Pragmatic Play expands LATAM presence with new operation in Colombia
Icasino game developer Pragmatic Play has announced the launch of a live casino studio in Bogota, Colombia, as part of its expansion across Latin America.
The facility has been backed by a fund of US$15 million and, according to Pragmatic Play, it is expected to create up to 1,500 jobs in the Bogota region.
The studio, which will be delivered and operated by the igaming software development company Arrise, will include more than 100 tables offering live versions of casino games such as roulette and blackjack, which will be hosted by Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking dealers.
The games also will be made available in multiple formats and use technology that allows operators to customize layouts and branding to cater for local audiences.
“This new live casino studio in Colombia represents a major milestone in our native content expansion strategy across Latin America,” Irina Cornides, Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play, said in a news release. “We’ve long recognized the immense potential of the region and remain committed to delivering premium, localized experiences tailored to the needs of each market.”
In addition to standard casino offerings, the company plans to introduce localized versions of international titles and new live game shows in 2026.
Last month, Pragmatic Play was awarded a Brazil sportsbook certificate, allowing local operators to use the igaming suppliers sportsbook technology.
Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.
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The Backstory
Why the Colombia studio matters now
Pragmatic Play’s decision to open a live casino studio in Bogota marks a pivot from incremental market entries to on-the-ground capacity in Latin America. The US$15 million investment, paired with plans for more than 100 live tables and up to 1,500 jobs, signals a scale-up aimed at speed to market, localization and operator customization. The studio will be delivered and operated by Arrise, the company’s development partner, giving Pragmatic Play control over production and branding and allowing Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking dealers to anchor content for regional audiences. The facility expands the company’s footprint beyond content syndication into regional production, a shift that tends to improve margins, shorten deployment cycles and deepen relationships with regulated operators.
The move arrives as live casino growth in Latin America outpaces traditional slots in several regulated markets. Pragmatic Play has publicly emphasized bespoke elements, including multiple format options and the ability for operators to tailor layouts and branding. That aligns with a wider industry playbook in the region: deliver local-language talent, add culturally relevant game variants and give operators tools to differentiate quickly without building in-house studios.
The Bogota launch also looks timed to the company’s recent content expansions. Pragmatic Play has been stocking its pipeline with table-centric products and tools that can be produced and localized from a regional hub. A live studio in Colombia can act as a staging ground for rollouts across Spanish-speaking markets and, with bilingual dealers, for Brazilian operators as that market formalizes.
Brazil’s opening accelerates LatAm bets
Regulatory momentum in Brazil is a central backdrop. The country’s fixed-odds betting framework took effect in January 2025, unlocking a path for compliance and scale. Pragmatic Play secured a Brazil sportsbook certificate that allows local operators to tap its sportsbook technology, including pre-match and in-play markets, player props and a bet builder. The platform includes localized features and managed services such as trading, risk and 24/7 support, an approach designed to onboard operators quickly in a newly regulated field.
With Brazil shaping into one of the largest regulated betting markets globally, Pragmatic Play’s Colombian studio provides proximate production and redundancy for live content that can complement sportsbook offerings. While the certificate pertains to sportsbook, the cross-sell value is significant: operators that adopt one stack are more likely to test live casino verticals, especially when supported by localized dealers, flexible studio branding and reliable latency from within the region. The strategic thread is clear. As Brazil matures, operators will seek differentiated content and turnkey services. A nearby live studio can meet that demand faster than shipping from Europe.
Content pipeline reshaped by poker and table upgrades
The company is leaning into table games and live formats to diversify revenue. In June, Pragmatic Play moved beyond slots and roulette to launch its first live poker titles, Casino Hold’em and Jacks or Better Draw Poker. Both support Smart Studio customization, which lets operators create branded environments and tweak experiences without heavy development. The games offer a jackpot side bet up to 20,000x, with the maximum hit expected roughly every 45 days, adding promotional hooks that can be timed to market events and influencers.
Pragmatic Play also extended its technical moat around table products via a five-year renewal that extends its partnership with Galaxy Gaming. The deal keeps popular Galaxy side bets embedded across Pragmatic Play’s live and RNG portfolios. Side bets are small in unit economics but big in engagement, particularly in live blackjack formats where incremental wager opportunities support higher session times. Together, live poker and Galaxy’s table add-ons create more surface area for operator promotions, especially in markets where sports and live casino audiences overlap.
These content moves fit the Bogota studio’s remit. Poker tables require skilled dealers and consistent presentation, while side bets and bespoke studio branding benefit from close coordination with operators. Locally produced table games can be tuned for language, pacing and visual design that resonate with Colombian and regional audiences.
Distribution muscle through operator deals
Pragmatic Play has been laying distribution tracks across Latin America ahead of the studio launch. A recent agreement that signs a deal with ApuestasX in LatAm brings slots, live casino and virtual sports to that operator, including titles like Gates of Olympus and Bet Behind Pro Blackjack. The arrangement underscores a strategy of offering a full stack so operators can onboard quickly and scale content across verticals. It also gives Pragmatic Play a direct line to player data in the region, informing localization decisions for the new studio.
Broader market dynamics show similar partnerships gaining momentum. Competitors and adjacent providers are also stitching together regional networks. For example, 1Spin4Win’s tie-up with Fortuna Juegos adds more than 150 titles tailored to local narratives and mechanics, highlighting industrywide emphasis on culturally attuned catalogs. As more operators aggregate content from multiple suppliers, the ability to offer live, branded, fast-to-customize products becomes a differentiator. Pragmatic Play’s Colombian facility is designed to compete on that axis.
In practice, these agreements also create launch pads. When the studio introduces localized game shows in 2026, existing operator connections across Latin America can accelerate adoption. A mature distribution network reduces the go-to-market risk for new live formats and increases the chances of synchronized, cross-border launches timed to major sporting or cultural events.
What’s at stake for Pragmatic Play and rivals
The stakes are straightforward. LatAm is a scale market with improving regulatory visibility, led by Brazil and supported by established regimes in Colombia and others. Suppliers that commit capital to local production and win early operator mindshare will have an advantage as rules tighten and marketing channels standardize. Pragmatic Play’s studio investment, sportsbook certification in Brazil and table game expansion form a cohesive bet on that trajectory.
Execution risks remain. Live operations are labor intensive, require stringent compliance and rely on uninterrupted connectivity. Localization can misfire if pacing, presentation or game math miss cultural preferences. Competitors are also arming up with localized catalogs and aggregator relationships, as the Fortuna Juegos example shows. To sustain momentum, Pragmatic Play must keep tailoring content, manage costs as tables scale and secure enough operator demand to utilize capacity.
Still, the company’s recent sequence—Brazil entry via sportsbook certification, live poker additions with customizable studios, an extended Galaxy Gaming partnership for side bets, and fresh distribution through ApuestasX—sets the stage for the Bogota hub to become a regional anchor. If the studio achieves high utilization and helps operators localize faster, it could shift share in live casino, where brandable environments and table-side engagement often drive the highest retention.
For regulators and local economies, the buildout brings jobs, skills and tax revenue. For operators, it offers a closer-to-market production partner. For Pragmatic Play, it is a test of whether owning regional infrastructure can translate into durable growth as Latin America’s gaming market formalizes and consolidates.
