AstroPay, one of the leading gaming specialists appearing at the forthcoming Juegos Miami (May 31 – June, The Biltmore, Miami) has warned market entrants that comparing LatAm with Europe or North America, is the equivalent of comparing ‘apples with bananas’.

Brian Azar, Commercial Manager at the developer and supplier of pre-paid cards and local payment methods, explained: “Everything a European is used to completely changes when accessing the LatAm market. Operators are used to processing in most cases with instant payments, with the majority of users paying with either wallets or cards. When coming to LatAm, around 70% of the population do not have access to international credit cards, leaving them either with local credit cards or alternative payment methods to pay with. Our goal is to get operators comfortable with the alternative payments methods and give them an insight of how they work. Once an operator is comfortable and is willing to promote the payment methods on their cashier, the sky is the limit.”

Azar believes the opportunity to meet all of the players in the industry who are trying to access the LatAm markets is invaluable. He said: “Events such as Juegos Miami make it easy to meet clients and operators in the regions who want to expand their services. It’s a big bonus to meet them face-to-face, especially when dealing in emerging markets: it allows you to explain the difficulties and challenges an operator may have when tapping into the region. Without having the opportunity to meet face-to-face, many of the challenges tend to get lost in translation.”

Outlining the objectives of participating in what is widely regarded as being the premier event for what is one of gaming’s most dynamic markets, he added: “Being the leaders for cross-border payment processing in LatAm, our main goal is to greet all merchants who have decided to evaluate the opportunity of landing in LatAm. We walk them through the possibilities that each country has to offer whilst at the same time outlying the differentiators of each market and sharing our expert knowledge with them. We try to mentor and guide our partners so they can operate as efficiently as possible without any burns along the way.