- New study by OKTO PAYMENTS reveals that payment infrastructure could be the biggest blind spot for iGaming operators during peak demand
São Paulo, March 2026 – With less than 100 days until the World Cup, the tournament is expected to generate more than $35 billion in sports bets worldwide — a historic record — arriving at a moment of strong growth: in Brazil, the regulated sports betting and online gaming market brought in roughly R$37 billion in gross revenue in 2025.
But new research from OKTO PAYMENTS, a payment service provider specializing in payment technologies, points to a critical factor that could define how operators capture this opportunity: payout speed – not just deposit speed, may determine whether players stay or switch to a competing platform.
The study identified a significant gap between what operators believe and what players actually expect: 92.5% of betting companies think customers are willing to wait more than four hours to receive a payment, while 42.7% of bettors consider a maximum of 30 seconds to be an acceptable timeframe. The disconnect could translate into a direct and measurable financial cost.
“Payout is more than just the final step of a transaction. It’s the moment when the player decides whether or not to return to the platform,” said Filippos Antonopoulos, Founder and Executive Chairman of OKTO PAYMENTS. “At an event of the World Cup’s magnitude, when transaction volumes spike exponentially within minutes, every second of delay in a payment has an impact, whether that’s a loss of player trust or a hit to revenue.”
The moment of truth that operators are still underestimating
For 28.8% of respondents, “immediate access to winnings” is the top trust factor when deciding to stay on a platform. Another 15.8% cite positive past withdrawal experiences as the primary reason they place repeat bets on the same platform.
The cost of infrastructure failures during peak periods
The World Cup represents the ultimate stress test for iGaming payment infrastructure. At the same time, the Latin American market carries structural complexity that amplifies risk: Brazil is dominated by Pix, Argentina by digital wallets, while Chilean users still rely heavily on debit and credit cards. Distinct or evolving regulations, differing fraud patterns, and country-specific volume spikes make any single or centralized solution inadequate.
The OKTO PAYMENTS report found that, among the main challenges for operators in Latin America, 21.1% cite fraud risk and security breaches, while 17.3% point to regulation and compliance. It is precisely during peak volume moments – when the system needs to perform at their best – that these weaknesses tend to surface.
“To put what’s at stake into perspective: in August 2025, licensed betting platforms in Brazil recorded more than 2.21 billion monthly visits. During a tournament like the World Cup, with 104 matches and millions of first-time users logging onto platforms, that number is set to grow in unpredictable ways, requiring payment infrastructure to respond in real time.” Filippos added.
Infrastructure will be a competitive advantage
“In physical retail, no one accepts waiting four hours to walk out of a store with something they bought. In iGaming, the same logic applies. If a player wins, they want their money immediately. Operators that have already played differently and built their systems to process withdrawals in real time, integrated with leading local payment methods and reliable platforms, hold a clear edge over those that still treat the process as a waiting queue.” mentioned Filippos Antonopoulos.
The research found that 37.6% of betting companies already view payments as a growth lever and strategic differentiator. The World Cup will be the ultimate proving ground for that conviction.
The full report, titled “Playing Differently in LatAm: How a New Generation of Players is Redefining the Payment Experience,” is based on 620 interviews conducted with companies and consumers in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile in 2026. It offers detailed analysis, country-level trends, and an action plan to help companies turn the payment experience into an engine for player loyalty.
About OKTO PAYMENTS
OKTO PAYMENTS is the next-generation Payment Service Provider – AI-native, precision-engineered, and relentlessly merchant-obsessed.
Built for merchants operating in the most complex and demanding eCommerce sectors, our platform does far more than process transactions. We solve for scale, compliance, and performance — with one unshakable focus: delivering outcomes that power merchants’ growth.
From payments and banking to treasury and settlement, we engineer the financial infrastructure that gives our partners an edge. The result? Faster onboarding, smarter operations, and resilient, real-time performance.
We enable merchants to Play Differently, transforming payments from routine transactions into genuine differentiators that create personalized, frictionless payment experiences for their customers. Our AI-native innovation harnesses data and insight to power every decision, while our proprietary, in-house engineering ensures precision and control. Combined with deep, trust-based relationships across the globe, we’re redefining what it means to build, scale, and win in complex and demanding digital commerce.
