Yoni Sidi, CEO of Winpot, is helping shape the company’s next phase of growth as the brand strengthens its position in Mexico’s increasingly competitive iGaming landscape. With a focus on localized player experiences, fast payments, reliable platform performance, and culturally relevant marketing, Winpot has built momentum by aligning product quality with strong brand identity.
In this CasinoRank interview, Sidi discusses what operators still misunderstand about the Mexican market, why retention depends on more than bonuses, and how Winpot approaches major sporting events as long-term growth opportunities rather than short-term acquisition spikes. He also shares insights into the role of AI-driven personalization, CRM strategy, and scalable product development as Winpot continues expanding its presence across Mexico’s evolving iGaming sector.
Winpot has been gaining strong momentum in Mexico, what would you say has been the biggest driver behind that growth so far?
Yoni Sidi: Honestly, it’s been a mix of a few things coming together at the right time. We’ve been very focused on building a proper product first, by doing the basics well.
By that I mean having fast payments, solid UX and a reliable platform. You’d be surprised how many operators still get that wrong.
On top of that, we’ve taken a very local approach to Mexico. Not just translating content, but actually building something that feels Mexican, in tone, in campaigns and in partnerships.
Then we’ve backed that up with serious marketing investment.
So it’s not one silver bullet. Our success has come from aligning our products, brand, and marketing in a way that appeals to the Mexican market.
Mexico is becoming an increasingly competitive iGaming market. From your perspective, what are operators still getting wrong when trying to succeed there?
Yoni Sidi: A lot of operators come in thinking they can copy-paste what worked in Europe or elsewhere. It doesn’t work like that.
Mexico is very relationship-driven, very brand-driven, and trust is a massive factor. If your payments are slow, if your support isn’t local, or if your brand feels generic, you’re dead in the water pretty quickly.
Also, some operators place too much reliance on bonuses.
Everyone is throwing offers at players, but that just creates a very transactional relationship. You end up attracting bonus hunters rather than real long-term players.
Miroslava Montemayor is a key figure in your brand strategy — what made her the right choice, and how central was authenticity in that decision?
Yoni Sidi: The question of authenticity was probably the most important part of our decision to enter into a partnership with Miroslava Montemayor.
Miroslava isn’t just a face. She genuinely connects with the audience we’re targeting, understands football, has credibility, and people trust her. All these things combined cannot be faked.
We didn’t want a celebrity for the sake of it, but rather someone who fits naturally into the brand and feels believable when she’s talking about it.
If a campaign looks forced, then players see straight through the act, but Miroslava is the real deal.
Many operators still rely heavily on bonuses to acquire players. Do you see brand partnerships becoming a more sustainable way to build long-term loyalty?
Yoni Sidi: They’re part of the answer, but not the whole answer.
Bonuses still have a role, especially for acquisition, but they shouldn’t be your only lever. Partnerships, content and brand are the tools with which you can build something more long-term.
If players only come because of a bonus, they’ll leave for the next one. If they connect with your brand, your experience and your identity, then that’s when you start building loyalty.
Major sporting events like the World Cup create huge spikes in attention. How do you approach these moments from both a marketing and product perspective to ensure the impact goes beyond short-term acquisition?
Yoni Sidi: For us, it’s not just about a spike, but rather about using that moment to accelerate everything.
From a marketing side, it’s about cutting through the noise with something that feels relevant and different. Everyone calls out for attention during the World Cup, so you need to be smart about how you show up.
From a product side, it’s making sure the experience is seamless. This means having fast onboarding, smooth payments and strong promos, because a global event like this is when you’re under the most pressure.
But the key is what happens after. If you don’t retain those players, you’ve just paid for short-term traffic. So everything we’re doing is designed to carry that momentum beyond the tournament.
Retention remains one of the biggest challenges in iGaming — what are the key areas Winpot is focusing on to keep players engaged long-term?
Yoni Sidi: Retention is where the real game is.
We’re focusing a lot on segmentation, making sure we understand different player types and treat them differently. VIPs, casuals, sports-heavy players, casino-heavy players – they all need different journeys.
We’re also putting a lot of emphasis on CRM, personalisation, and actually rewarding behaviour that matters, not just giving blanket bonuses.
And then simple things, such as fast withdrawals, good support and reliability. They’re simple, but they go a long way – again, it’s a matter of getting the basics right.
That’s important, not least because people stay where they trust the product.
How is technology shaping the way you interact with players today?
Yoni Sidi: AI is helping us move from being reactive to proactive.
Instead of just sending the same campaigns to everyone, we’re starting to predict behaviour – who’s likely to churn, who’s ready to deposit, who should be targeted with what.
It also allows us to be a lot more relevant in how we communicate. Less noise, more precision is what we want, and AI does help us achieve that.
It’s still early days, but AI is already making a big difference in our efficiency and the player experience we offer.
You’ve described this as just the beginning for Winpot — what does the next phase of growth look like for the brand?
Yoni Sidi: We’re still at the beginning, to be honest.
The next phase is about scaling properly, which means having a bigger brand presence, more product depth, and continuing to improve the core experience.
We’ve got some big plans around major events, partnerships, and product innovation, but at the same time, we’re very focused on staying disciplined. We want to make sure growth is sustainable, not just fast.
The opportunity in Mexico is huge, and we feel like we’ve only scratched the surface so far.
The Winpot team believes that if you get the product right and build a brand people actually trust, growth follows.
The challenge isn’t getting players in. It’s giving them a reason to stay.
With a background in digital media and a keen eye for emerging technologies, Ronaldo bridges the gap between players and platforms through clear, insightful reporting to the iGaming industry.
