Investing in Emerging Markets: EveryMatrix's Journey Across LatAm as a Tier-1 Operator Partner

HIPTHER Media and Eastern European Gaming had the pleasure to attend the recent EveryMatrix Media Day in Copenhagen, and our correspondent, Maria Emma Arnidou, had the opportunity to discuss the company’s journey across Latin America with Matias Montero, Managing Director, LatAm.

Matias, thank you for joining us today, we’re excited to share the successful journey of EveryMatrix in Latin America with our readers! Let’s start with a key question: What makes the LatAm market strategically important to EveryMatrix at this stage of the company's growth?

What makes it important at this point is that there’s only so much more revenue you can get from typical mature markets, such as those in Europe. Therefore, technology suppliers, including EveryMatrix, are looking towards markets that are less developed and less mature, such as Latin America and Africa. Saeveral operators in those regions are beginning to stand out in terms of market volume and maturity. That will eventually lead them to needing to upgrade their technology and seek a more effective partner, one that can help them achieve their ambitious plans while facing changes in regulation and taxation.

Matias, you have previously mentioned that LatAm is a collection of many markets. What does genuine localisation mean in practice for an operator entering countries such as Peru, Mexico, Argentina or Brazil, beyond simply translating a product into Spanish or Portuguese?

From an operator partner’s perspective, translation definitely comes at the very end. You need a proper understanding of the regulations, certifications and registrations required for the product to operate in compliance with the demands of each territory. Then you need local adaptations in terms of payment and KYC methods, which differ from one country to another, followed by content adaptations in terms of games. Brazilian players, for example, love crash-style games and some of the simple games that are well adapted to mobile. In Mexico, there is significant crossover with games people are used to playing in land-based casinos; it has a more traditional approach. Then you have nuances in the different countries. I would say regulation, payment methods, and other aspects of the platform and how it handles different transactions come first, followed by content. Everything else then needs to be translated into local languages.

Regulatory and tax conditions can change quickly across Latin America, look at the news coming out of Brazil at the moment in line with general elections. How can operators build for long-term growth when market rules continue to evolve, and what role can their technology partner play in giving them that flexibility?

The fundamental point here is not to build only for the current moment, but to build so you can adapt quickly to market, regulatory and tax changes, and ensure the technology can rapidly accommodate different requirements. Our expertise in heavily regulated European markets helps us a great deal as regulation matures in Latin America. We’ve had to heavily customise and adapt platform requirements to multiple local markets including Denmark, Hungary, Germany, the list goes on, due to bonusing or marketing restrictions, deposit limits or safer gambling measures, for example. So, first of all, before anything else happens, we spend a period of time working closely with customers to understand their precise needs, the market requirements and build features and products that are flexible enough to adapt to any changes that are in place today or might be put in place tomorrow.

Do you see such emerging markets following the footsteps of Europe, eventually?

Not necessarily, however, the fact that EveryMatrix’s technology can adapt, and that we, as a partner, have gone through different stages to remain operational, relevant and a market leader, means we can respond to any requirements that arise there. Whether they are similar or not, it is the ability to adapt that matters.

Payments, player preferences, acquisition channels, content and even connectivity can vary significantly from one country to another. Which aspects of an international operator's existing model can realistically be replicated across emerging markets, and which must be rebuilt locally?

You will always find similarities in digital and consumer behaviour. There will be commonalities but the important thing is to understand how people operate there: their relationship with technology, their devices and spending habits and patterns, the cultural nuances, and then to cater to that. People in Europe and Latin America both have a relationship with money and exhibit consumer behaviours; the differences lie in the details. Consider how people handle their money in Peru, for example, or in Mexico, where cash may be more prevalent than we are used to in Europe.

Speaking of those nuances, is there a big challenge that you have faced so far, especially in Latin American markets?

I wouldn’t describe it as a big challenge; I think it’s a process of adaptation. EveryMatrix is a European company that is growing in LatAm, and that requires us to adapt many things related to culture and language. It also requires us to establish partnerships that enable the platform to operate there - with regulators, payment suppliers and others - because some things cannot be replicated exactly from Europe.

Therefore, it is more about the culture and partnerships, and not so much about player behaviour?

No, it’s not so much about adapting the technology or the product itself. It’s a matter of understanding how things work there and being able to navigate that.

AI-driven personalisation, risk management and bonus-abuse prevention are becoming increasingly relevant as markets scale. Do emerging markets create different use cases or priorities for these technologies compared with established European jurisdictions?

The priorities are the same. Mainly, we see different behaviours, or different ways in which people abuse bonuses. For example, in Africa they see a level of creativity that perhaps you don’t see here. I think LatAm is perhaps closer to that than to European tendencies, especially in places such as Argentina where I’m from. People there are, in some ways, used to finding ways to gain an edge or advantage. We see that everywhere; what may differ in countries and regions is how it appears. In LatAm, I think EveryMatrix products like BonusGuardian, AI, surveillance of bonus abuse, and personalised game recommendations, are very important as well.

An extremely interesting part of your presentation was your quote about LatAm:”it is not just a strategy; it’s a journey for EveryMatrix”. How do you see this journey evolving in 3 to 5 years’ time? What would successful investment in Africa and Latin America look like for EveryMatrix in terms of local presence, partnerships, and the role the company wants to play in these markets?

If I look a few years ahead, our ideal scenario would involve a larger team on the ground, covering commercial, account and delivery management. They would work in the same language and time zone as our clients, managing those relationships while interacting with our teams in Europe. We would also have several Tier-1 operators and lotteries in our client base that have trusted our technology and seen the benefits of operating with us.

What is your message to the future partners and aspiring partners of EveryMatrix, especially in Latin America?

A: The message is that we are a proven Tier-1 operator partner, and we are taking that experience from Europe to Latin America to help operators achieve their goals with technology that is at the top of the industry and that generates consistent growth for our customers. I really trust the products and the company we have, and I believe we can help operators in Latin America achieve great things.