Why SiGMA bet on Mexico despite a 50% tax, with founder Eman Pulis

SiGMA held its first North America show in Mexico City, where the federal tax on wagering games rose from 30% to 50% and no standalone online licence exists. Founder Eman Pulis tells Peaky Ads CEO Vasilii Gamov why the group went anyway, how it engages policymakers, and how he ranks Latin American markets.

In this episode

• Pulis says SiGMA would rather join the conversation early than wait: an internal B2G team works full time with governments to promote regulated gaming (3:32, 4:01, 4:31).

• He points to Dubai, where SiGMA arrived six years ago and which now has a gaming regulator, operators moving to regulated licences and the first integrated resort in the GCC (5:01, 5:32).

• He chose Mexico City because it can reach both North American and Latin American audiences, noting that Mexico has more than 90 million people (9:00, 9:30, 10:00).

• Brazil is now mature, in his view, and Mexico is the next big market; he expects people to regret not joining within three years (14:00, 14:31).

• Pulis says the group's AIBC and Affiliate Grand Slam brands bring crypto exchanges and mainstream affiliates, such as e-commerce and nutra traffic, to the industry's events (11:32, 12:00, 12:30).

• Asked why the World Cup disappointed some operators, he cites tougher competition than four years ago, AI raising the bar, and time zones (15:01, 15:31, 16:00).

Interview from Where Is My Money by Peaky Ads, published on YouTube.