AGSi, the interactive division of global games provider AGS, has experienced rapid growth in North America in recent years and is now making significant strides in its strategy to expand in the Latin American markets.
As part of this international expansion, the company appointed Irina Molina – an expert with nearly 10 years of experience in business development, regulated market strategy, and revenue growth across Latin America and other regions – as AGSi’s Senior Regional Market Manager for the Americas.
“We are already live in Mexico, Brazil, and Columbia,” said Molina, who will focus on building growth and strategic relationships as AGSi accelerates its entry into the region’s rapidly evolving online gaming landscape. “Mexico is also a very important market for us because we have land-based offices in Mexico and a very large footprint there.”
Its success in regulated markets around the world, including the U.S. and Canada, gives AGS a solid foundation for its Latin America strategy. A diverse product portfolio, both for land-based casinos and online, has already resonated favorably with Latin American players.
“In addition to all of Latin America, Brazil is our current focus because of its potential as one of the biggest markets in iGaming,” Molina said. “We are already operating with selected partners in Brazil and working on expansion from an online perspective. This year we are planning to enter the Argentina, Paraguay, and Peru markets.
“It is an exciting time for us. We are growing in Columbia. We currently have one partner and are working on integrations with more partners as we grow our market share.”
Molina, who attended the SBC Summit – Rio in early March where AGS has a support team, said that, “We were able to go over updates from our team and have conversations with our current partners to explore the many opportunities we have been working on as well as meeting new partners.”
AGSi has mapped a strategy to continue its growth trajectory in Latin America that includes deepening relationships with existing partners, delivering more high-quality content, and adapting its offerings to the unique dynamics of the Latin American market.
“Something that has been somewhat of a surprise for some of our partners in Latin America is how well our steppers have been received,” Molina revealed. “AGS is well known for its land-based steppers, and they have translated well to the online business, especially in the U.S. Last year, the best performing AGSi games in Brazil were steppers.
“We will continue to create games which will resonate with the market. It is something we are focused on by listening to the feedback of our partners and implementing it into new games.”
Molina’s experience and depth of understanding about the Latin American markets, as well as AGS’ long-standing land-based history in the region, allow them to focus on games that Brazilians love to play, are easy to understand, and that the players perceive they have a certain amount of control.
Gaming is the most regulated industry on the planet. As such, Molina has the expertise to understand that growing a market also requires a total grasp of regulatory components.
“In general, Latin American countries are concentrating on regulations, with the understanding that five years ago, regulations did not exist in many countries,” she explained. “This has been a change in the landscape. It requires us to keep abreast of the latest requirements and to make sure our systems are adapted and ready.
“For example, there is talk about changes that are going to take place in the Dominican Republic. We are not there yet, but we are starting to take a closer look at it and other markets, prioritizing attention to new regulations and being prepared to adapt.”
The team recognizes the exponential growth AGSi is experiencing, and how products from its game portfolio have been received so successfully in the burgeoning Latin American market. Their collective recognition of the different dynamics in North America versus Latin America makes it a powerful team effort.
“Listening to feedback from our partners and working closely with R&D is critical, as is focusing on our strengths and the things we know we have been doing well,” Molina observed. “Adapting to the market is essential.
“Another important factor is that all AGSi games up to now have been developed from one studio. This year we added two studios as a part of our growth and expansion. This has given us the opportunity to focus on certain markets.
“One such way this is accomplished is through the development of bespoke games, which are created and designed for a specific operator or region. For example, creating a hockey themed game for a specific jurisdiction in Canada. It is this capability that we can also translate into the Latin American market.”
Molina, supported by the talent of the interactive and international teams, is helping AGS to forge ahead with market growth by unlocking many jurisdictions that are opening.
“It is very important to continue with our quality of products,” she said. “There are hundreds of providers in the Americas. Our focus, therefore, is not the number of games we create, but the quality of the content. We want to make games that resonate with players.”
You can get to know the AGS team when they interact with partners and operators at upcoming industry events, including, BiS Sigma Sao Paulo, and other major Latin American conferences throughout the year.