Last week, the EGR Power Latam Summit was held at the Hilton Hotel Buenos Aires, with the participation of key industry players who discussed the regulatory landscape and future prospects of iGaming in Latin America.
Yogonet spoke with Leandro Rivas, General Manager of BetWarrior, who participated in the panel “Player protection: What is the roadmap to combat underage gambling?”
There, the different strategies of regulators and operators to fight illegal betting platforms and improve responsible gaming practices were discussed.
In an interview with this media, Rivas shared his views on these issues and shared some of the sports betting and online gaming operator’s plans for 2025.
A bill to regulate online gambling and combat compulsive gambling in Argentina was approved in the House of Representatives at the end of 2024 but still awaits the Senate’s approval. What do you think about this initiative?
One of the great challenges is to explain to Congress that banning advertising is not the solution. I think we have to try to tell the legislators about the characteristics of this industry because, for some political sectors, it is not well understood.
There is a lot of work to be done in terms of disclosure and providing information to the different sectors of society, such as the media, which still do not know the basics of online gambling.
We are still far from where we should be, so we have to strengthen our efforts, both from the side of the regulators as well as from ourselves in the private sector, and put a lot of focus on it.
Does BetWarrior have any information campaign planned about this?
Yes, we already have it incorporated into our customer bases. What we started to do some time ago is to generate communication pieces, where we talk about everything that has to do with legal, safe, and responsible gaming. And the idea now, when we launch new campaigns this year, is to do it with public figures and incorporate as many pieces as possible with these messages.
This is a work we are doing from our side. But we also plan to continue working through CASCBA, which gathers the main gambling operators in Argentina, in specific things to fight against illegal gambling, in favor of safe and regulated gambling. We do this under the umbrella of the chamber, together with the other operators. Last year we did a lot of work in this area and the idea is to intensify it in 2025. It is on the agenda as one of the priorities for this year.
Could you give us a balance of what 2024 was like for the company, and any achievements, milestones, or alliances you would like to highlight?
Regarding the Argentine market, despite the difficult year that 2024 proved to be, due to the macroeconomic context and the media coverage of the industry, we had a good year. We were able to achieve the objectives we had set for the three jurisdictions where we operate in Argentina: the City of Buenos Aires, the province of Buenos Aires, and the province of Mendoza.
One of the achievements I can mention from 2024 was beginning to position our casino vertical, taking into account that our brand is already very well positioned in sports. We have the sponsorship of the AFA, the Argentine Hockey Confederation, and the Argentine Tennis Association.
We wanted to spread the word about our casino, which is one of the best products available in the local market so that our customers could also get to know us from that point of view. And the truth is that we succeeded in doing so. We are very happy with the campaigns we have carried out in this respect.
Going back to the topic of sports sponsorships, we are very happy to be sponsors of the AFA and we highlight the fact that the Argentine National Team won the Copa América in the middle of the year. It was something very positive for us because it allowed us to continue strengthening our brand.
In terms of communication, we met many of the objectives we had set ourselves in terms of the level of presence BetWarrior has in social networks. This is the most direct communication channel we have, where we dialogue with our customers, and with the general public, and we have grown a lot. Today we are leaders in everything that has to do with the number of followers in social networks, with the level of engagement that our social networks have.
We are also happy for the work we are doing through CASCBA against illegal gambling, we feel that there is still a lot to do, as I mentioned before, but we already have the road mapped out and now we have to focus our energy on that.
What can you tell us about the growth in other markets? You recently obtained the license to operate in Brazil, right?
We had a very good 2024 outside Argentina for several reasons. On the one hand, we obtained the license in the Peruvian market, which was regulated last year, so as of the first half of last year, we are still operating in Peru now with a local license. So we are very happy with that and we are preparing the development plan for that market.
Then, the big news to close the year was the obtaining of the license in Brazil, which is also a transcendental moment for the company because, beyond seeking to be leaders in Argentina, which is our situation today, we want to be a relevant player in the regional market and Brazil is THE market. We are also working on the whole market development plan, starting to put together the local team and define the communication strategy. We know it is not going to be easy, it is going to be a very competitive market, and there are really very relevant operators, but the truth is that we have faith.
Argentina is a success story for us. It is a brand that has a very good presence in this market, we have a first-class product, we have a very professional and committed team, and we want to replicate this success story also in Brazil and Peru.
We are aware that it is going to be very challenging, but I believe that we are going to achieve a balance between what we already have and what we are going to build together with the local teams in order to place BetWarrior in a leading position in both markets.
In addition to the efforts aimed at Brazil, do you plan to expand to other provinces in Argentina, taking into account that there are new provinces that have joined the regulation of online gaming?
Exactly. We are very convinced that we have to take care of what we have already built in Argentina, we are not going to neglect it for any reason. That is why we are going to continue looking for being in the markets where we operate, to continue growing, and we are going to look for opportunities in new provinces that are regulating.
The truth is that BetWarrior is a nationally recognized brand because of the sponsorships we have and the level of positioning. It happens to us that when we go to other provinces for different reasons they ask us “When are you coming here?”, so part of the challenges we have in Argentina for 2025 is to try to expand to as many provinces as possible. So those aspirations we have for other markets will not mean neglecting the business we have in Argentina.
Finally, do you have any new sports sponsorship agreements planned, in addition to those mentioned above?
We have the AFA, the Argentine Tennis Association, and the Argentine Hockey Confederation. We have been analyzing several alternatives, but for now, we have not decided to move forward with any new sponsorship. Our strategy is a strategy of national teams and confederations, and many of the opportunities that were available had to do with specific teams, which, at least in Argentina, was not the strategy we had in mind.
So we are going to try to put more focus on continuing to strengthen our casino vertical because we feel that our sports vertical is already very well positioned in the local market. With the investments we are currently making with our sponsorships, with the level of presence in sports channels, on air and cable, we cover this target very well and we will try to look for opportunities that will allow us to promote all the casino products we have to offer.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2025/02/20/95668–34argentina-is-a-success-story-for-betwarrior-and-we-want-to-replicate-that-in-brazil-and-peru-34
