2022 was a year full of developments, important initiatives, and restrictions in the Latin American industry. In this first look back at the year in LatAm gambling, SBC Americas reviews the most relevant news of the first quarter of the year, which featured M&A activity and different appointments in the region.
The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved gambling regulation
Without a doubt, Brazil stole the spotlight in the first quarter of the year as the Chamber of Deputies approved a gambling regulation, ending a four-year-long wait. This bill advanced through different stages throughout the year, in hopes to have a regulated industry by the World Cup, but ultimately left everyone on the edge of their seat until December.
Chile began its online journey
The Chilean industry was part of different headlines, although not always for the right reasons. In the first three months of 2022, the Ministry of Finance prepared gambling regulations and a legislative group unveiled a bill to restrict advertising and sponsorship deals between football clubs and bookmakers. In the first quarter, Chile took one step forward and two giant steps back.
Peru unveiled a new leader
After the departure of Manuel San Román as the Head of the General Directorate of Casinos and Slot Machines of Peru, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) appointed Eduardo Alfonso Sevilla Echevarría as the new regulator. He remained at the front of the institution throughout the year and was in charge of important local developments.
Enjoy and Dreams merger
Once again, the Chilean market surprised the industry in the first weeks of the year by announcing an agreement between Enjoy and Dreams to merge their operations. The possibility was further discussed throughout the year, as the resulting company would hold 58% of the local casino industry and needed to clear several approvals.
Conajzar appoints a new interim president
María Galván del Puerto, who was part of the team of the outgoing President José Ortiz Báez, was named as the new interim Head of Conajzar, the Paraguayan gambling regulator. Ortiz Báez left the presidency after multiple accusations of irregularities around different processes in the local industry. In 2022, the interim president led the process to award a sports betting license, which once again is being disputed for irregularities.
Binance and Socios fight for the Argentinian FA
The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) signed a five-year deal with Binance, dubbed as “historic” both for the undisclosed figure and duration, which includes the naming rights to the local league and the launch of a fan token. After the announcement, Socios.com appealed to the Argentinian commercial court and the latter urged AFA not to sign any more similar agreements and to comply with Chiliz’s platform.
Colombia at the forefront of integrity
The most advanced market in the Latin American region, Colombia, continued its innovative journey as the trade association Fecoljuegos signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) to work on projects and initiatives to battle sports betting-related fraud and to protect the integrity of sports and sports betting companies.