Football, AI and data: SiGMA North America discussed the impact on the Latin American betting market.
SiGMA North America held its first edition in Mexico City, bringing together the international and regional iGaming community with a focus on the growth of the Latin American market and the integration between football, technology, and sports betting.
The event marked the SiGMA group's debut in North America after years of experience organizing events across multiple continents. The program combined a trade show, conferences, networking, and entertainment, consolidating the format already adopted by the group in other regions.
Football, data and artificial intelligence
Immediately following the opening ceremony, the first panel of the conference addressed the theme "Connected Football: Data, AI, Integrity and Growth of Betting". The discussion brought together representatives from different segments of the sports betting and football ecosystem.
Among the participants were Guilherme Buso, Vice President for Latin America at BetGenius; Salvador Salazar, Commercial Director of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF); and Enrique Romero, Country Manager at GoldenBet Online. The panel was moderated by Matt Sahakian, iGaming consultant and advisor.
The panelists explored the current and future relationship between football and the iGaming industry, paying particular attention to artificial intelligence, real-time data, sports integrity, and streaming . From the FMF's perspective, the debate revolved around sports rights, governance, and broadcasting. On the technological side, the topics included increasingly sophisticated data collection and processing, the use of cameras and technology within stadiums, and the expansion of AI-based tools. All these developments converge on a central point: the player experience and how operators transform technology and live sports content into an increasingly dynamic betting offering.
The World Cup as a catalyst
Hosting the event in Mexico gave the panel an added dimension. The country has a well-established football culture and is one of the hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which puts it in a strategic position to examine the relationship between major sporting events, technology, and the development of the betting market.
The panelists discussed lessons learned from major football events and their implications for the market, both in terms of the immediate increase in engagement and betting volume, and in the long-term opportunities for operators, technology providers, and sports rights holders. The debate went beyond the World Cup as a short-term commercial opportunity; it also assessed how major global sporting events can accelerate technological adoption, strengthen fan engagement, and influence the evolution of local markets over time.
Global reach of the discussions
The impact of the conference extended beyond those present in Mexico City. The SiGMA North America panels were streamed live, allowing speakers and industry voices to reach a global audience.
The program kicked off with the Nexus Elite Golf Experience, a day of networking in an informal setting, followed by the SiGMA Awards Gala, which recognized outstanding companies and professionals in the sector. The event also included a charity auction featuring local and international artists, with proceeds going to the SiGMA Foundation NGO.
By bringing together regulators, sports institutions, operators, technology providers, and other industry participants to discuss strategic issues, SiGMA North America has created a space for collective reflection on the present and future of iGaming, linking the growth of the Latin American market with the technological transformation that is reshaping the industry globally.
