GMB – Playtech has grown a lot lately. How is business for you?
Pedro Extremera – For us, business is going very well in the region, especially in markets like Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and with the regulatory changes, we are focusing on Argentina and that is why we are in SAGSE Latam.
And obviously looking for more business on the continent?
Yes. Having the portfolio we have, with a platform, casino, bingo, poker and betting, we focus on seeking more B2B businesses across the region.
For those who don't know, Playtech is the majority shareholder of galera.bet, one of the most important sports betting houses in Brazil. Is the Brazilian market growing, in your opinion, even without regulation?
Yes. Brazil is one of the biggest markets in Latin America and we look forward to regulation. It seems that it will soon come out and we will also see how the issue of casinos will move forward.
There is concern in the industry as the government has already signaled that it will regulate sports betting, but companies will not be able to offer the online casino vertical on their websites. How to do without casino products?
I believe there will be a very big black market if the government doesn't authorize online casinos. I think the government should think about this before finalizing the regulation.
Sports betting is completed with the casino offer!
Exactly. Today, in mature markets, more than half of revenue comes from the casino vertical, so regulators must take this into account.
How do you see the eSports sector in the sports betting market?
eSports is a very big market, but it hasn't reached even a small part of the business yet. There are many opportunities for this product in the sports betting segment.
Much is said about technology, such as ChatGPT and metaverse. What is Playtech doing about these themes?
We've been working with the metaverse for a few years now, with tests and internal work, but until there is a hardware technology that supports the metaverse, it won't advance in the gaming area.
But is Playtech ready for it?
We've been working on it for two years.
What is your final message for the Latin gaming and sports betting market?
Playtech's message is that we are always available to the market and that we will enter all those that are regulated. It is a global strategy of our company.
Source: Exclusive GMB
