Online sports betting technology provider Kambi Sports Solutions has become the latest European operator to strike a deal to enter the Colombian market.
On Thursday, Kambi announced it had signed a contract with Corredor Empresarial S.A., the umbrella organization of Colombia’s major ‘games of chance’ and lottery operators, to be the exclusive supplier of sports betting technology to Corredor Empresarial’s land-based and online channels.
Kambi’s technology will power Corredor Empresarial’s new sports betting brand, BetPlay, which the Colombian company will make available both online and via the 25k retail points of sale that make up the Chance Game operations scattered across the country’s 32 provinces.
Kambi CEO Kristian Nylén expressed delight at partnering with Colombia’s “market leader” and said the new pact “demonstrates our strength and capability in the region.” Nylén said Kambi hoped to build on the partnership and “expand our footprint in the Latin American market.”
Diana Otalora, the GM of Corredor Empresarial’s new BetPlay brand, said Kambi had been chosen following “an extensive selection process” and that BetPlay was “in safe hands” by adding Kambi’s sportsbook to Corredor Empresarial’s existing portfolio of brands.
That portfolio grew larger earlier this month via Corredor Empresarial’s deal with Spanish omni-channel platform provider R. Franco Digital, which has also been tasked with handling the Colombian operator’s online casino product.
Also making a Colombian market play is Spanish games developer Grupo MGA, which just announced a deal to provide online game content to Colombian-facing sites via Microgaming’s QuickFire platform.
Late last year, Colombia became the first Latin American jurisdiction to authorize legal online gambling within its borders, and local gaming regulator Coljuegos began blocking the domains of unauthorized operators in March.
Coljuegos has yet to formally approve any international operators to launch online gambling in Colombia but the regulator’s head of new business Liliana Viveros told the recent Juegos Miami conference that Coljuegos had received more than 60 inquiries and expected to announce the first online sports betting license recipients soon. Viveros also expects “seven licenses to go operational by the end of the year.”
