As WorldMatch Commercial Director Iberia & Latam, how has your experience been regarding the launch of the brand in Spain and Portugal?

Although with WorldMatch it is the first time that we have planned a strategy to penetrate the Iberian, Spanish and Portuguese market, it is also true that it had already done so in a more or less diverse way in 2015 and in 2019 with other providers for the .es market.

However, we have to consider that the situation in 2022 is totally different from the previous stages and that it is a much more difficult time than the previous scenarios.

The difficulty focuses on 3 fundamental aspects:

1) The number of providers and small studios that currently exist and did not exist in previous years.

2) The integration queues nowadays have nothing to do with previous years and

3) The ´boom´ of reference aggregators that have made third party customers have put their interest before integration through aggregators or parties rather than direct supplier-customer integration.

Faced with such a scenario, added to the restrictions of recent years carried out by government spheres, for example in Spain, against online gambling and in support, benefit and dissemination of state gambling, they paint a rather dark picture for those creators of online casino games that seek to make their way into still interesting markets such as Spain and that, without a doubt, will flourish again sooner rather than later.

Regarding Latin America, how do you see online gambling regulatory process in the region?

First of all, I have to say that I am in favor of regulations as long as they are not restrictive from the collection point of view. It can be regulated to create a framework in which all the actors that are part of the game feel or perceive that the law is friendly even though it is there to comply with it through its regulation. I do not conceive of regulations that just seek a collection effort rather than watch over the sector and all those who comprise it.

And now, yes, regulation is necessary, so there must be a regulatory framework, but there are still very early markets where a severe or poorly constituted regulation could be the beginning of the end for the market. High rates are an example of a “laugh now, cry later” situation, and that is something that many regulators should take into account before passing the law regulating online gambling.

How do you think the new regulation will impact the company's strategy in Latam?

WorldMatch as a provider of online casino games is a healthy company thanks to its long and wide history in the Italian market for more than 20 years of experience and reliability within the gaming sector in Italy.

With this introduction I want to say that as part of WorldMatch strategy, the firm goes where a regulated market is found, with the aim to penetrate a market that is sustainable over time. WorldMatch is a sign of trust and sustainability with a content that is highly valued by its customers. So right now, for example, we are all waiting for various regulations like the Brazilian one and as soon as it is done, WorldMatch will do everything possible to be in the Rio de Janeiro territory due to its great potential and the desire to provide entertainment where the regulation requires it.

What are WorldMatch's expansion plans for the near future, especially in the markets you lead?

In the first place, we can speak of a two-way street without predetermined preferences, therefore, we are working in the same way in the Iberian market as in Latam, simultaneously.

Thus, Spain is the cornerstone of Iberia and the penetration is going under the stipulated with a first client such as wanabet.es of the Orenes-Rfranco Group and in the coming months there will be more launches that will complete a first initial phase of implementation until 2024 This together with clients in Portugal who will also see how WorldMatch content is launched in the Portuguese market.

With regard to Latam, at the moment we have 7 clients operating in countries such as Colombia, Ecuador or Peru. In a few months we will talk about territories that will be even more significant for WorldMatch, such as Colombia or Brazil, with the launch of new clients, which will give us even more presence, visibility and notoriety in the region.

That said, a very satisfactory 2022-2024 period is ahead for WorldMatch in both regions, Iberia and Latam.