Peru hosted 200 regulators at the annual IAGR conference
Between October 19 and 22, Lima hosted the Conferencia Anual de Reguladores de Juego 2026, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism reported that the International Association of Gaming Regulators recognized Peru's progress in gambling regulation during the meeting. It was the second time the country hosted the event, ten years after the previous edition.
The scale of the event reflects the interest sparked by the host city. Nearly 200 representatives from public bodies and regulatory authorities gathered in Lima, with delegations from Austria, Croatia, Latvia, Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, China, Gibraltar, Finland, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada. The makeup of this list speaks for itself: mature and smaller European jurisdictions predominated, indicating that the interest was not driven by the size of the Peruvian market, but rather by the shared challenge that brought everyone together.
That challenge was illegal gambling, and it took center stage on the agenda. The sessions reviewed the tools currently used to tackle unlicensed gambling across three continents—Europe, Africa, and Latin America—simultaneously, as well as how to maintain integrity in sports betting and within the markets themselves, and how data can be leveraged to anticipate money laundering. The central focus of the gathering was the oversight of an increasingly interconnected market, a statement that underscores the underlying issue: supply crosses borders, but regulators do not.
The recognition of Peru comes at a unique moment for its regulatory framework. Mincetur is responsible for regulating and supervising land-based casinos, slot machines, and all remote gaming and sports betting, and stated that it reaffirms its commitment to responsible gambling by strengthening oversight and promoting safe, duly authorized activities. This statement should be viewed alongside what the ministry itself submitted for public consultation last week: a draft proposal that lowers the maximum fine for the most serious violations from 200 to 70 Tax Units (UIT) and relaxes several technical requirements for platforms. The ministry receives international recognition while internally discussing easing its own penalty regime.
The Argentine delegation carried an institutional weight worth noting. Attendees included Osvaldo Hillar, head of the Instituto Provincial de Regulación de Apuestas de Tierra del Fuego; Jesús Mariano Acevedo, head of Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires; and Ida López, president of the Asociación de Loterías Estatales Argentinas. This was López's first annual conference since joining the IAGR Board of Directors, meaning Argentina transitioned from merely participating to having a voice in the association's governing body.
López's participation took place during the opening plenary session, titled 'El mandato del regulador en un mercado conectado', where she shared the stage with representatives from Denmark, Brazil, the United States, and Ireland to discuss how the global regulatory landscape is evolving, how much ground illegal gambling is gaining, and how artificial intelligence is reshaping the industry. The Brazilian presence on that panel was a noteworthy detail: the country arrived in Lima with its regulated market suspended by an injunction and an open case before its Supremo Tribunal Federal.
Mincetur added an argument that was economic rather than regulatory. It linked hosting the event to meetings tourism, a sector that brings international visitors for business and generates demand for hospitality, transportation, and restaurants. It is the side benefit that explains why ministries compete to host these conferences, beyond the institutional prestige.
The International Association of Gaming Regulators brings together gambling regulatory bodies from various jurisdictions and organizes an annual conference that serves as a platform for technical coordination among authorities. In Peru, the remote gaming framework is governed by Law No. 31557 and its regulations, administered by Mincetur through the Dirección General de Juegos de Casino y Máquinas Tragamonedas, with INDECOPI acting as the consumer protection authority with its own jurisdiction over advertising in the sector.
Tags: Peru, IAGR, Mincetur, regulators