Swedish iGaming operator Betsson has started a partnership with Mexico’s Big Bola Casinos in order to offer sportsbook and online casino products in the Central American country.
The iGaming giant whose headquarters are in Stockholm and main operations are run from Malta, has been expanding to new markets in the last couple of years. We recently saw them team up with Brazil’s Suaposta and Colombia’s Colbet by acquiring 75% and 70% of their shares respectively. Last year, they got a license to operate in Colombia and at the moment they are in the process of getting one for the region of Buenos Aires, in Argentina.
Latin America is an important market that is just about to boom and there are huge potentials in it. As Jesper Svensson, CEO of Betsson Operations said – “This is yet another expansion into the LatAm region which we see so much potential in”. According to Svensson teaming up with a local partner is the way to go in order to get a better understanding of the local culture and gain the trust of the people.
Svensson has personal ties to Latin America as his wife is from Colombia. He has travelled to Latin America several times and speaks Spanish. In an interview at SBC Leaders podcast, he mentioned that sportsbook is the most important segment of the iGaming industry in Latin America as people consider football number 1, 2 and 3.
“We are really excited to start this collaboration with Big Bola as we believe they are well suited to help us understand the market better and ensure that our offering not only fits the Mexican culture but also earns the public’s trust.” said Svensson, “Our vision is to provide the best customer experience in the industry and I’m confident that we will manage to replicate this success in Mexico too.”
Betsson has had a successful 2020 despite the pandemic. In the last quarter of last year, they reached a 30% revenue increase and developed new products. The iGaming giant has not only set a foot in the Latin American market, but is expanding towards the United States and plans to launch in the US state of Colorado in the second half of 2021.
Since 1995, Big Bola Casinos has been operating brick and mortar casinos in Mexico. At the moment they run 20 land-based casinos and they started their online operations in 2017. For the launch of their online platform, they teamed up with AutoGameSYS and now they provide slot games, table games, live casino, bingo halls and sportsbook. Big Bola is a socially responsible company that supports different causes – such as supporting children and youths in Mexico – through the BigBola Foundation.
Emilio Quiros, the director of Big Bola operations said: “We are happy that Betsson Group has chosen to partner with us for their operations in Mexico. We believe that our market expertise and their knowledge and experience about online gaming will result in an outstanding product for Mexico.”
Big Bola is planning to launch the Betsson brand operation by the end of the year offering casino products, live casino, as well as localised sportsbook with a wide range of sports.