SAGSE Summit Wraps Up in Buenos Aires, Spotlighting Illegal Gambling and Brazil’s Fast-Rising Market

A strong turnout, a shift in branding, and tough questions on illegal gaming made the SAGSE Summit in Buenos Aires one of the most significant meetups in the Latin American gaming calendar.

Held at the Hilton Buenos Aires Hotel and Convention Center, this year’s SAGSE Summit opened its doors to regulators, operators, and tech providers under a redefined banner—SAGSE South America. The rebrand sets the stage for what organisers say will be a clearer regional focus, with Central America set to host its own event in Panama. But it wasn’t just new names and fresh formats. The real headline came from the stage: Latin America’s gaming future is staring down two major forces—illegal operations and Brazil’s regulatory ambitions.

SAGSE Turns the Page with Regional Strategy Shift

The event started early with a welcome breakfast, but the real wake-up call came from Alan Burak, Vice President of Monografie. He didn’t just kick things off—he shook things up.

SAGSE’s rebrand to SAGSE South America is more than a new label. It reflects a growing demand to treat Latin America not as one homogenous market, but as distinct zones with their own regulatory needs and business landscapes. Panama will host SAGSE Central America in a separate gathering.

This isn’t just cosmetic. It’s strategic.

By splitting the conferences, organisers can dive deeper into region-specific issues. Argentina’s slow but steady regulation model is a far cry from Brazil’s current whirlwind. And countries like Colombia and Peru have entirely different licensing ecosystems again.

For Burak, it’s about creating meaningful space for each of these conversations. The crowd seemed to agree.

LOTBA’s Welcome, and a Warning

Following Burak’s remarks, Jesús Mariano Acevedo, president of the Buenos Aires City Lottery (LOTBA), took the stage as the event’s host representative.

His tone? Warm, but firm.

LOTBA has long positioned itself as a leader in Argentina’s regulatory structure. But Acevedo wasn’t there just to tout successes. He used his speech to bring attention to the surge in unlicensed online gaming and the growing difficulty in enforcement.

It was a clear signal to attendees: the conversation can’t just be about new markets and emerging tech. Enforcement and integrity matter, and governments are watching closely.

And, frankly, some platforms are pushing their luck.

Illegal Gambling Steals the Spotlight

What wasn’t on the official agenda still found its way into almost every hallway conversation: illegal gambling.

It’s the shadow hanging over the region. Operators are worried. Regulators are stretched thin. And tech vendors? They’re caught in the middle, pressured to offer compliance tools in jurisdictions where law enforcement barely exists.

One industry expert put it bluntly during a panel break:
“There are more illegal operators than licensed ones. Full stop.”

Some attendees shared off-the-record comments about the sheer difficulty of stamping out black-market activity—especially in online sports betting, where digital ads often reach consumers more easily than regulated campaigns.

Quick snapshot from the side sessions:

• Regulators are asking for better data-sharing tools.

• Platforms want legal clarity on advertising and tax codes.

• Payment providers are facing pressure to cut ties with grey market operators.

Nobody pretended to have all the answers, but for once, it felt like the tough conversations were happening out in the open.

Brazil: The Billion-Dollar Question

If illegal gaming stole the attention, Brazil stole the optimism.

With its new regulatory framework rolling out in phases, the country is primed to become one of the largest legal gaming markets globally. But it’s not smooth sailing just yet.

Everyone’s watching Brazil, but many are still waiting on details—especially around federal versus state licensing, tax percentages, and advertising rules.

Brazil’s size is part of the challenge. It’s one thing to legalise betting in a small European country. It’s another when your population is over 200 million.

Operators, tech firms, and investors at SAGSE seemed to agree on a few points:

• Brazil is the biggest opportunity in Latin America.

• The pace of regulation is slower than expected.

• But the potential? Absolutely enormous.

Here’s how Brazil compares against other South American nations:

One sentence stood out from a Brazilian legal analyst:
“We’re building a plane while flying it.”

Industry Faces the Mirror

Amid all the noise—rebrands, regulations, and rogue operators—there was a quieter message coming through.

Latin America’s gaming sector is growing up. And with that comes the hard work of accountability.

Several speakers stressed the need for stronger social responsibility programs. Others highlighted a lack of consistency between operators, particularly on self-exclusion systems and consumer protections.

It’s clear the industry wants to grow. But it can’t grow recklessly.

There’s also a rising call for transparency, especially with operators who straddle regulated and unregulated markets. More than one attendee raised eyebrows at firms celebrating their legal licenses in one country while still operating in grey zones elsewhere.

The mood? Hopeful, but more grounded than in previous years.

What’s Next for SAGSE?

With Buenos Aires in the rear-view, attention now turns to Panama, where SAGSE Central America will aim to replicate the South America model with its own flavour.

Panama’s more stable regulatory environment could make for a very different tone. But if Buenos Aires taught us anything, it’s that each region needs its own spotlight. And in a market that’s constantly shifting, that kind of flexibility might just be what keeps SAGSE relevant in the years ahead.