According to data from the National Superintendency of Tax Administration (SUNAT), so far in 2025, 356 slot machine import operations have already been registered in Peru, with an FOB value of more than USD 20 million. As a reference, in all of 2024, 708 operations were registered for an FOB value of more than USD 30 million. The first indicators for this year are, at least, optimistic.

Slot machines and Peru as a thermometer

Slot machines are the favourite game of Peruvians, according to the latest Playtech report. In this context, their import level becomes a reliable thermometer to anticipate the movement of the sector. In addition, Peru is the country with the highest frequency of gambling in the subcontinent, with 92% of gamblers claiming to play at least once a month, so the market is itself a thermometer of the region.

An environment conducive to growth

With a regulated and growing market, physical casinos in Peru today have a unique window of opportunity: to upgrade machines, modernise rooms, import more modern systems and models, and offer a more sophisticated experience.

In this context, the Peruvian market lays the foundations for transparency, clarity and order on two fronts. Firstly, the General Directorate of Casino Games and Slot Machines intensified controls and inspections, which allowed a 40% reduction in illegal online gambling, according to official data. Secondly, the private sector aims to consolidate Peru as a regional investment destination, backed by a clear and orderly legal framework that provides legal certainty to those who bet on the country.

Peru as a regional gaming hub

With foreign operators already established thanks to the new regulation, specialised fairs growing year after year, and a very active local consumer, Peru has the potential to become a land-based gaming logistics and commercial hub for the whole of South America. This is particularly important in the regional context: In Chile, the on-site market is failing to take off and consolidate a loyal player base due to a lack of a stable legal framework. In Brazil, the delayed legalisation of gambling is holding back any possibility of long-term planning. The latter became evident when the vote in the Senate was postponed without a definite date, according to the president of the chamber, Rodrigo Pacheco.

Conclusion

Peru bets. And it means business. Sustained growth, an established gaming culture and a robust regulatory framework make the country a benchmark for regional gaming. The face-to-face sector has the opportunity to raise its standards, accompanied by logistics operators, manufacturers and authorities. In this game, everyone wins: the producer, the player and also the house.

*Tomás Galarza is a Political Science graduate, MBA student and Foreign Trade Analyst, working at ASAP International Trade, a company with more than 35 years of experience in the market, specialised in offering integrated logistics solutions for foreign trade.