Hacksaw Gaming enters Argentina with Betano partnership

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The Backstory

Betano becomes a regional gateway

Hacksaw Gaming’s Buenos Aires City launch with Betano fits a broader pattern in Latin American online gaming: suppliers are using a small group of licensed, high-visibility operators to enter regulated markets quickly while limiting compliance and distribution risk. Betano, owned by Kaizen Gaming, has become one of those gateways because of its footprint across Latin America, Europe and Africa, and because it has moved early in markets where online betting rules are becoming more formalized.

The Buenos Aires City rollout follows a series of content agreements across the region in which developers have prioritized operators with established brands and local authorization. In Brazil, for example, 7777 Gaming partnered with Betano Brasil to distribute titles including Devil’s Deal: Soul for Sale, Mayan Gold and Candy Anyways. That agreement framed Betano not only as a sportsbook but as a scalable casino content platform in one of Latin America’s largest emerging online gaming markets.

For Hacksaw, the logic is similar. Buenos Aires City is not Argentina’s largest jurisdiction by population, but it is one of its most developed regulated markets. A launch there gives the supplier a controlled entry point into the country, with an operator partner that already has experience building audiences in Latin America. That is especially important for a supplier known for high-volatility slot content, where brand recognition, responsible gaming controls and regulated distribution are central to gaining acceptance from both operators and regulators.

Argentina’s opportunity comes with local complexity

Argentina’s gaming market is fragmented because regulation is handled largely at the provincial and city level rather than through a single national online gambling regime. That structure creates openings for licensed operators and suppliers but also requires market entrants to manage rules that can vary meaningfully from one jurisdiction to another. Buenos Aires City has been ahead of many other Argentine jurisdictions, approving its regulated framework in 2018, issuing licenses in 2020 and seeing online operators launch in late 2021.

The city’s maturity gives suppliers a clearer route to market than less-developed jurisdictions. It also means regulators have had more time to define standards around licensing, advertising, platform controls and enforcement. For companies such as Hacksaw, that matters because a regulated launch can be used as proof of compliance when approaching other Argentine provinces or other Latin American markets.

The potential prize is significant. The current article notes that Argentina’s gambling revenue was estimated at US$2.5 billion in 2024, with online gaming, including sports betting and online casino gaming, accounting for US$1.4 billion. Revenue is expected to reach US$6.6 billion by 2029. Those figures explain why suppliers are willing to navigate a complex regulatory map: growth remains available, but access increasingly depends on licensing discipline and partnerships with operators that regulators already recognize.

Brazil sets the pace for supplier expansion

Brazil has become the reference point for Latin American online gaming growth, and the recent deal activity around Betano and Hacksaw reflects that. As Brazil moves into a federal licensing model, suppliers are racing to secure distribution through operators that can continue operating under the new framework. The market’s scale makes it difficult for international content studios to ignore.

Grand View Research estimated Brazil’s online gambling revenue at US$1.5 billion in 2024 and projected it would reach US$3 billion by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 12.3%, according to figures cited in the 7777 Gaming-Betano Brasil agreement. The same analysis forecast Latin America’s online gambling market at US$10.4 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 11.9%. Those projections underscore why Brazil is not only a target market but also a proving ground for suppliers looking to expand across the region.

Hacksaw has already moved in that direction. The company partnered with Esportes da Sorte in Brazil, giving the operator access to titles such as RIP City, Stormforged, Wanted Dead or a Wild and Le Pharaoh. Esportes da Sorte had converted its provisional authorization into a permanent license from Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting, making it an attractive partner at a time when regulatory status is becoming a competitive advantage.

That Brazil deal helps explain the Buenos Aires move. Hacksaw is not entering Latin America through isolated agreements. It is building a regional distribution network market by market, using licensed operators as anchors. Betano’s role in Buenos Aires City strengthens that approach because Kaizen’s brand is already visible in other Latin American jurisdictions.

Compliance pressures are rising alongside growth

The region’s growth prospects are being matched by sharper scrutiny of illegal gambling, youth betting and social risk. Argentina has offered several recent examples. A court ordered internet providers to block Polymarket in Argentina after authorities found that the prediction platform was operating like an unlicensed online betting service. The case was initiated after complaints from the Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires and further checks by the Asociación de Loterías Estatales de Argentina.

The Polymarket ruling was significant because it showed regulators and courts are willing to use internet blocking, app store removal and telecom enforcement to defend the licensed market. Authorities also raised concerns about identity checks and the risk of unregulated betting activity. Those issues go directly to the competitive position of licensed operators: if unlicensed platforms can attract users without meeting local standards, legal operators face both commercial pressure and reputational risk.

At the municipal level, concerns about the social effects of online betting are also intensifying. In La Pampa province, Pico City Council approved a program to curb youth gambling, citing worries about adolescents’ exposure to online betting and gambling advertising. The measure was designed to provide awareness, prevention tools and institutional support as local officials warned that gambling behavior among children and teenagers was becoming visible in families and schools.

These developments form the backdrop for any supplier launch in Argentina. Access to a regulated market is valuable, but it also carries expectations. Content providers and operators must be prepared to show that their products are delivered through licensed channels, supported by age verification, responsible gaming tools and advertising practices that do not undermine public confidence.

North America adds regulatory credibility

Hacksaw’s Latin American expansion is also supported by its progress in North America, where licensing and market entry standards are among the strictest in online casino gaming. The company has secured approvals or launched in several U.S. jurisdictions and Canada’s Ontario market, giving it a compliance record it can point to when entering newer regulated markets.

In New Jersey, Hacksaw partnered with betOcean to expand its online casino content, adding titles such as Wanted Dead or a Wild, Le Bandit and Chaos Crew 2. The deal followed its Pennsylvania launch through FanDuel, showing that the company has been building U.S. distribution through both national and regional operators. New Jersey and Pennsylvania are mature, heavily supervised igaming markets, and successful launches there can help reassure partners in jurisdictions still refining their regulatory systems.

That credibility matters in Buenos Aires City. Regulators and operators in Latin America are increasingly distinguishing between suppliers that can meet formal market standards and those reliant on gray-market reach. Hacksaw’s regulated-market history in Europe and North America, combined with its recent Brazil agreements, gives it a clearer case for expansion than a supplier entering Argentina without comparable licensing experience.

Stakes shift from entry to durability

The Buenos Aires City launch is a market-entry milestone, but the larger test will be durability. Latin America’s online gambling expansion is no longer defined only by how quickly operators can sign suppliers or add games. It is increasingly defined by whether companies can sustain growth under tighter rules, public concern about youth betting and enforcement against unlicensed competitors.

Betano gives Hacksaw a strong launch partner because it brings regional scale and an established consumer brand. Hacksaw brings a portfolio that has already been tested in regulated jurisdictions. Together, the companies are betting that Buenos Aires City can serve as both a revenue opportunity and a platform for broader Argentine growth.

The timing is favorable but not risk-free. Argentina’s online gaming market is expanding, Brazil is pulling suppliers deeper into Latin America and regulators are becoming more active. Companies that combine content, licensing discipline and responsible distribution are likely to be better positioned than those chasing rapid market access alone. Hacksaw’s latest move suggests it sees Latin America not as a speculative frontier but as a regulated growth corridor where the right partners will determine how far expansion can go.