SAGSE South America 2026

SAGSE South America 2026 comes to an end in Buenos Aires! We had two days of networking, meetings and industry exchange across the region.

If there’s one thing that’s clear across Latin America, it’s that the industry has come a long way, but there’s still plenty of room to grow and innovate.

What’s on the exhibition floor at SAGSE South America 2026?

Pragmatic Play is, without a doubt, drawing the biggest crowds, with a strong focus on networking and sports betting, framed by Argentina-signed national team jerseys across the stand.

Several provincial regulators are also present, including the Buenos Aires Province Lottery, the City Lottery, Córdoba and Neuquén, among others.

Across the floor, multiple spaces are designed to bring the industry together, with BetConstruct and Altenar hosting ongoing meetings in their lounge areas.

The exhibition floor is also proving to be the ideal setting for what Carolina Galtieri, Head of ML/TF/FPADM Prevention at LOTBA, called for during day one: networking as a driver for innovation.

¡Cerramos por hoy, nos vemos mañana!

And so that wraps up the conference panels from Buenos Aires and Day 1 of SAGSE LatAm. Hear more from our Argentina Correspondent Milagros del Priore on Day 2!

But what did we learn on Day 1...

Q: Who was your favourite speaker?

Milagros: Juana Bischoff, particularly her explanations of why Oddin.gg is not just targeting the easiest target.

Q: What was your biggest takeaway point?

Milagros: Most regulators agree that the biggest issue is minors gambling; here there is no distinction between legal vs illegal.

Q: What was the most memorable topic?

Milagros: There's a major CS:GO tournament taking place in Argentina in 2026. How are we preparing to receive potential players? Are we even acknowledging the opportunity?

Oddin Business Development Director LatAm Juana Bischoff urged operators to accelerate their esports strategies, warning that the vertical represents a significant and still underutilized revenue opportunity.

Ignoring esports means ignoring revenue. Every day without an esports strategy is a day without customers on the table.

She pointed to Argentina as a key example of the segment’s scale, noting that the country has 20.1 million gamers and that esports could account for up to 10% of total sports betting volume. She emphasized that the audience is already established and accessible.

The audience is already there, it already exists. The challenge is to activate it.

LSports VP Sales LatAm Fernando Martínez was next on stage and highlighted how the sports data industry has undergone a profound transformation over the past decade, driven by accessibility and changing user behavior.

The sports data industry has been completely reshaped over the last 10 years.

He identified democratization as a key driver of this evolution. Until around 2016, access to sports data was largely controlled by rights holders and institutions. Today, that information is widely available in real time through mobile devices, fundamentally changing user expectations. 

“We’ve become used to having data at our fingertips." Martínez also emphasized the growing gamification of reality as another defining trend.

Before, you watched a match. Now, you play it through a bet, and you can even engage with multiple events at the same time

He, finally, described a shift toward more interactive and immersive consumption models.

Meanwhile, it was only a matter of time before prediction markets turned up!!

After Polymarket was blocked in Argentina earlier this week, Tomás E. García Botta addressed the regulatory uncertainty surrounding prediction markets, framing the debate around their fundamental purpose and classification.

What is the purpose? It is clear that it is entertainment, and I believe that is the most decisive factor in determining whether it falls within one regulatory framework or another

He warned that the sector faces a key strategic decision regarding how to position these products.

If prediction markets were enabled today, they would not carry a tax burden, which would give them a significant competitive advantage

Jumio Vice President LatAm Samer Atassi is our next speaker. He addresses the growing role of artificial intelligence in fraud prevention, warning that new technologies are lowering the barrier to identity manipulation.

Anyone can generate a false identity, create an account or even take over an existing one

He argues that the only effective response is to deploy more advanced,connected identity systems.

The only way to detect fraud is with more technology and linked identities. Today, we are detecting 28% more fraud

Córdoba Lottery President David Urreta's talk continued...

Among the initiatives highlighted was LUCA, a unified academic cyber-protection system that blocks access when a device connected to an institutional network attempts to enter illegal betting sites.However, Urreta acknowledged limitations when users rely on mobile data, which led to the development of NOVA+, a free provincial parental control app that allows parents to block such platforms on their children’s devices without requiring judicial authorization.

There would be no illegal gambling if digital wallets did what they are supposed to do

Urreta called for greater oversight of payment systems and a regulatory approach that goes beyond jurisdictional boundaries.

He concluded by stating that Córdoba is making its technological tools available to regulators and operators across the region.

If we move in that direction, the industry will flourish

Next up... Córdoba Lottery President David Urreta outlined the province’s strategy to tackle illegal gambling, emphasizing transparency, technology and cross-sector coordination as key pillars.

We believe in transparency and we have the necessary certifications

Urreta noted that the lottery continues to work with the World Lottery Association (WLA) and has renewed its highest certification level.

We have the responsibility to solve problems that affect us all.

Urreta emphasized that the main challenge lies not in regulated gambling, but in the expansion of illegal platforms targeting minors.

The problem is not legal gaming, but illegal gaming involving minors

He added that Córdoba has implemented both public and private blocking policies to address the issue.

Our first speaker for the day...

Buenos Aires City Lottery President Jesús Acevedo opened SAGSE Summit 2026 by highlighting the role of collaboration between regulators and operators in strengthening Latin America’s legal gaming ecosystem.

For us, this is an opportunity to bring together the public and private sector,

Acevedo said, noting that both operators and regulators are present at the event.

Acevedo positioned the expansion of regulated gambling as a key tool in addressing the growth of illegal markets. “Legal gaming is a way to combat illegal activity,” he said.

The illegal sector continues to expand and opens the door to minors. If we work together as a team, we have the tools to fight that.

He added that joint efforts between stakeholders can also drive innovation across the industry.

It also gives us the opportunity to generate innovative solutions

 

We’re on the ground at SAGSE Summit 2026 in Buenos Aires, ready to kick off a morning of focused discussions on the issues shaping Latin America’s gaming markets.

From regulation and compliance to data, esports and payments, the agenda brings together key voices from across the region.

We’re about to get started, and ready to hear what’s next for LatAm! 

Tomorrow promises to be an insightful day in Buenos Aires, as speakers and exhibitors gather at SAGSE LatAm to discuss all things Argentina. Milagros del Priore will be on hand to bring you all the updates right here – so be sure to stay tuned!