Chapter 2: Market overviews
Online payment processing capabilities pose challenges in the region too which can be challenging
for gaming operators. Some countries do not have the culture of using credit cards to make purchases
on the internet (such as Colombia, Peru and Venezuela) and in some countries, only customers with
international credit cards are able to perform online operations. But players want to play where they
can deposit money, and in many cases, those payment solutions do not yet exist. Companies such as
Paysafecard, Citadel and Neteller (Neovia) have however started to approach these customers. Boleto
Bankario is one of the fastest-growing online payment options in Brazil.
According to Divine Works, a Latin American gaming consultancy, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina,
Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela are considered to be the most prolific gambling countries in the
region where slot machines, casinos, horseracing, lotteries, bingo, internet gaming and illegal gaming
entertain millions of people each day.
In terms of which types of gaming are most popular in the region, industry insiders consider it to be
as follows: 1) sportsbooks; 2) casino; 3) poker; 4) bingo (with the order being different within some
individual countries such as Brazil, where bingo is second in popularity to sportsbooks).
Brazilian gamblers extensively use offshore sports betting and gambling websites. This market
observed substantial growth in 2014 due to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In Argentina and Mexico,
digital gaming is permitted only under special licence. Argentina has the largest number of registered
online gambling and betting websites in Latin America. With the legalisation of digital gaming in
several US states, Mexican casinos are expected to partner with them to boost the market.
The mobile industry is also growing quickly in Latin America and is set to have even more of an impact
on the gaming industry. According to a local operator: “Everyone (regardless of his/her social status)
has a mobile. This will impact directly in the remote betting industry focused in the mobile area. From
simple to complex games in terms of technology, all is possible with a mobile phone. Last but not
least, it is important to have resolved all issues related with payment processing by mobile. In Brazil
mobile is a fever, everyone has it - even poor people have it. It is cheap and easy to get one.”
Brazil
Country
Most popular sports
Brazil
Football, volleyball, motorsports
As the host country for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and with Rio de Janeiro hosting the 2016 Olympic
and Paralympic Games, Brazil is set to have an extremely high profile in international sports.
Brazil is a country that is keen on sports in general, boasting over 8,000 sports clubs throughout the
country, although one sport has special status and has become a source of great national pride –
football.
Sports betting is a popular activity in Brazil due to the nation’s love of the ‘beautiful game’. Football has
been played in Brazil since the late 1800s. Brazilians often refer to their country as “o país do futebol”,
which mea ns “the country of football”. There are over 10,000 professional players from Brazil in teams
around the world. Brazilians like to bet on national and regional football leagues in both Brazil and first
division football throughout Latin America, as well as futsal (an indoor version of football).
Brazilians also like to bet on tennis, American sports, Formula One and volleyball.
Brazil’s sports fans are also fiercely loyal to Brazilian mixed-martial arts fighters Junior Dos Santos,
32 Digital Sports Betting