Kambi’s first day at SBC Summit Lisbon was marked by strong traffic and conversations with operators from across Latin America, with demand centered on reliable technology, regulated-market expertise, and solutions that can help maximize sportsbook margins. As Mateo Lenoble, Head of Sales for LatAm, explains, the company’s focus on regulated jurisdictions and its trading capabilities continue to position it as a partner for operators navigating an increasingly competitive regional market.
In this interview with Yogonet during last week’s show, Kambi’s Lenoble discussed the company’s new “Powerful Network. Proven Edge.” positioning, how its global network of data and betting activity supports pricing and trading, and the markets currently drawing its attention across Latin America. He also addressed the uncertainty surrounding Brazil, the use of AI in trading and product development, and the priorities for further expanding its presence in the region.
What were your first impressions of the event, and what are you hearing most from operators and partners from Latin America who are coming by?
The first day was very good and very busy, which is what we expected because we know this is one of the biggest trade shows in the world. We expected a lot of people, especially from Latin America.
What we’re seeing from operators in Latin America depends on the country, but in general they are looking for advanced and reliable technology. We focus on regulated markets. We are a company listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, so regulated markets and compliance are very important to us.
That’s what I see operators looking for the most: a reliable company with high-quality technology.
Is there any particular trend or topic that has stood out in your conversations so far?
The first and most important thing is the new rebranding, or the new face of Kambi. We made a new change to our image with a new concept: “Powerful Network. Proven Edge.”
What does that mean? It means that every operator and every new partner we add to our platform can benefit from all the operators we have worldwide.
Every bet, every piece of data, every registration, we use to feed and improve our pricing and our trading for all of our clients. That’s a competitive edge that all of our clients are taking advantage of right now.
What capabilities are Latin American operators currently prioritizing in a sports betting platform as competition increases across the region? What are they looking for?
That’s a good question, and it’s something that comes up in all the conversations: maximizing margins. That’s our specialty.
We have a very strong trading department, and we also work extensively with artificial intelligence, specifically to maximize margins and improve our results. Our results are public, and they are very good. This is what we want to show operators.
We have extensive experience and a high level of professionalization when it comes to trading.
Latin America is a region with very different markets, different levels of regulation and specific characteristics in each country. Which markets are currently generating the most interest for Kambi, and what factors are driving that interest?
For Kambi, we work only in regulated markets. So Latin America, where there are already many regulated markets today, is very interesting for us.
Approximately half of our bets come from LatAm. Regulated markets in Latin America, such as Colombia, Peru, and Mexico, and Brazil until recently, are very interesting for us. We continue to explore new markets that are talking about regulation, such as Ecuador.
Mexico, for example, is a good market that we are targeting.
What’s good is that we’ve been seeing this trend across Latin America since Colombia regulated the market in 2017. Many countries have followed that path, and we continue to see it. Ecuador is going to be the next country, while Chile is still going back and forth.
We support regulated markets because that is where we operate, so we need more jurisdictions to become regulated.
What’s your view on the Brazilian market?
As I said, our position is very clear: we support and work only in regulated markets. We have clients that, until now, were active in Brazil, and today they have to stop their operations.
We are waiting and hoping for the market to resume, because it is one of the biggest markets in the world. We hope the regulation can return to normal, and we support that.
With the growth of live betting and a lot of other betting innovations, where do you think technology can give Latin American operators a competitive advantage in the coming years?
Right now, you hear a lot about artificial intelligence. We have been implementing it for five years in our products, our tools, and the way we do our trading.
Using artificial intelligence in trading has given us very good results in the market. That’s what we offer our clients.
And then there is the creation of tools that are customizable and personalized for each operation using artificial intelligence. That’s something we will be innovating in the short term, and it’s an area where all operators can benefit.
What are some of Kambi’s priorities for the coming months, both from your role and with a focus on the Latin American region?
In my particular role as Head of Sales for LATAM, the priority is to continue growing. LATAM is such an important region for Kambi, and as I mentioned, around half of our bets come from there.
We want to continue showing the region that we are the right partner to work with. We have a strong presence in Latin American markets, and we want to continue expanding.
We also want to maintain our presence at events such as SBC Summit. We have participated in all of the SBC events throughout the year, as well as at different events across the region, and next year we will continue to have that presence and expand it even further, so that more operators can get to know us.