expand and become the gaming leader across the region. Garita recognizes that “specific strategies” are needed to manage products and convert them into daily services for consumers and states, “There is always a different challenge that has the purpose of providing a fast and high-quality service.”

The Betcris executive adds, “Latinos are very particular, more passionate, and consumption patterns are very different from those of a European or an American. Of course, in each Latin American country the preferred sport varies, although soccer predominates. As for the content of websites, there is a global trend when thinking about casino games and other developments. On the other hand, both in Latin America and in the USA, suppliers are usually European. Sometimes, they lack a Latin approach, due to a lack of understanding, that ends up generating standard sites in different markets that do not attract the gambler of our continent.”

Fernando Garita, TV Global Enterprises Head of Business Development

This is changing, however, as more interest is placed on the LatAm gaming industry. Still, there is a lot that needs to be done from a regulatory point of view, and this is now being addressed. Governments across the region are coming together to work on balanced regulations for the industry, as well as to combat illegal operations. Garita has seen firsthand how authorities are now taking a highly proactive approach to cleaning up the industry and how they are promptly responding to provide better transparency and regulatory frameworks.

These efforts are seen in other sectors of the LatAm gaming industry, as well. Governments and gaming operators are more proactive than ever at helping to prevent gambling addiction and match-fixing, both of which have been hot-button topics in 2019. “Operators have processes for the prevention of compulsive gambling, such as self-exclusion systems,” explains Garita, “At the same time, there are tools to protect the identity of the users, facial recognition systems for security and data centers that safeguard all the information of the players. With regard to the fight against match-fixing and integrity, it is a joint effort between the regulator, sports leagues and operators, coordinating the crossing and the safe handling of information.”

What is going to help drive even better results is the ability of platforms to offer multiple solutions, bringing them under one regulated entity. This cuts down on the resources needed to control any possible illicit activity in the industry and increases the security and integrity of the entire space. “It is clear that product integration is the future of the game. It is key, then, to diversify product offerings in order to remain active in the industry, serving all players equally,” concludes Garita.

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Editor’s Note: A spanish version of this post originally appeared on DeNoticias.es.  A special thank you to Sebastian Luna, co-founder of Gaming & Media News for conducting the interview that served as a source for this article.