Tom Light, CEO of FIRST, tells SBC News that platforms must be specifically tailored and built for the specific region that operators are in. 

Light notes that as a global supplier of sportsbook technology, FIRST is focused on localising its product for each region, and offers a whistle-stop-tour of the provider’s global operations and how it is succeeding on all fronts.

At FIRST Best in Sports, we are expanding our presence across LatAm and Europe, and we are looking to set the pace for innovation in sports betting. With increased recognition for our technology and expertise, FIRST has reinforced its reputation as a Tier One sportsbook engine built for performance, speed and local precision.

The last year has been a defining one for the company. Industry acknowledgement reflects a broader truth: FIRST has established a product engineering standard supported by deep expertise in regulated markets, with particularly strong impact in Brazil.

Brazil as a proving ground and a landmark partnership with Pixbet

Brazil remains the clearest showcase of FIRST’s strategy. Rather than adapting a European platform to local needs, FIRST built its sportsbook with Brazil at the centre from day one. This includes complete optimisation around Pix, mobile native flows aligned with local betting behaviour and market speed designed for a real time, in play first audience.

This approach has led to more than 35 operators going live with FIRST in the country. A major milestone arrived in the second half of 2025 with the announcement of FIRST’s partnership with Pixbet, one of the most influential operators in the Brazilian market. 

Having a market leader of this scale choose FIRST as the platform to sustain its growth in the regulated era is a strong endorsement of the company’s performance, stability and long term capability.

The partnership with Pixbet illustrates FIRST’s positioning in Brazil. It is a product built for the market, powered by operators that demand speed, retention and a technology foundation strong enough to differentiate their brands from day one.

A LatAm first strategy with market specific roadmaps

FIRST’s regional growth follows a clear principle: each market receives its own development logic. Brazil runs on Pix centric flows, Peru integrates domestic card networks, and Mexico and Argentina adopt league prioritisation and risk models matching local engagement patterns.

Front ends are structured according to what players actually want to see, and recommendation models use behavioural data to personalise content down to regional level. This combination of engineering quality and cultural accuracy delivers higher conversion, stronger retention and increased betting frequency.

Tier One engineering supported by on the ground expertise

FIRST operates with GLI-33 certified infrastructure, ISO audited environments and 99.99% uptime. The platform processes millions of transactions per day with elastic scaling that handles everything from national derbies to global tournaments.

The differentiator lies in combining this engineering strength with local product and trading teams based across LatAm, enabling real time analysis and continuous optimisation of the platform.

Frictionless migration through a modular integrations stack

Platform migration has long been a critical challenge in this industry. FIRST has redesigned the process through its modular integration architecture. Operators can onboard via REST and Rogue APIs, maintain their internal tools, preserve data and choose between a full front end overhaul or selective adoption of odds, trading or cashier modules.

With existing integrations with Mercado Pago, AstroPay, Pay4Fun, Genius Sports and Stats Perform, our ecosystem is ready for a fast transition. Most migrations are completed in a matter of weeks, producing immediate gains in performance and user engagement.

Strategic alliances accelerating global growth

FIRST’s extended agreement with Genius Sports ensures access to official data and premium streaming content, essential for success in regulated markets. The collaboration with Light and Wonder accelerates our expansion in Europe through a strong distribution network that positions the sportsbook layer across major operator groups.

These alliances support our broader ambition: to become the most adopted sportsbook infrastructure across regulated markets worldwide.

Swedish licence and the regulatory roadmap for 2026

In 2025, FIRST secured its Swedish licence, marking an important step in strengthening the company’s position in highly regulated jurisdictions. The licence demonstrates FIRST’s compliance capabilities, operational transparency and elevated technical standards.

This milestone is the beginning of a broader regulatory strategy. In 2026, we expect  to add between five and 10 new licences across Europe, LatAm and Africa, consolidating its footprint in the world’s most important regulated markets.

What to expect for the remainder of 2025?

In Brazil, the focus remains on sustaining its position as the reference sportsbook partner in the regulated era, not only by scale but by quality and operational reliability. FIRST will continue enhancing its personalisation engine, expanding its gamification modules and scaling across Latam, Europe and new markets under license, its content system designed to capture younger audiences seeking fast and dynamic mobile first experiences.

The company is also advancing strategic projects, and working in a new brand era for 2026. 

Across all markets, the approach remains consistent. Build fast. Think local. Deliver technology that drives measurable growth from day one.