Habanero Strikes Deal in Buenos Aires
The Lottery of the City of Buenos Aires (LOTBA) has certified the Malta-based online gaming provider Habanero to operate within the country of Argentina, marking a significant step in the company’s Latin American expansion. While some games were already available within the country, Argentinian casino fans will now be able to access much more of Habanero’s portfolio.
Gaming operator Habanero has signed a new deal with the Lottery of the City of Buenos Aires to provide games in its jurisdiction. ©Paula Nardini/Pexels
Who is Habanero and what does this deal mean?
Habanero has been operating within several Western and Asian-based gaming markets for some time, providing a catalogue of HTML5 games. Their offerings include online slots as well as table game and video poker and promise “world-class products, reliability and support” while delivering “the best gaming experience”.
Argentinian fans of online and land-based casinos have already been able to access some Habanero titles, as several are available through various partners of Habanero both on and offline. Some of Habanero’s popular titles include Marvelous Furlongs, Candy Tower and Return to the Feature.
As a part of their announcement of the deal, Business Development Executive at Habanero Vera Motto, said:
“Receiving our LOTBA registration is vital for the next phase of growth in Argentina, and we’re delighted to now be able to offer our products to operators in the City of Buenos Aires. As one of the most exciting emerging regions in iGaming, we look forward to securing more partners there and making our mark on the capital. We’re looking forward to a very exciting summer ahead!”
The company also stated that “the new accreditation from LOTBA is a huge milestone for Habanero, with the Argentinian market holding endless potential for the rollout of its innovative multi-product portfolio.”
This deal is not the only one that Habanero has undertaken within Latin America recently. Earlier in July, it partnered with VirtualSoft to provide a host of products across LATAM markets. Latin America has a swiftly growing gaming market so it makes sense that gaming operators like Habanero are taking note and acting accordingly.
Why Buenos Aires?
Argentina operates as a federation of provinces, with their capital being in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is also an autonomous city with its own rules and regulations. Habanero has struck their deal with the City of Buenos Aires specifically because it oversees a substantial amount of the betting regulations within Argentina as a whole.
That is because Argentina’s National Lottery, which existed for more than 100 years, eventually moved into the control of the LOTBA. In 2018 it was dissolved altogether, as the National Lottery no longer oversaw much activity. All of its games and staff were moved into the control of the LOTBA.
Now, the various Argentinian provinces are working on the regulation of oversight of online gambling, both separately and under the guidance of the capital. Buenos Aires is working on a set of licensing criteria for additional gaming partners. Argentina’s gambling overseer has also encouraged online operators to use “.bet.ar” domain names in an effort to unify the country’s online gambling front.
