Nataliia Lavruk, MelBet Partners: “Our industry is not stagnating, it’s only growing”
Shows & conferences - 24 November, 2025
During the latest edition of SiGMA Central Europe 2025, Focus Gaming News spoke with Nataliia Lavruk, Head of Affiliates at MelBet Partners, about the company’s growth in Latin America, player behaviour across sports betting and casino, its rev‑share‑driven affiliate strategy, the impact of high‑profile brand ambassadors and upcoming regulatory developments in Mexico.
Lavruk explained that she has been focusing on the Latin American market for the last three years and that MelBet has “grown significantly” over that period. “Our efforts will be focused on continuing what we have done and succeeding further,” she said.
Within Latin America, Argentina stands out as MelBet’s top market. “That’s where we are seeing the biggest player value,” Lavruk noted, adding that “the players in Argentina are liking our brand, they are staying with us,” something that is clearly reflected in retention metrics. Brazil ranks second due to its scale and potential. “Brazil has huge potential and I see it only growing,” she said. Completing the top three is Chile, where MelBet benefits from a stable macroeconomic context. Lavruk highlighted that the Chilean economy is “one of the most stable and strongest economies in South America” and that this is visible “by the amount of GGR that we are generating from year to year.”
While sports betting remains a key driver in those markets, Lavruk pointed out that casino is playing an increasingly important role. She observed that it is becoming rare to see players stick exclusively to one vertical: “Sports betting players that join MelBet at some point can start playing casino on the same platform,” she said. In fact, “the amount of GGR from casino is a bit higher than from sports betting,” although she underlined that “LTV and the retention is generally better for sports betting.”
In terms of affiliate collaboration, Lavruk stressed that MelBet’s strategy in Latin America has been built around revenue share. “We love rev share. Rev share is our favourite cooperation model,” she said. According to Lavruk, the programme offers “pretty favourable rev share conditions”, starting at 25 per cent and going “up to 55 per cent in some cases”. She emphasised that the way revenue share is calculated is “pretty straightforward” and highly transparent: affiliates can see in their dashboard how revenue is generated, from profit amounts and bonus deductions through to net revenue and the final commission. On top of that, MelBet applies a “0 per cent admin fee”, which Lavruk believes makes it “one of the best rev share affiliate programmes.”
SiGMA Central Europe itself is a crucial touchpoint for strengthening these partnerships. Lavruk described the atmosphere at the show as “always very active” and noted that Sigma is “one of the biggest events in this industry”, attracting many affiliates. This year, MelBet has a larger stand that is “full” with meetings with top affiliates, while the team also manages to “find new contacts because our industry is not stagnating, it’s only growing.” Overall, Lavruk said she is “pretty happy with the experience.”
A key element of MelBet’s brand visibility at the event is its association with former UFC champion Kamaru Usman. Lavruk said one of the areas where MelBet is positioning itself is UFC, and that Usman is a natural fit for the brand. “If you look at him, he is transmitting strength, authenticity, power, which is also true about our brand,” she explained. By partnering with Usman, MelBet aims “to build this image and trust with the audience,” and such collaborations support the company “in all the possible directions from B2B to B2C.”
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, Lavruk made it clear that MelBet is not standing still. “Of course, we will not stay without any changes,” she said. In Latin America, a major milestone on the horizon is regulation in Mexico. “We are about to get the licence in Mexico,” she revealed. This will “open up a lot of new partnerships for us in this region,” and she is looking forward to improving rev share deals with affiliates that have Mexican traffic. Once regulated, MelBet will “have more options to improve our position in the market,” consolidating its presence in Latin America and broadening the opportunities available to partners.