Sportsbook technology provider is making Latin America the centre of its commercial strategy
FIRST.bet has appointed former Pragmatic Play executive Victor Arias as vice president and head of commercial for Latin America.
Arias joins the company after more than six years at Pragmatic Play, where he built and led the supplier’s Latin America business from its first days into a category leader in casino across the region – a role which earned him a Gaming Intelligence Hot 50 award in 2024.
Prior to Pragmatic, Arias spent close to two decades in iGaming across both B2C and B2B, including a period at Salsa Technology focused on Latin America.
He arrives at FIRST.bet as the supplier doubles down on Latin America by building out its LatAm hub and localised team.
“LatAm has to be serviced by LatAm,” said FIRST.bet founder and CEO Tom Light. “That is how we are building the business, and Victor has run that playbook at the highest level already. He knows these markets are not one market. Having him lead our commercial effort in the region is the strongest signal we can send about how seriously we take it.”
FIRST.bet chief commercial officer Amram Vita said: “Commercially, Latin America is where the sharpest growth in this industry is happening, and it is not won from a distance. Victor has spent years earning the trust of the operators who set the pace in these markets, and that trust does not transfer to just anyone.
“Having him running our commercial effort in the region changes the conversations we can have and the speed we can have them at.”
Arias commented: “I am honoured to take on Latin America for FIRST.bet. This is a market I know deeply, having led Pragmatic Play’s growth into the leading provider in the region, and the opportunity here is immense.
“We are bringing Tier-1 sportsbook technology together with a completely localised strategy. The goal is ambitious but simple: to make FIRST.bet the number one sports betting partner in Latin America, with a truly local identity.”