Buenos Aires, date – The Argentinian national team may currently be ranked fourth favourites to win the World Cup by a supercomputer and fifth by the bookies, but the country’s sports betting industry is certainly aiming to triumph this year. Not only will online bookmakers be able to build on the excitement of the newly expanded tournament – and Argentina’s chances to defend their title – but they are also offering more innovative, differentiated experiences as they aim to boost market share in this fast-growing, highly competitive industry.
During the Qatar 2022 World Cup, global betting volumes grew significantly, with Latin America among the fastest-expanding regions, setting a strong precedent for what Argentina can expect in 2026.
In 2025 alone, the Argentinian iGaming market is estimated to bring in USD 1.57 billion, serving approximately 4.6 million online gamblers. And if recent tournaments are anything to go by, markets like Argentina will see a disproportionate share of betting volume. During the last Club World Cup, over 80% of the bets came from Latin America.
Payment efficiency is also expected to play a decisive, though often invisible, role in driving record transaction volumes. In Argentina, where digital wallets already account for a significant share of online casino transactions, surpassing 65% according to industry reports, players increasingly expect instant, frictionless and mobile-first payment experiences. Operators that can deliver seamless deposits, real-time withdrawals and high approval rates will gain a clear competitive advantage, as payments continue to evolve from a back-end function into a strategic driver of engagement, retention and overall betting volume.
Industry analysts agree that payments are no longer a back-end process, but a strategic driver of engagement, retention and overall betting volume.
They also expect strong growth in live betting, mobile-first wagering, microbetting and instant payment preferences, behaviours that are becoming dominant across the region’s digital players.
Argentinians looking to place a bet in the new year can also expect a more modern, digitalised and personalised experience, as betting sites compete to win their custom. “2026 will be the year of playing differently, for bettors and bookmakers alike,” André Boesing, General Manager, South LatAm for OKTO explains. “Argentinians will be able to integrate their bets via highly responsive apps, seeing real time odds on their phones and breaking news as they cheer on their favourite team.”
He adds that speed, reliability and instant payouts will determine where players choose to bet. “For a market as fast-moving as Argentina, seamless payment journeys are becoming just as important as odds, bonuses or app experience”.
Argentinians are no strangers to betting, with 36% of adults having used an online betting site at some point, while six out of ten online players participate at least once a week.
Betting providers will also seek to deliver a new style of experience: AI-powered, making use of data analytics, contextual insights, and building mutually beneficial relationships through secure, intuitive experiences. Boesing adds, “The World Cup year will also be a highly competitive one for Argentina’s betting industry, and we believe those that come out on top will be the ones that embrace playing differently.”
“At OKTO, we turn payment processes from simple transactions into genuine differentiators that create new and personalized experiences,” André explains. “We believe the best merchants will also be doing the same: personalising their offerings, creating communities, building loyalty, and achieving great results.”
The World Cup is also set to accelerate the industry’s digital transformation, driving greater adoption of advanced technologies, fraud-prevention systems and more sophisticated user experiences, elements that could shape the future development of Argentina’s betting ecosystem well beyond 2026.
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OKTO 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 powers 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.
At OKTO, 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.
