Today, digital businesses face a paradox: as more and more specialised solutions appear on the market, it becomes more difficult to build a coherent operating model. Companies are forced to integrate dozens of disjointed tools, wasting time, money and efficiency at the interfaces between systems.

RedCore offers an alternative approach — a system of interconnected solutions that covers all the critical needs of digital markets. Rather than a simple bundle of products, it is a structured architecture where each element, shared below, enhances the others.

Trend 1: Decentralisation with synergy as a new management model

Traditional holding companies suffer from red tape and slow decision-making. Completely decentralised structures lose synergy and efficiency. RedCore has struck a balance.

Each division of the business group is an autonomous business with its own strategy, team, and P&L responsibility. This brings entrepreneurial freedom and quick decision-making. Still, all brands have access to shared service infrastructure: legal, financial, HR, and R&D support.

This model allows for rapid scaling while maintaining the business group’s flexibility and sustainability.

Trend 2: Integrated solutions as the new market standard

The days of isolated solutions are coming to an end. The market demands integrated systems where each element works in conjunction with the others.

RedCore covers the full digital business cycle:

• Traffic attraction and monetisation: affiliate platforms with direct offers and multi-vertical solutions, a full-cycle marketing agency with a reach of 10+ billion impressions per month.
• Communications: a centralised platform for managing all communication channels (SMS, email, calls, messenger apps) with integration that is 75% faster than standard solutions.
• Payments and fintech: a modern payment solution for media buyers and webmasters, bringing together convenient payment methods in a single interface.
• Security: an anti-fraud platform with integrated AI for risk scoring of any transaction in real time, where 98% of decisions are made automatically.
• Customer service: a CX-as-a-Service platform and support team providing a comprehensive customer service solution, outsourced support, telemarketing, and building loyalty for iGaming, fintech, blockchain, IT, and scaling digital companies.

Trend 3: AI is no longer an experiment

The main shift in recent years is that AI has transitioned from the category of ‘innovative experiments’ to a basic operational tool. Companies no longer ask, “Do we need AI?”; they ask, “Where exactly will AI deliver measurable results?” At the same time, we have moved from the trend of “let’s implement AI wherever possible” to “let’s implement AI where it is needed.”

“The biggest shift I have been seeing is that AI is no longer a ‘side project’. Now it is part of the basic operating model – and specifically in those cases where it helps solve a particular pain point, such as overloaded customer support, recruitment speed, call center costs. When once we solve a specific problem internally, we can scale it to other brands,” says Dmytro Sorysh, AI Domain Product Officer.

Case study: Voice AI Agent for outbound teams has revolutionised the economics of operations. Teams used to be limited by working hours, the human factor, and high costs. Now, AI operates 24/7 in multiple languages, automatically selecting offers, handling objections, and logging all interactions. This significantly reduces the workload for specialists, who can now get involved at the point where they need to solve a problem that goes beyond the capabilities of AI.

The key insight here is that AI does not replace people but gives them superpowers. Employees no longer waste time on routine tasks and focus on strategy, creativity, and analytics.

Trend 4: From targeted fraud mitigation to comprehensive protection

The traditional approach to combating fraud is based on a reactive model: scammers act – the company detects the problem — the company introduces a new rule – scammers adapt. It is a never-ending race, with the business always one step behind.

Frogo is a prime example of how solving an internal problem can turn into a standalone B2B product.

“We rejected a reactive approach and created a platform that works proactively. Frogo doesn’t wait for businesses to run into risks — we identify, predict, and block them before they become a problem. It’s not just about protection; it’s about control, predictability, and growth,” notes Volodymyr Todurov, CEO of Frogo.

Frogo integrates behavioral analytics, graph connections, AI, and device fingerprinting into a single system that continuously learns, rebuilds rules and identifies risks before they escalate into incidents.

With instant alerts, businesses receive more than just signals about threats; they gain the ability to act as soon as threats arise. This helps reduce losses, reduce the workload on teams and make decisions faster.

Frogo turns anti-fraud efforts into a strategic advantage: instead of a constant race, it offers a preventive culture and technology that helps companies stay one step ahead.

Trend 5: RegTech – Experience to help you scale up

Regulation can be a barrier to innovation or make a big difference to the economy through tax revenues. All you need is the right approach and a high-quality mediator who can bring both sides together.

RedCore already advises regulators in several countries, serving as a bridge between industry and government. “I firmly believe that government agencies may lack the expertise and tools to structure this sector properly – in a way that benefits both the country’s economy and the business community. We do have these tools, and we are ready to share them,” adds Marina Ilina, CEO of RedCore.

Proper regulation is a win-win situation: the government gets tax revenues and control, businesses enjoy predictability, and users receive protection.

Trend 6: From venture investments to strategic partnerships

Another trend, which is not new but certainly well-understood and long-standing, is the pursuit of new technology and solutions. What matters here are the ideas that new teams and startups bring to the market. It has become clear, however, that simply providing investment is not enough. For an idea to truly take off, support must be comprehensive. The classic venture capital model of “giving money and advice and waiting for results” is giving way to deep strategic partnerships. RedCore has implemented this exact approach. According to the business group, this is the only truly effective one.

“Unlike traditional venture investing, we become full partners in business development – working side by side with founders, participating in key decisions, and sharing responsibility for results. “This requires greater involvement, but this is the approach that produces meaningful results,” explains Ihor Denysov, COO Investments at RedCore.

The bottom line is that investees get not only capital, but also access to RedCore’s expertise, specialists, technologies, and product ecosystem. In some cases, the business group becomes the startup’s first client, providing a solid boost for scaling.

Investment focus: iGaming, MarTech, Web3, AI/ML, and technology analytics. However, the selection criteria have changed.

“I firmly believe that government agencies may lack the expertise and tools to structure this sector properly – in a way that benefits both the country’s economy and the business community.”

“Investors used to pursue ideas, but now the focus has shifted toward team expertise and product stability. There are many startups, and creating an MVP is easy with AI. “Doing your due diligence and figuring out if the product fits the market and if the team is ready to develop it is crucial,” says Ihor Denysov.

Six Key Takeaways

1. Technology solves real problems. Successful products are born from specific operational pain points rather than abstract ideas. Every RedCore solution was first run internally, proved its effectiveness, and only then was it released to the market.
2. AI is part of the operating model rather than a hyped-up trend. Artificial intelligence is used in areas where there is measurable business value, such as automation, analytics, and predictions. This enables a multi-fold reduction in costs and increased efficiency.
3. Systematic anti-fraud as a growth tool. Fraud security is evolving from a cost centre to a driver of scale. Comprehensive platforms with ML and adaptive algorithms automate 98% of decisions and reduce losses without increasing the analyst headcount.
4. RegTech is shifting from a barrier to an asset. Expertise in highly regulated environments is becoming a competitive advantage when entering new markets.
5. Investments are evolving. From passive investor to operating partner. Investment, expertise and access to the business group are the new formula for success.
6. Integrated solutions are the new standard. Isolated solutions are inferior to integrated systems. The market requires 360-degree coverage, from traffic and communications to payments, security, and customer service.

RedCore proves that it is possible to grow from a specialised player in one industry into a global business group offering solutions for all key digital markets. The trick is to focus on real problems, tech know-how, and being ready to share what you know.

“I have always believed, and still do, that the tools created in iGaming are cutting-edge, both in terms of technology and approach. This is due to high user traffic and a relentless focus on innovation. We will introduce our tools into new areas and make it into the top three leaders in all areas we launch,” concludes Marina Ilina.

For years prior to Ontario’s success, the majority of play occurred through offshore platforms that operated without local oversight, contributing little to the province and offering limited consumer protection. Regulation replaced that grey market landscape with a transparent system overseen by iGaming Ontario (iGO), where operators must meet defined standards in compliance, fairness, security and responsible play.

The result was not simply the legitimisation of an existing market; it was the demonstration that a regulated iGaming environment can function successfully at scale in Canada. As Alberta now prepares its own plans for an open, competitive online gaming model, the relevance of Ontario’s experience is clear. Alberta is not entering a theoretical space. It is entering a market in which player demand, operator capability and supplier maturity have already been proven.

Ontario’s regulated iGaming market has continued to mature in its third year, recording over $82.7 billion in wagers and generating $3.2 billion in gross gaming revenue, according to iGaming Ontario – up 31% and 32% respectively on the previous reporting year, signalling sustained momentum rather than short-term expansion. These results demonstrate that regulation did not create demand; it redirected it into a framework where integrity, accountability and safety could be embedded from the outset.

A key indicator of this shift is where players are choosing to play. A third annual IPSOS study commissioned by iGaming Ontario and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) found that 83.7% of Ontarians now choose to play on regulated sites. This steady climb in regulated participation highlights an important point: when a market provides players with choice, familiarity, and visible safeguards, they transition willingly. Trust has become as important to the player experience as content or payout potential.

The structure of the Ontario market today reflects this maturity. There are now 49 licensed operators offering 84 gaming sites, with access to thousands of games across slots, live casino, crash and arcade-influenced formats, digital table games and emerging hybrid verticals. This scale of choice has fundamentally shaped competition. In the early stages, operators competed heavily through acquisition-driven strategies. But as the market matured, player behaviour demonstrated a clear trend: long-term engagement is influenced less by promotional offers and more by the character, clarity and replay value of the content itself.

Players have become highly discerning. They recognise when content libraries consist of interchangeable variations of similar mechanics, and they show loyalty to platforms that offer identity – games with personality, rhythm and distinctive entertainment value. Players in Canada have already shown a strong appetite for formats that balance novelty with familiarity. Ontario’s performance has demonstrated that arcade-influenced and instant win styles resonate particularly well, especially when they draw on cultural touchpoints that reflect local interests such as hockey, basketball and golf. When game mechanics feel fresh but themes feel recognisable, players are more willing to engage from the very first session. Alberta’s audience will likely respond in similar ways.

This also means Alberta can enter regulation with the advantage of alignment. Ontario has already demonstrated which types of content are resonating, which platform experiences support long-term retention and which responsible gambling features are most effective when embedded as part of the player journey rather than applied reactively. Alberta can implement frameworks informed not by theoretical models, but by what has already proven stable in a Canadian regulatory environment.

Responsible gambling practices are a notable part of this. Ontario built responsible gambling into its market from launch. The AGCO Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming require operators to offer player-set deposit limits, real-time session and spend tracking, clear disclosure of game rules and RTP, and monitoring to identify risky play patterns. iGaming Ontario reinforces these expectations through its Responsible Gambling programme, which integrates education and support tools directly into the playing environment. As a result, these safeguards have become a normal part of the player experience rather than perceived restrictions. The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission’s (AGLC) existing GameSense model indicates that it intends to take a similar approach, embedding harm minimisation into the framework from the outset to support trust and long-term market stability.

Alberta’s broader conditions also support a strong market launch. The province already has regulatory infrastructure through the AGLC, which has closeness with both land-based and digital gaming oversight. It also benefits from a technologically confident population, strong payments and fintech capacity, and a business environment that encourages competition and private-sector participation. Combined, these factors allow Alberta to transition directly into a mature model rather than undergoing a prolonged market ramp-up.

This is where the relevance to content suppliers comes into focus. Ontario has shown that players gravitate toward content with identity and intention – games that feel distinct, rather than simply present. Studios that have succeeded in the province tend to be those that pair recognisable game structures with creative framing, memorable visual language, stylistic cohesion and mechanics that offer clarity without sacrificing excitement. Cultural nuance also matters. Canadian audiences respond when games feel reflective of their interests and environment rather than imported wholesale.

For Gaming Corps, this market direction aligns closely with its development philosophy. The studio’s portfolio emphasises distinctive gameplay frameworks, visual consistency and strong mechanical identity. Its approach to arcade and hybrid formats, and the flexibility to pair inventive mechanics with locally resonant themes, has already helped the studio establish closeness among Canadian players. The ability to build recurring series and recognisable in-game characters further supports brand connection in a market where loyalty develops over time.

The shift from a grey-market ecosystem to an open regulatory framework is not simply regulatory change; it is cultural change in how gaming is delivered, consumed and evaluated. Ontario has shown that the Canadian market values choice, but it values meaningful choice most of all – content that treats entertainment not as distraction, but as engagement with character and personality.

Alberta now has the opportunity to build on those lessons: to launch a regulated online gaming market that is shaped by proven insight rather than early experimentation. The province will be stepping into a space where demand is present, preferences are established and the pathway to sustainable growth is visible.

The industry participants who succeed in Alberta will be those who enter ready, not only with compliance alignment, but with content that understands the audience and reflects the maturity of the environment.

Gaming Corps intends to be one of them.

Adam Pentecost, Director of Client Success at Gaming Corps

How has Elantil approached its iGaming crypto strategy, particularly over the last 12 months?

The previous year has seen a dramatic shift in how the iGaming landscape is being approached by operators. From a steady rise in personalisation and gamification features to the increased importance of cryptocurrency and multi-wallet solutions, there have been a number of significant changes that appear set to shape the long-term future of the industry. At Elantil, we’ve adapted to them at every step of the way.

When I first founded the company, my intention was that we wouldn’t just provide another copy-and-paste white label platform solution, but rather something I like to call a “strategic backbone” for the industry. This meant that rather than simply providing a new take on existing solutions, I wanted to build something dramatically different from the rest of the market that had the power to redefine the existing relationship between operators and suppliers.

Over the past 12 months, we’ve been achieving this ambition by constantly innovating and staying ahead of the latest trends. Having previously worked on the operator side of things, I’m well aware of the common pain points iGaming businesses face, so my goal was always to build a solution that was agile enough to not only adapt to industry trends, but anticipate them before they happen – and this is reflected in our approach to crypto.

What crypto market trends are you seeing, specifically around iGaming operator adoption?

With the crypto market becoming increasingly regulated, more and more operators are waking up to the huge revenue potential in accommodating these digital currencies. Rather than fighting the change as they have done in the past, operators, payments companies and regulators now view crypto as being key to the future of online gambling and are increasingly working together to find better ways to protect customers and help the market thrive. Of course, Crypto is not only a financial rail as it also represents a new entertainment economy driven by community, ownership and continuous engagement. It’s the first real bridge between gaming, finance, and iGaming, signaling the start of a far broader convergence ahead.

In May this year, crypto trading platform, Coinbase, was officially added to the S&P 500 index – replacing Discover Financial Services – and the following month, the company acquired a Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) license from Luxembourg’s financial regulator. With this license now in hand, Coinbase has begun establishing a crypto hub in Luxembourg, shifting its regulatory focal point in Europe away from previous jurisdictions like Ireland to a more integrated EU base.

This shows that crypto is likely to become an even bigger part of the online gambling industry in the months to come, and operators should already be taking the necessary steps to prepare for its mainstream arrival. One of the biggest challenges they’ll face in this respect will be setting up their platforms in a way that can accommodate such a large influx of digital currencies and the additional pressure this will undoubtedly put on their existing wallet solutions.

The mainstream adoption of crypto also introduces a player base that expects high-frequency engagement and dopamine-driven digital immersion – a new status quo that’s more aligned with what we’ve seen from video games than it is with traditional gambling UX. At Elantil, we’ve often been called one of the industry’s most crypto-friendly platform solutions, but in truth, our ability to keep up with market demand in this emerging sector is born from our inherent flexibility.

Due to the challenges of the US – where players are required to change wallets in each regulated state – we were the first iGaming business to develop a solution that enables operators to instantly set up new wallets on registration and convert currency on the fly. Rather than having to manually open and manage individual wallets for every conceivable currency option, this empowers operators to automatically support players in the exact currency they need. This instant adaptability enables them to serve diverse markets and meet evolving player preferences without delay. As a result, they also future-proof themselves against emerging currencies like crypto by providing a multi-wallet solution that always stays up-to-date.

How does Elantil’s solution assist operators looking to adapt?

The multi-wallet, multi-currency support Elantil provides is just one of many relevant recent examples of how our adaptable approach is proving a real game-changer for operators. By virtue of being modular by design, Elantil’s solution – unlike traditional monolithic platforms – has been built with flexibility at its core, which means operators can quickly and easily plug in new features or third-party services without having to overhaul their entire system. This flexibility isn’t just to support more services. It enables entirely new categories of entertainment to coexist: casino, sports, Web3 economies, and gaming-style missions – all within one ecosystem.

Being set up this way helps us eliminate the operational bottlenecks that arise whenever a new feature needs to be introduced and speeds up operators’ ability to innovate, enabling them to swiftly update their strategies in the face of evolving market demands. While legacy platforms can often take months to implement changes, our streamlined approach to onboarding ensures integrations can be completed in hours, providing partners with a crucial competitive advantage.

Whether it’s adding a casino provider, game aggregator, sportsbook service, payment option or CRM system, this means operators can react swiftly and seize on any potential market shifts or opportunities in a way that most other platform solutions simply don’t allow. What’s more, because each partner has access to their own unique source code, operators are completely free of vendor lock and can pivot to plug any major gaps without needing to go through an intermediary.

Beyond this built-in flexibility, Elantil’s platform also has the capability to deliver detailed analytics and actionable insights in-real time. This makes it far easier for operators to make smarter decisions on the fly. Given the growing demand for personalised content, having on-demand access to this granular level of data can help operators gain a much clearer understanding of their players and tailor their content accordingly.

By using the insights gathered from our real-time data platform and feeding this information back into their systems, our platform can create a fully-customised lobby for each player that continually updates to reflect their preferences. In much the same way that Netflix only ever displays the shows that you’re most likely to watch, this means Elantil partners can present users with relevant content that’s tailored to their activity, creating a far more personalised experience. This prepares the platform for convergence with video game-style seasonal content, experiential loops, and adaptive storytelling – essentially the exact same mechanics that are used to drive Fortnite-era entertainment.

Being a non-opinionated platform architecture, Elantil also paves the way for seamless adoption of AI technology. While other systems may claim to be AI-compatible, the fact that they’re rigid in their designs means an AI agent may be unable to make changes to the platform independently. At Elantil, the PAM itself can be directly influenced by external systems, meaning an AI can make improvements to things like personalisation without requiring additional human input. This ensures workloads are reduced and enhancements occur in real time.

How has Elantil grown its personnel and commercial base over the last year?

While I’m incredibly proud of the giant strides Elantil has made from a technological perspective over the past 12 months, it would mean little if we hadn’t also expanded both the commercial and personnel sides of our business over the same period. Thankfully, this has very much been the case, and the past year has seen us grow from an ambitious start-up looking to disrupt the industry to one of the first names mentioned when discussing the future of platform solutions.

When we attended our first iGaming show earlier this year, people not only knew our name, but were also clearly excited about what we were trying to achieve. Based on the buzz we’ve generated in the industry during 2025 alone, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Elantil has already launched with two partners – with three more scheduled before the end of the year – while significantly expanding the list of services available via our online marketplace.

During this time, we’ve also seen our LinkedIn presence grow to over 3,000 followers and have had multiple C-level members featured in some of the industry’s biggest publications, establishing us both a thought-leader and a fresh voice in the iGaming space. All these milestones would not have been possible without the concerted efforts of our incredible team, which has quickly grown from myself and three co-founders to having 30+ international employees.

The future of Elantil is in good hands and as the iGaming industry continues to evolve over the coming months, so too will the platform solutions that we provide. There is a massive market opportunity as video game studios struggle with monetisation, while iGaming has perfected it under regulation. The intersection here is inevitable and platforms like ours are positioned to lead it.  In fact, there’s work going on behind the scenes on a number of exciting new product features – including our soon-to-be-launched Audit Log – and I firmly believe that as we continue to evolve, the coming year has the potential to be even more successful than the previous one.

Finally, what does the future hold for iGaming and crypto?

We know multi-currency solutions and increased personalisation are iGaming’s current hot topics. However, no one knows for sure where the industry will go next, so the key is to remain agile and be ready to anticipate any new trends before they happen. The next major evolution won’t be “more gambling features” – it will be new entertainment formats blending gaming, live events, creators, and financial mechanics. Web3 is only the opening act of that shift. At Elantil, our multi-wallet approach and API-first, modular architecture provides partners with the freedom and flexibility that they’ll need to meet this exciting new era of iGaming head-on, so no matter what developments the coming months might bring, they’ll always be one step ahead of the curve.

The term originates from colonial India, when officials offered a reward for every dead cobra. Enterprising citizens began breeding snakes to collect bounties, and when the scheme was cancelled, they released the cobras, worsening the problem.

In gambling regulation, the same logic applies. Rules designed to protect consumers unintentionally push them to unlicensed sites with fewer safeguards.

Stricter gambling regulations are born from a genuine desire to protect vulnerable players and curb problem gambling. Measures such as stringent affordability checks, stake limits and advertising bans are implemented with the best intentions.

However, when countries impose overly restrictive regulations, legal options become less appealing to some players. These players don’t just stop gambling; they seek out alternatives on the black market. 

Creating rules that protect players while keeping the legal market competitive is a balancing act. Some countries, like Denmark, appear to have achieved the balance. Others, like Germany, are learning that excessive regulation can backfire. How can regulators strike the right balance? It is a topic widely discussed within the sector, including at igaming.com.

What the data says about channelisation

Channelisation, the share of play that occurs on licensed sites, remains the clearest test of whether regulation is working. Where frameworks balance access and protection, channelisation is high; where they add friction or narrow product choice, it slips.

Ontario shows what ‘good’ looks like. H2 Gambling Capital has estimated that sports betting channelisation reached 92% in 2024 in Ontario. It is on course to reach 97% by 2028 after opening the market and setting proportionate rules. That contrasts sharply with Canadian provinces that kept monopolies. Their onshore rates hover near 11% and are forecast to stay below 15% by 2028.

Denmark also demonstrates the payoff from steady, open regulation. Channelisation rose to 91.5% in 2024, up from under 40% before liberalisation. GGR grew 5.6% year on year. Online casino was the main source of the revenue, with the sector up 14.7% on 2023.

Germany is the opposite story. The Fourth Interstate Treaty on Gambling introduced a host of restrictions, including a €1 per spin stake limit on online slots, a monthly deposit limit of €1,000 across all providers, and a 5.3% turnover tax on online slots. The result? Players have been driven offshore. Trade groups and market analysis put online slot channelisation at just 20%–40%, highlighting how the restrictive rules have backfired.

Sweden, long a model for licensing, has also seen slippage. The regulator reported overall channelisation around 85% in 2024, with online casino estimated at just 72%–82%. Stringent regulations, such as a ban on bonuses and loyalty programs beyond a welcome offer, drive players to unregulated sites offering better incentives. Policymakers are now reviewing rules to address the illegal market.

“The policy lesson is simple: design rules that keep mainstream players onshore, or the black market will fill the gap.”

A recent report from Yield Sec claimed that illegal operators now command a staggering 71% of the European online gambling market, generating an estimated €80.6 billion in gross gaming revenue. This undermines the licensed industry and deprives governments of billions in tax revenue.

The policy lesson is simple: design rules that keep mainstream players onshore, or the black market will fill the gap.

Why players choose the black market – Insights from the UK’s latest research

The UK Gambling Commission’s 2025 research into the illegal online market identifies why consumers turn to the black market: better odds and offers, crypto availability, the ability to gamble while self-excluded, and confusion over which sites are legal.

The Commission notes evidence gaps but accepts that regulation can be one of several drivers toward illegal sites. This is especially true when rules reduce access to desired products or introduce heavy friction.

Independent polling reinforces the point. An Ipsos-based survey on unlicensed gambling sites shows that younger adults are more likely to say that “people like them” might knowingly use unlicensed websites. Fewer KYC checks and fewer restrictions were cited as key reasons.

This perception gap matters. If mainstream customers believe the legal path is slower or of poorer value, they will be tempted to play elsewhere.

How the Cobra Effect takes hold

Affordability checks are a good example of a sound idea that can misfire in practice. Checks protect higher-risk consumers, but intrusive document requests at low spend levels create avoidable friction. Some customers abandon sign-up. Others move to sites that advertise fewer questions and quicker deposits.

Product and price restrictions add a second channel. If in-play markets are removed or turnover taxes force slot RTPs to be lower, many users will look elsewhere. While low limits on bet and deposit sizes aim to protect players, they can push players to unlicensed sites where they can play without such tight restrictions.

Advertising rules can also have adverse effects. Strict ad limits or bans reduce harmful exposure, yet they also reduce the visibility of licensed operators and safer gambling tools. When search results, affiliates, and social media still show unlicensed brands, many customers cannot tell who is authorised and who is not.

What can be done – a path forward for regulators and operators

The goal is not deregulation. It is smart regulation that maximises onshore play while protecting higher-risk players. Regulations should be based on robust data and a clear understanding of player behaviour. The aim should be to create a regulated market that is attractive enough to channel the vast majority of players.

Evidence from higher-channelisation markets points to five best practices.

1. Tiered, data-led financial risk checks. Use frictionless, real-time credit and open-banking style signals for low-to-medium spend bands. Escalate to documentation checks only when clear red flags trigger them.
2. Competitive, transparent product frameworks. Allow mainstream gambling products with guardrails to reduce harm. Set clear, evidence-based game design standards rather than blanket bans that shift demand offshore.
3. Mandatory licence markers. Require visible, standardised licence logos across operator sites, app stores, and payment pages. Pair this with consistent wording on dispute resolution, fund segregation, and safer gambling tools. Consumers should be able to recognise a licensed operator in seconds.
4. Payments and platform enforcement. Build channels between regulators, operators, payment processors, search engines, and social platforms. Coordinated payment blocking and ad-platform delisting to reduce the black market’s advantage.
5. Publish channelisation as a KPI. Set explicit channelisation targets by vertical and review them quarterly. Proactively adjust the mix of site blocking, payment disruption, and product calibration when numbers slip.

Operators don’t need to wait for legislative changes. They should focus on making their sites attractive and entertaining to compete with the black market. This means offering fair odds, diverse game selections, hassle-free payments and interesting promotions.

Operators should reduce unnecessary friction, making KYC checks quick and straightforward. Publishing payout reports and prominently displaying licensing and security certificates can further build confidence in playing with legal operators.

A clear bottom line

The Cobra Effect in gambling regulation is a design problem. While the intentions behind stricter regulations are noble, the unintended consequences can be severe.

If legal options are slower, thinner or obviously poorer value, a share of play will leak to sites that do not protect consumers. The solution is not fewer safeguards but smarter ones.

The jurisdictions that align regulations to how people actually behave keep players onshore, reduce harm, and protect tax revenue. Those who overregulate watch the black market step in to fill the gaps.

What are main considerations when it comes to the payments landscape in iGaming?

We know players make a number of decisions at the payment stage of play; am I going to enjoy this platform once I’ve paid? How long will I have to wait for payment to be processed? Which payment methods are available? What are the limits? How quick will the payout be? They may not vocalise these questions explicitly, but operators need to have the answers in order for players to part with their money and play on.

This may be why, across all sectors, 62% of customers who experience a failure at the payment stage of a transaction will not complete a purchase, impacting both the first transaction and every other transaction after that. So what can operators do to counter this? They need to put the customer experience at the payment stage at the heart of their offering. This means elevating acceptance, increasing conversion, mitigating fraud and chargebacks, and reducing friction in the process.

Research from Paysafe shows that 78% of bettors consider the payment experience important in why they use a specific operator. New solutions available to the entire market are helping to democratise the industry by improving the customer experience with improved analytics and ever-customisable solutions in a more cost-effective ecosystem.

What are the challenges the industry is facing?

Operators face a myriad of challenges in today’s iGaming market. Customer acquisition remains challenging as experienced gamers have built brand loyalty with certain games and operators, and new clients can be expensive to acquire. Once customers have been acquired, retaining them is more difficult than ever before. There’s more competition in the market, and with market-leading operators able to lose money on new customers, challenger brands face an intense race to the bottom if price is the only consideration.

Furthermore, player needs and wants are constantly changing and the industry cannot be complacent and think customer preferences will remain static. The iGaming sector is at the forefront of innovation, with more games, more competitive pricing, and ever evolving technology, changing player habits as the market develops and grows.

Perhaps more importantly, the barriers to entry that players face remain a key hurdle for operators. Fraud checks, compliance checks in complex jurisdictions, local payment methods, data protection, and speed of payments are all issues that players face in their journey between landing on a platform and completing a purchase. With what seems to be greater regulatory and government interest in the gaming industry, as we’re seeing in the UK at the moment, we, as the industry, may face further challenges to navigate in the mid term.

Nations are opening new markets such as Brazil and India or tightening rules in Germany and the Netherlands to enhance player protection, control growth, and secure tax revenue, leading to a more licensed international landscape. With a potential gambling tax and mandatory affordability checks potentially set to be a hurdle to access the UK and other global markets, operators will need to deal with further regulatory challenges as markets become more fragmented in their approach to iGaming.

But regulatory complexities across markets are not the only challenge for operators. Different markets may have local preferred payment methods, such as MobilePay in Denmark or iDEAL in the Netherlands. These all require different PSPs and thus, need to be routed correctly to maintain a smooth customer experience and ensure the right payment methods are served to the right person at the right time. 

Furthermore, currency fluctuations, economic conflicts, and political pressures, which are beyond the control of the players in different jurisdictions, are factors operators must consider and adapt to in order to remain competitive with those who continue to cater for all markets at scale and at speed.

What is the role of payments orchestration in iGaming?

What role do orchestration and cashier solutions play in these challenges for operators? From the outside, they may seem beyond the scope of many of these issues, but they touch all of these pain points that customers experience. This is why it can help operators set their platform apart from the rest of the pack.

The payment stage is the crucial period where all marketing efforts either drive behaviour change or not. At Paysecure, we can see how subtle edits at the cashier stage can be the crucial change needed to drive greater customer conversion.  Gaining real-time performance insights can help operators make more informed decisions to drive player conversion.

“We see that when operators use the analytics and customisable workflows from our cashier solutions, they see iGaming transaction approval rates rise by up to 7%.”

This is because the data collected at the cashier stage is user-specific and enables segmentation. Along with all of the other insights collated across the payment flow, this helps operators capture clear insights on behaviour. Orchestration and its product suite provides the foundation to build a highly optimised strategy to improve your customer’s experience.

For example, if players experience friction in the deposit or withdrawal process, operators are likely to lose repeat custom and drive their hard-earned custom elsewhere.

We see that when operators use the analytics and customisable workflows from our cashier solutions, they see iGaming transaction approval rates rise by up to 7%.

So if you recognise in the data that players are dropping off at the payment stage in Kenya, testing and integrating the local M-PESA payment solution could drive greater conversion and repeat custom in that particular market. Paysafe research found 26% of players prioritise favourite payment method availability when selecting a sportsbook.

They also found that streamlined payouts were players’ top factor when choosing who to play with – prioritised by 37% of gamers. By integrating both cashier and orchestration solutions, operators can take advantage of the entire Paysecure smart routing solution, as part of its orchestration suite of products or as a modular programme, in order to offer more payment solutions to keep players playing and removing barriers to entry.

Use cases for this level of personalisation range from removing unnecessary checks for known VIP clients to reduce barriers to play, to ensuring all fraud and security measures are part of the process for unknown players in grey markets. This allows for different segments to experience play safely, securely, and seamlessly, encouraging customer acquisition and repeat business.

Beyond the UX insights, orchestration solutions allow for much more detailed analytics and insights into each and every customer profile. These insights range from high level drop off and conversion data, right down to the time between landing on a payment page plus the transaction being completed. These insights can help operators understand the process clients go through from being acquired to converting into fully subscribed players.

Simply connecting to multiple Payment Service Providers (PSPs) isn’t enough. The key is to send every single transaction down the optimal path in real-time. A best-in-class orchestration platform, such as Paysecure’s solution, employs a success-rate first routing policy, with an optional, highly effective cost-optimisation layer.

Smart routing triggers, such as location, payment method, repeat visitor, BIN number, device, or time of day, allows operators to customise the journey for individual customers in real time to ensure players have the most seamless play experience possible. This includes the cashier stage of the journey where the routing engine can adapt quickly if there is a failover or retry trigger, ensuring the transaction is routed elsewhere so players don’t feel the friction in the process.

What solutions are there for operators?

Cynics suggest that cost and technological barriers prevent smaller operators from accessing top-tier payment solutions. We’re aiming to change this by empowering operators with essential infrastructure, regardless of their internal tech resources or budget.

Our dynamic cashier product exemplifies this, offering the most customisable solution on the market. It provides deep insights into user behaviour, improving conversion and reducing fraud. Clients gain complete control over the deposit and withdrawal process, enabling seamless, multi-currency flows and transforming payments into a competitive advantage.

This enhanced cashier experience can boost conversion by up to 7% and increase deposit value by up to 35%. Operators can extend brand experience, localise user flows, and gain deeper insights into player behaviour at the cashier stage. Performance analysis, combined with advanced AI tools, helps optimise the experience, increase acceptance rates, and reduce friction. The solution also allows personalised promotions and notifications, improving player engagement and retention, especially for VIP customers, by offering perks or faster processing.

We understand the need for testing and learning. All customisable elements, including colors, logos, and call-to-action buttons, can be tested in a sandbox and deployed live within minutes. This includes taxation parameters, surcharge fees, transaction thresholds, and currency settings, giving operators unparalleled control.

The cashier is crucial for player conversion and loyalty. Our fully customisable, dynamic cashier enables operators to create on-brand, localised journeys. While players interact with the front-end solution, Paysecure’s internal engine manages personalisation, smart routing, fraud checks, and orchestration. This backend allows customisation, testing, and reporting to continually enhance the customer experience.

What are the top three ways iGaming operators can optimise an orchestration solution?

For iGaming operators, here are my top three ways you can optimise your orchestration solution for growth and improved customer experience: Player-centric payments journeys, global consistency and robust security

Putting players at the centre of your offering and creating a payment solution around them reduces the pain points for players and thus, gives them a barrier-less journey from acquisition to conversion and retainment. This is driven by solutions that help to deliver a dynamic experience relevant for the player, such as Paysecure’s dynamic cashier, smart routing, and insights solutions.

Being globally consistent also helps put players at the centre of your offering. Delivering a great experience to players, regardless of their location, language, preferred payment solution, or processing partner, means all customers feel looked after and equal, building trust in your brand. Players are more likely to complete their first transaction and return if they feel their vendor is closer to the market that they are in. By using Paysecure’s insights, operators can personalise the offering to different markets using intelligent routing and customer segmentation to hyper-personalise their platform to give them the best chance of acquiring and retaining custom.

Finally, ensuring your platform is secure and trusted increases your standing and reputation with players globally, helping to drive returning custom. By mitigating fraud with player intelligence delivered through solutions such as Paysecure’s orchestration technology, transaction encryption, and our unique User Trust Score algorithm, players can game confidently, knowing them and their money is safe in play with you and operators reduce risk by only pulling irregular transactions.

While orchestration technology solutions have historically been expensive, time-consuming to produce, and reserved only for the largest, market-leading operators, at Paysecure, we’re changing the game by empowering operators by giving them the best-in-class infrastructure to compete at every level of gaming in any market. Now, for the first time ever, this level of technology is available to all operators, removing the cost barrier for the market, democratising the orchestration market and fundamentally changing the payment experience for players globally.

Why do you consider frictionless payments so central to an operator’s iGaming strategy?

The payment stage of the user experience is where operators win or lose business. This is why every iGaming business should have their payment solution at the heart of their offering. Doing this will ensure they give themselves every possible advantage to convert as much traffic as possible, retain players, and keep their most valuable customers happy for longer.

At Paysecure, we’re changing the game by empowering operators to help them put payments at the heart of their offering and removing the barriers for them to access the best technology. As the market continues to change, evolve, and become more competitive, there will only be a greater focus on the user experience and payment journey. Now is the time to embrace this and gain the competitive edge.

The digital potential hiding in plain sight 

Japan has all the ingredients of a high-value iGaming market. The population’s disposable income, advanced digital literacy, and near-universal access to smartphones create a perfect environment for regulated online play. 

Industry forecasts suggest that if Japan introduced a controlled online gambling framework, it could generate over US $9 billion in annual gross gaming revenue within five years. That would place it among the top three markets in Asia, rivalling the Philippines and Singapore.

More importantly, a legal framework could divert economic activity currently captured by non-domestic operators into taxable, accountable systems. But as observers note, Japan’s challenge is not technological capability – it’s regulatory vision. 

Cultural caution meets economic pragmatism 

Japan’s relationship with gambling has always been pragmatic but cautious. Pachinko, lotteries, and parimutuel sports betting thrive under strict rules designed to contain risk and preserve public trust. 

Any expansion into online casinos must therefore align with deeply rooted social values: order, responsibility, and transparency. These principles explain why policymakers continue to explore frameworks that emphasise player protection before profit. 

For an online casino market to gain acceptance, it will need to demonstrate that responsible gambling, financial clarity, and community benefit are baked into its design from the outset. 

Technology as compliance

If Japan does move toward online gambling regulation, it will likely be a ‘compliance-first’ model, leveraging technology to monitor and enforce standards in real time. 

Potential mechanisms suggested by AyakaCasinos include: 

• Digital identity verification – using Japan’s national ‘My Number’ system to ensure players are of legal age and to prevent duplicate or fraudulent accounts. 
• AI-driven behaviour tracking – algorithms capable of detecting problematic play patterns, triggering cooling-off periods or self-exclusion options.
• Centralised transaction monitoring – unified databases allowing regulators to audit deposits and withdrawals for transparency and AML control.
• Payment ecosystem oversight – collaboration between licensed operators and fintech providers to manage secure, traceable funds flow.

This framework would reflect Japan’s broader regulatory style: rigorous, data-centric, and backed by technological precision rather than reactive enforcement.

Lessons from Asia’s hybrid markets 

Japan does not have to start from zero. Across Asia, examples of integrated digital-and land-based gambling environments are already operating. 

The Philippines has shown how controlled online licensing (through POGO and domestic PAGCOR frameworks) can coexist with local oversight. 

Singapore’s tightly restricted online betting channels prove that limited legalisation can coexist with robust social safeguards. 

Macau remains a cautionary tale of relying too heavily on land-based revenue – a lesson Japan can apply as it considers diversifying into digital. 

Each of these cases underscores the importance of building regulation from the inside out: defining payment compliance, data responsibility, and player welfare before launching the product itself. 

Payments as the catalyst for regulation 

Japan’s surge in e-wallet usage – with digital payments accounting for nearly 60 percent of all consumer transactions in 2024 – has already established the infrastructure regulators need to monitor and manage gambling funds safely. 

A future iGaming framework could require operators to use licensed payment intermediaries or domestic fintech partners to process deposits and withdrawals. These entities would implement built-in deposit limits, AML checks, and instant transaction reporting to regulators. 

Such a model aligns neatly with Japan’s preference for precision and accountability. It would also create new business opportunities for fintech companies eager to enter the iGaming support ecosystem. 

The responsible gambling imperative 

Regulation in Japan will succeed only if it integrates measurable social responsibility outcomes. International markets have shown that self-exclusion programs and spending caps work only when applied uniformly across all licensed platforms. 

Japan could go further by integrating its national ID and digital health systems to ensure consistent, data-based monitoring of gambling behaviour. Combining this infrastructure with real-time analytics would allow intervention long before individual harm escalates. 

This approach would reflect Japan’s emphasis on public health and prevention – turning responsible gambling from a policy afterthought into a measurable KPI of market integrity. 

Why timing matters

Japan’s window for establishing leadership in the digital gaming space may be narrow. Neighboring markets are moving fast to attract regional players, build cross-border payment corridors, and develop AI-based compliance solutions. 

By acting within the next five years, Japan could position itself as the benchmark for ethical, tech-driven iGaming regulation in Asia. The delay, however, risks ceding that ground to more aggressive jurisdictions whose standards may not align with Japan’s cultural priorities. 

For domestic stakeholders, the conversation is not about whether gambling should exist online, but how to build it responsibly – and who should shape it. 

Looking ahead 

Japan’s path toward a regulated online casino market will likely be gradual, heavily consultative, and driven by data. But the foundational pieces – digital payments, fintech expertise, and consumer trust – are already in place. 

The emergence of analytical voices like AyakaCasinos signals growing domestic engagement with the issue. Their focus on transparency, responsible gambling, and technology integration reflects a maturing conversation – one that is less about speculation and more about sustainable design. 

If Japan ultimately legalises online casinos, the result could be more than another market opening. It could represent a new global model: a market defined not by scale or volume, but by precision, compliance, and ethical technology deployment. 

For an industry often criticised for chasing growth at any cost, that would be a refreshing change – and a distinctly Japanese contribution to the global iGaming narrative.

Across Europe, online gambling regulation has become a testing ground where each jurisdiction tries to strike the right balance: protecting consumers, generating tax revenues, and giving operators and affiliates room to operate profitably. Too often, that balance tips in the wrong direction.

A number of European countries have hit roadblocks. Germany, for instance, has been criticised for restrictions so severe that many players migrate to offshore operators. While Italy, with its heavy taxation and near-total advertising bans, has also seen the grey market expand.

Spain, however, offers a different case study. More than a decade after implementing its licensing framework, the country has built a market that sustains healthy tax revenues, protects players, allows affiliates to operate, and still leaves room for innovation. The key question is: has Spain created the most balanced regulated iGaming market in Europe?

Understanding the Spanish regulatory framework

Spain’s Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) launched its licensing system in 2012. Since then, the country has enforced a clear structure:

• Introducing strict technical and financial requirements for licensed operators.
• Implementing a transparent and stable tax rate of 20% on Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR).
• Employing increasingly restrictive advertising rules, particularly after reforms in 2021.

The result is a mature market that generates hundreds of millions of euros in predictable tax income for the government each year, while maintaining strong oversight of player safety.

Unpacking the operator’s perspective

For international operators, Spain represents an attractive market for several reasons:

1. Regulatory stability: unlike some jurisdictions where rules shift constantly, Spain offers a predictable framework.
2. Solid player base: with more than 1.5 million active users, Spain’s iGaming audience is established and reliable.
3. Balanced taxation: while not low, the 20% GGR rate is far from the excessive burden seen in countries such as Italy or France.

This stability allows operators to plan long-term, invest in compliance, and expand their product offerings in a sustainable way.

Adapting affiliates: a space that remains viable

The role of affiliates has changed significantly under Spanish rules. Advertising restrictions have narrowed opportunities for aggressive campaigns, but serious affiliates who focus on transparency and user value have adapted successfully.

Specialist portals that provide comparisons, impartial reviews, and educational guides have become essential partners for both operators and consumers. While the margins may not be as wide as in less regulated markets, affiliates in Spain still find a profitable and sustainable model, provided they prioritise credibility and quality of content.

“Some DGOJ-licensed brands are already exploring innovative payment methods like cryptocurrencies. This proves that regulation can both protect players and adapt to new financial trends.”

Protecting players without over-restriction

Player protection remains a cornerstone of Spain’s iGaming model. Measures such as self-exclusion registers, deposit limits, and strict advertising controls ensure that consumers have a safety net.

Importantly, Spain has avoided the pitfall of over-regulation. In Germany, for example, low monthly deposit caps and reduced game offerings have driven players toward unlicensed operators. In contrast, Spain has combined protection with freedom: players are safeguarded, but they do not feel stripped of choice or entertainment value.

This balance reduces the incentive to seek offshore alternatives, strengthening the integrity of the regulated market.

Innovating within a regulated framework

Another strength of Spain’s model is that regulation does not exclude innovation. As Daniel Castillo from MejoresCasinos points out, the DGOJ framework has proven flexible enough to accommodate new payment methods.

“Some DGOJ-licensed brands are already exploring innovative payment methods like cryptocurrencies,” Castillo explains. “This proves that regulation can both protect players and adapt to new financial trends.”

This development highlights Spain’s ability to combine safety with forward-looking practices. By allowing crypto adoption within a supervised ecosystem, regulators enable players to experiment with new technologies without leaving the legal and secure market.

Comparing Spain with other European markets

The Spanish model becomes even more compelling when set against other European jurisdictions:

• Germany: deposit and product restrictions so strict that much of the traffic migrates to offshore sites.
• Italy: high taxation and advertising bans that have reduced affiliate viability and constrained operator growth.
• Sweden: advanced consumer protection but sometimes criticised for over-regulation that undermines competitiveness.
  

Against this backdrop, Spain emerges as a middle path: firm on consumer safety, serious on taxation, but flexible enough to integrate innovation and sustain an ecosystem where all stakeholders benefit.

Is Spain the model for sustainable regulation?

Spain has achieved something few regulated markets can demonstrate with such balance:

• The government secures substantial, predictable tax revenues
• Operators benefit from stability and a viable long-term framework
• Affiliates continue to operate profitably through value-driven content
• Players enjoy genuine protection without losing freedom of choice
• Innovation evolves within regulation, with crypto and other payment technologies finding space in the legal ecosystem

It is not a flawless model, but Spain shows that smart regulation can align the interests of government, operators, affiliates, and players. For jurisdictions still struggling to design effective iGaming frameworks, the Spanish example underscores a key lesson: balance and adaptability are the foundations of sustainable regulation.

When you think of innovation, you think of cutting-edge crypto casino platforms, the latest online slot mechanics and smart payment solutions that allow for instant deposits and withdrawals.

But you rarely, if ever, think about land-based slot cabinets and the games being developed for these machines. To me, that’s doing land-based providers a bit of a disservice.

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s much harder to innovate in the retail space than online, but that makes it all the more important. Land-based players are still looking for edge-of-the-seat experiences, so we must be able to provide these despite the significant limitations we face.

Remember: land-based players are seeking a much deeper and richer experience than those who play online. For them, it’s about enjoying a sensory overload from the moment they enter the casino to when they decide to leave.

Slot machine cabinets play a major part in this, with their flashing lights and catchy sounds helping to bring the casino floor to life and ultimately drawing players in. But the games on these machines need to be just as captivating.

This is why slot cabinet and game manufacturers must balance the need to focus on hardware and software, something our online counterparts don’t have to do.

In addition, land-based manufacturers also have to consider tight regulations, personalisation and localisation; it’s easy to see why they really do have to push boundaries to meet the needs of their partners and players.

But this is a challenge that Dreidel has embraced, and our approach to innovation and producing iconic slot machine cabinets and thrilling games has seen us become a power player in a short space of time.

Before I get into how we have achieved this and what other land-based slot manufacturers can learn from our blueprint, let me first give you the Dreidel backstory.

The Dreidel story

The Dreidel story starts in Mexico in 2020.

The business was founded by a group of entrepreneurs with extensive operational experience in the gaming industry, including Isaac Shemaria and Moisés Shemaria, with a clear mission – to use innovation and cutting-edge technology to revolutionize the land-based slot machine market.

From the very beginning, our vision has been centered on understanding market and player needs through hands-on experience and real-world feedback, and to constantly improve our products so they not only meet but exceed player expectations. 

Rather than simply developing products in isolation, we’ve taken a meticulous and practical approach to understanding the challenges land-based manufacturers face and what the player truly wants and expects.

“We don’t create generic products; we listen to the end user, study their behaviour, preferences, and playing habits”

Through this journey, we’ve embraced innovation as a core pillar, consistently evolving both our game offerings and the design of our cabinets to deliver fresh, engaging and differentiated experiences.

Our products are born from real-world insight, and we pride ourselves on delivering solutions that are not only technically solid but also creatively designed to meet the ever-changing demands of a highly competitive, sophisticated and challenging industry.

The challenges faced when innovating for the casino floor

Land-based slot machine manufacturers face several key challenges they need to overcome if they are to develop cabinets that draw players in, as well as produce the games to keep them entertained and coming back for more.

This is one of the most complex and demanding areas within the gaming industry, mainly due to the high barriers to entry, both technological and regulatory. It’s not enough to have a good idea; you need a product that is technically solid, commercially viable and fully compliant with strict standards.

Another major hurdle is the development cycle and the lifetime of slot machine cabinets. Development cycles often last several years, mostly because cabinets are designed to stand the test of time.

This is because land-based casinos install cabinets on the casino floor and then keep them there for several years. Unlike online casinos, they can’t add new machines and games each week, so the cabinets and slots they do install need to hit the mark with players for sometimes up to a decade.

This means that cabinets need to be at the cutting edge when they launch, so that they don’t date quickly. For example, our cabinets come with state-of-the-art curved, high-definition screens and high-tech LED lighting systems.

In short, we put our cabinets so far ahead of the curve that, come the end of their lifespan, technology and our rivals have only just caught up.

We do the same with the games available on our cabinets. Just as with online slots, they need to be developed around the latest player preferences and trends, but they also need to be captivating and rewarding to such a degree that players will come back to them over months and even years.

Other challenges we encounter are building localisation and innovation into our cabinets and games, as well as ensuring we are compliant with the different rules and regulations in each of the markets we serve.

How Dreidel has worked to overcome these challenges

The market-leading position we have achieved is the result of a long, challenging yet rewarding journey that has seen us take on and overcome these challenges.

It’s been a step-by-step process, marked by both setbacks and incredible achievements, all of which have shaped us into the company that we are today. So, what sets us apart from other suppliers?

I’d say it’s our ability to deeply understand and analyse what players want and enjoy. We don’t create generic products; we listen to the end user, study their behaviour, preferences, and playing habits, and design cabinets and games that resonate with them on a personal level.

We focus on meeting the unique demands of the gaming sector, tailoring our offerings for each market we target. Mexico is our primary market, but we are making moves into other LatAm jurisdictions and North America, too.

Our goal is to deliver games that are not only innovative in terms of technology and design but also captivating for the player, grabbing their attention from the very first spin to the last.

Today, we offer Class III products that are ranked among the top performers in the Mexican market. That leading position is the result of a clear vision, a player-focused approach and a passionate team committed to creating experiences that truly stand out.

The importance of company culture and attracting top talent

Our passionate and committed team has been the secret weapon in combating the intrinsic challenges of developing land-based slot machine cabinets and games.

We have an incredibly strong team and have installed a culture where every single member not only plays a vital role, but is given the freedom to think independently, put ideas forward and ultimately achieve their true potential.

We believe that successful products are the result of having a fully integrated effort, combining design, engineering, operations and commercial vision, and with this in place, we’ve been able to build significant momentum, quickly, by overcoming any challenges faced.

What does land-based slot innovation actually look like

Let’s take our next-gen 5ENTURI0N cabinet as an example.

Dubbed the future of land-based casino entertainment, it has a powerful visual impact on the casino floor thanks to its massive screen, which we have combined with advanced player interactivity for a truly immersive slot experience.

It has an impressive 43” ultra-high-definition curved screen, which has been enhanced with an intelligent LED lighting system so that it simply can’t be ignored. This is a slot machine cabinet that really does make some noise, thanks to a powerful sound system that pulls players into the heart of the action taking place across the reels.

It’s also been built for player comfort and convenience. This is why it features a 13.3” touch button panel, wireless phone charger and the latest generation processors for a compelling gaming experience.

Of course, the 5ENTURI0N cabinet has also been designed for reliability and easy integration, so that casinos can easily deliver a top-tier experience while boosting engaging and growing revenues.

A thrilling example of innovation in action

The 5ENTURI0N cabinet is just one part of the equation, and just as important are the games offered on it. This is where land-based manufacturers can really flex their creative muscles to produce compelling gameplay and captivating experiences.

Here, we face pretty much the same challenges as online slot developers, and that’s tapping into the latest player trends and ever-changing demands, and ensuring our titles stand out above those being produced by our rivals.

This is something that Dreidel has become very good at, mostly because of our approach to development, especially undertaking market research, obtaining partner and player feedback and being agile so that we can adapt to changes.

This is all evidenced in our latest title, Bomb Crush, an explosive slot with an action-packed base game where coloured fire symbols (red, blue and green) appear and accumulate along with their corresponding bombs.

These coloured fire symbols also bring suspense and anticipation as they can trigger the game’s Hold & Spin feature at any moment – Hold & Win slots are hugely popular right now.

There are three features in the Hold & Spin bonus – Expand, Collect and Multiplier – and if two or all three of the bonuses are triggered simultaneously, a Combined Bonus is activated. If all three coloured fire symbols land in the same spin, at least one Bonus feature is activated.

The game can also be played in three modes – Festival of Light, Nuclear Win and Wild Treasury – with different Wild symbols in play for each. This is a visually striking slot with high-impact gameplay that really turns up the heat.

Land-based slot development is incredibly challenging, but by embracing innovation, we can move the needle just as much, if not more so, than our online counterparts.

And the providers that do this are the ones enjoying incredible success despite the many hurdles we have to clear.

In an industry in which success is often measured by hard numbers, operators could be forgiven for focusing on quantifiable, short-term results. There are good reasons for this apparent short-sightedness.  

With investors and shareholders keen to track an operator’s performance in a fiercely competitive space, it makes sense to feed them cost-per-acquisition or retention figures that are easy to compare – even if they tell only part of the story without a more difficult-to-calculate lifetime value. 

However, in betting and gaming (as in other consumer-facing sectors), times are changing – and forward-thinking executives are doubling down on efforts to build a more durable engagement strategy. Marcus Adolfsson, Vice President of Product at Keep.Social, believes iGaming platforms should be focusing on the essence of communities to drive business growth.  

The ‘big idea’ 

It was consultancy titan McKinsey that said in 2022 that “community… [was the] big idea” in 2020s marketing – basically by enabling consumers to express membership through active participation in a brand. 

Bestselling author and marketing expert Mark Schaefer echoed these thoughts in his 2023 book, ‘Belonging to the Brand’, which carried the subtitle – ‘Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy’.  

This concept, though, is hardly new. Indeed, while iGaming has only scratched the surface of such possibilities, the power of the ‘community’ has been nurtured by some of the world’s most iconic brands for years.  

Famously, Harley-Davidson was struggling until it launched its Harley Owners Group in the early 1980s. Nowadays the group has well over one million members worldwide. 

Since 2008, Lego has invited fans to submit ideas for future sets (and claim a slice of potential royalties), while Nike’s dive into fitness challenges and apps over the past decade has converted fans into a cult following. Then, of course, there is Apple, which created different communities of enthusiasts who were given the chance to voluntarily provide help, advice and answers to other customers. 

A new approach for iGaming 

Traditionally, few betting and gaming enterprises considered such an approach. Now, though, proactive operators are beginning to embrace the opportunities of nurturing dynamic communities and can see the results with their own eyes.  

“Today, players are looking for more than a transaction; they want connection.”

Moreover, there is a growing belief that success in the future will be gauged by the strength and quality of community connections and interactions – and not just by the sheer numbers of players that have been attracted or retained by an operator. 

“For years, iGaming has been about getting players to the table or the screen and keeping them there,” says Adolfsson whose company Keep.Social provides a suite of social tools designed to integrate with existing online platforms using client-based APIs. 

“Engagement was measured in hours played, wagers placed, and jackpots won. But as the digital world matures, so do player expectations. 

“Today, players are looking for more than a transaction; they want connection. For the industry, this means rethinking success. The next chapter isn’t about ‘play and leave’. It’s about ‘stay and belong’.” 

The business of belonging 

Keep.Social, which has fully embraced the ‘stay and belong’ notion, is focused on facilitating the natural social exchanges that have been at the heart of the gambling industry for years, but in an engaging digital setting. 

Authentic interactions fuel a sense of belonging – a powerful engagement tool for enterprises at the cutting edge of the battle to win and keep punters. 

“For operators, belonging is more than a feel-good concept,” Adolfsson says. “It changes the economics of the business.” 

Adolfsson argues that a trio of core benefits provides ample evidence of this financial uplift. 

Firstly, retention improves, he says, with players returning for the community’s conversations, relationships and shared experiences, and not just the game or product, demonstrating the importance of a socially connected ecosystem.  

Secondly, acquisition costs are minimised, with iGaming communities growing organically via referrals, word-of-mouth interactions and peer-to-peer influence. 

Thirdly, brand trust is boosted through a safe and engaged community supported by brand advocates, with sponsors, partners and regulators likely to respond positively when operators can demonstrate the presence of a positive gaming environment. 

Social proofing 

According to Adolfsson, whilst the old model of iGaming focused on isolated gameplay with limited player-to-player interaction, the future will revolve around interconnected spaces where players are co-creators, storytellers and contributors. 

Keep.Social is already endeavouring to leverage this opportunity through community-driven text and video-based content that bring to life real-time interactions through personalised feeds, profiles, posts and comments. 

“Communities are evolving beyond simple leaderboards or chat functions,” he says. “They are becoming living ecosystems where moments on the platform carry meaning long after the game is over.” 

With this in mind, ‘social proofing’ is a particularly striking example of the power of belonging. This occurs when players see peers share wins, celebrate milestones, or contribute to community goals to make them feel part of something bigger. 

“Social proofing isn’t about pushing players to spend more,” Adolfsson says. “It’s about reinforcing trust and connection. Players don’t just feel like customers, they feel like community members – and that shift turns casual users into long-term loyal players.” 

The ‘ketchup’ effect 

Of course, there is sometimes a first-mover reluctance among players. They may be reluctant to be the first to post a picture, share a bet or write a comment.  

However, with moderators and ambassadors taking the lead, it is possible to break the ice and get the conversations flowing. 

“Every community, especially in its early days, needs leaders and coaches to spark conversations and set the tone,” Adolfsson adds. 

“This is where the famous ketchup effect comes in: for a while, nothing seems to move. Then suddenly, after enough trust and momentum build up, everything flows at once. With responsible coaching and nurturing, communities grow organically, conversations multiply, and players take ownership of the space themselves.” 

Adolfsson adds that it is precisely at this point where the real value emerges for the operator, with retention days increasing as players return for the people and not just the game, and acquisition costs decreasing as players invite others into the community.  

Moreover, the community develops its own distinctive environment, which ultimately helps to convert first-time players into long-term members. 

“The ketchup effect doesn’t just transform the community experience. It transforms the business economics behind it,” Adolfsson explains. 

Social responsibility 

Such social engagement requires a duty of care from the operator, with responsible design at the heart of the approach.  

In practice, this means gamification that promotes balance with achievements, and milestones that encourage healthy play. 

Furthermore, peer support tools can be introduced to make it easier for players to help each other, and transparent moderation with clear labelling and visible rules will help to navigate potential hurdles. 

Additionally, sustainability and inclusion should be fostered, helping to create long-term value. A sustainable approach can be underpinned by user-generated content that extends platform life without high ongoing production costs, and this can be driven by contribution-based rewards that value creativity and collaboration as much as player spend.  

Meanwhile, optimised infrastructure can reduce environmental impact while maintaining performance – which may be an increasingly important factor, especially for younger players in the gambling community. 

In terms of the inclusive element of belonging, representation across avatars, events, and messaging, as well as accessibility for different levels of digital literacy is all important.  

Can you measure belonging? 

At the core of Keep.Social’s ‘stay and belong’ framework is its North Star metric that aims to put a value on the concept: the share of player interactions that are community-driven and responsibly moderated. 

This metric is supported by service delivery metrics that span key areas of focus and touch on various elements. These include retention rates linked to community ties and non-monetary touchpoints per player, the percentage of community-driven feature improvements, and a social wellbeing index that targets at least 95% of interactions being ‘toxicity-free’ and calculates peer-to-peer support volume. 

Therefore, whilst some operators may have assumed that ‘belonging’ is impossible to measure, Keep.Social’s efforts to quantify the concept in iGaming brings a fresh dimension to consumer-facing strategies.  

“Engagement can no longer be measured in play time alone,” Adolfsson says. “True value comes when players choose to stay because they belong.” 

Can we expect growth?

The reforms introduced by the State Treaty have sparked a crucial question: can the German iGaming market truly grow under such tight regulations?

Platforms like Wildz Casino continue to thrive – not only in Germany but internationally – yet concerns remain. Could the strict rules imposed by the GlüStV ultimately limit the success of online casinos? Some critics certainly think so.

Despite this, the market initially told a different story. Germany’s iGaming sector grew by 5% last year, reaching a total of €11.93 billion ($14 billion). And the momentum has carried into this year, with platforms generating €3.5 billion in gross gaming revenue in just the first quarter.

The rise and fall of the industry

More recently, Germany’s iGaming market recorded a dip, with gross gaming revenue falling to €3.2 billion. Poker rooms also saw a marked decrease in wagers; dropping by 20 million Euros from one quarter to the next. Furthermore, the industry also saw a downward progression in sports betting. The advocates against the new treaty believe that the spike in iGaming will continue and ultimately harm the industry’s long-term prospects. However, others are not convinced.

Industry experts warn against drawing premature conclusions. Correlation does not always equal causation, and several factors suggest this drop may not mark the start of a lasting trend. The drop could be a temporary setback caused by a slew of factors. One is that the data was taken from a period in the year when many Germans travel for the summer. Another suggestion is that gambling in general has taken a hit worldwide –  even Las Vegas has seen tourist numbers decrease compared to previous years.

Crucially, there is little evidence to suggest that the GlüStV itself caused this downturn. The treaty did not prevent 2024 from becoming a record-breaking year for German gambling, nor did it deter new players: by the end of last year, over 14 million people participated in German casinos.

But what can we expect to see from Germany’s gambling market in the future?

German player behaviours in the future

As we know, the iGaming sector is unlike any other – constantly evolving and driven by player behaviour that can be unpredictable. For operators, staying ahead means closely monitoring shifts in player preferences, trends and data, and adapting efficiently.

One thing we can expect to see is an increase in gambling among demographics under the age of 50. A UK-based study sampled over 53,000 gamblers and found that the vast majority of players tend to be younger. The report found that those over the age of 50 are much less likely to spend large sums of money in one session. The report also indicates that younger German players might have an issue with the deposit limits imposed by the State Treaty on Gaming.

Furthermore, another find revealed the decline in brand loyalty among younger players. Boomers and Gen X were far more likely to return to a game and a casino that they have been using for a longer period of time – averaging play across 1.25 operators compared to millennials and Gen Z, averaging play across 1.32 operators.

This shift suggests a more competitive landscape ahead, where operators will need to focus on innovation, seamless user experiences, and personalized engagement rather than relying on long-standing loyalty.

Emerging technologies and how they will change iGaming

The familiar online casinos in Germany may soon change quite drastically with the creation of new technologies. Several German casino operators are focusing heavily on mobility and speed; players expect fast loading and better UX designs. 

There’s been a significant shift with game designers now producing more mobile-friendly layouts that focus on getting the game to the player as soon as possible. Some operators have remarked that the player is already lost if the game takes longer than two seconds to start.

Another point of discussion is how to best utilize blockchain technology in this new era of gambling. Several global online casinos have embraced cryptocurrency as a viable payment method. Moreover, the integration of the technology goes further than that as gambling operators are starting to envision an industry where casinos are built on a blockchain themselves. The idea borrows heavily from the controversial Web3 proposal; an idea that still gets talked about even five years after it was first brought up.

Experts predict that the German iGaming market will continue to grow in the future. Some think it may even reach $23 billion; an equivalent to about €19.5 billion. We can also expect to see younger players rise to prominence in the industry. These players have thrown brand loyalty to the side; meaning new casinos are going to have to become much more competitive.

Live casino adds its own layer of complexity to that discussion. For much of its history, the category has been dominated by authentic, physical studio setups. The combination of real dealers, real equipment, and carefully designed environments has been central to building trust and credibility with players.

That has shaped the common perception that “live” should mean untouched by too much digital input. Players come to live roulette, blackjack, or baccarat for the human connection and the sense of fairness that physical setups provide.

It is a valid point of view, but it also comes with limitations. Physical-only setups take up more space, cost more to build, and are harder to modify or scale. They also leave less room for game format innovation.

The arrival of AI, when combined with technologies like green screen, is changing that equation. It opens up new creative and operational possibilities for studios. The challenge is knowing where to draw the line.

Getting AI wrong in live casino

If AI is applied without thought, it can quickly undermine the player experience. We have all seen examples in other forms of entertainment where digital overlays are overdone or thematically misplaced. In live casino, the equivalent would be inserting your roulette table into a cartoon landscape or a surreal backdrop. That might be visually striking, but it takes the player’s focus away from the game, and the game is what they are there for.

Take roulette as an example. Players want to see two things: the wheel and, perhaps, the dealer. They want the play to feel authentic and the interface to help them follow the action without distraction. That is why at Vindral we advocate for a balanced approach. Use AI to enhance, not to overwhelm. Use it to make the game more engaging and easier to follow, not to turn it into something unrecognisable.

Turning a simple idea, into a game changer

That philosophy guided the development of our roulette wheel tracker. The idea came when working with one of our more progressive and innovative clients. They wanted to create a cleaner, more intuitive version of the popular multiplier roulette format.

Multiplier roulettes are incredibly popular but, in their standard form, can be cognitively tiring for players over longer sessions. In most versions, you have to watch several areas of the screen to see which numbers have been given multipliers. That creates a disjointed viewing experience, where attention is split between the wheel, the dealer, and the digital interface.

Our client’s suggestion was simple but clever: what if the multipliers appeared directly on the wheel? This would keep the player’s focus on the physical game, increase anticipation, and make it easier to follow over time.

Working with them, it became clear that our existing strengths in streaming through Vindral Live, and real-time video compositing via Vindral Composer, could make this possible. By combining those capabilities with AI algorithms and computer vision, we developed a system that can recognise roulette numbers in real time and apply perfectly aligned overlays as the wheel spins.

The result was V-Track Roulette, launched in summer 2024. It has been in continuous use since then without a single glitch. For operators, it provides a fresh take on a proven game type. For players, it makes the experience more immersive without compromising the authenticity of the game.

Extending the concept

Once you know how to track a roulette wheel with precision, the natural next step is to apply that to other game formats.

Money wheel game shows are a prime candidate. They are popular across multiple markets but, in most cases, the design is static: the wheel always has the same number of segments, and the presentation rarely changes.

Our V-Track Money Wheel solution also leverages AI-powered computer vision, but works with a much larger, more versatile canvas. By accurately tracking the wheel’s movement and recognising its segments, we can enable dynamic overlays like multipliers, bonus symbols, or even entirely new gameplay elements that appear to be part of the physical wheel.

This opens the door to more creative, flexible game show formats that still look and feel “live” but have greater potential for variation and innovation. For operators, it is a way to differentiate without having to redesign or rebuild physical wheels, while also enabling multi-branding, meaning a single setup can power multiple brands and experiences.

The overlooked value of AI in audio

Visual enhancements get most of the attention, but in live casino, audio is equally important. Poor sound quality can undermine even the best-looking production. Background noise, echo, or uneven dealer audio can break immersion and shorten player sessions.

Crystal Speech, our AI-based voice enhancement tool, tackles this head-on by removing unwanted noise; anything from air conditioning to card shufflers and chatter from nearby tables.

From a production point of view, this has major implications. Studios can place tables closer together and build game show rooms with less acoustic insulation. That reduces construction costs and allows more games to run within the same footprint. In a sector where studio space is expensive and expansion can be logistically challenging, this is a significant operational benefit.

Choosing the right AI projects

For us, the decision to develop an AI feature comes down to one question: does it add real business value?

That value can take several forms. It might enhance the player experience, as with V-Track Roulette. It might solve an operational challenge, as with Crystal Speech. Ideally, it will do both.

We are not interested in AI features that are technically impressive but have no clear application. In live casino, novelty wears off quickly. Features have to deliver measurable benefits, whether in engagement, retention, or efficiency, to justify their place in a product roadmap.

What’s next for AI in live gaming

Looking ahead, we see two key areas where AI can make a difference. The first is in further expanding the V-Track Money Wheel’s capabilities, giving studios even more creative flexibility for wheel-based game shows.

The second is in game integrity and risk (GIR) operations. AI has enormous potential to make these functions more efficient and reliable, from automating parts of fraud detection to streamlining compliance monitoring. The same applies to support functions, where AI can speed up response times and help resolve player issues more effectively.

In both cases, the guiding principle is the same as it has been for our existing features: use AI to solve real problems and make the live gaming experience better for everyone involved.

Finding AI’s “killer app” in live casino

The hype around AI will continue, and so will the experimentation. Many ideas will be tried. Some will fade quickly – others will become industry standards.

In our view, the “killer app” for AI in live casino will be the one that balances authenticity with enhancement. Players still want to feel that they are in a real casino, interacting with real people. The role of AI should be to make that experience smoother, more exciting, and more accessible, not to replace it with something entirely virtual.

V-Track Roulette and V-Track Money Wheel, along with Crystal Speech are all examples of how AI can add value without breaking the core contract between player and game. They do not just look good on a features list. They make games easier to follow, more immersive to play, and more efficient to produce.

That is where we believe the true potential of AI lies in live gaming – where technology, creativity and operational reality meet.

Swiftly shifting from a model that housed just one government-run operator to a thriving regulated online landscape packed with 50+ direct competitors, the province has established itself as one of the largest gambling markets in the world. In doing so, Ontario has not only shown the potential for legalised iGaming in Canada, but provided the blueprint for other provinces to follow as well.

Fuelled by the success and substantial online gambling revenues that AGCO’s approach has garnered, other provinces are casting envious eyes towards Ontario and wondering how they could achieve similar results. If, as now looks increasingly likely, Alberta decides to implement an equivalent framework, we could be on the cusp of a regulated online gambling explosion in Canada; and operators will understandably want to place themselves in a position to capitalise.

Of course, new opportunities invariably mean new challenges, and while other provincial governments may base their frameworks on Ontario’s winning example, it seems inevitable some differences will come into play. As such, operators could find themselves in a situation similar to that in the US where they’re required to navigate a patchwork of local regulations in order to stay compliant across the numerous legalised jurisdictions, so agility and adaptability will be crucial.

Whereas other platform and technology providers may find themselves coming into the country cold and learning as they grow, Bede has a wealth of experience working within the Canadian market. Our relationship with AGCO has been fostered over a number of years – stretching back to before the market opened for non-governmental operators in Ontario – and the learnings we’ve taken from this exchange ensure that we’re perfectly positioned for further expansion in Canada.

In every market that we operate in, Bede has seen cross-operator interest in sharing regulatory knowledge, so our time working with AGCO already provides us with a deep level of insight that can be leveraged and tailored to suit any new provincial requirements that might come into effect. Similarly, the reputation for trust and accountability that we’ve built through local partnerships in Ontario marks us out as a dependable partner and puts us in great stead to acquire the certifications that will allow operators to hit the ground running when it’s time for them to launch.

One specific example that springs to mind is our successful acquisition of Security Control Standard Level 2 certification from the World Lottery Association earlier this year. With Bede being very passionate about exploring how our pioneering platform technology can better support the advancement of the lottery industry, receiving such an endorsement from WLA further emphasises our commitment to doing so while also aligning with the highest industry standards.

Bede’s relationship with WLA has provided us with the ideal platform to showcase our capabilities and connect with some of the industry’s leading lights, and we hope to be able to double down on this position of strength by joining the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries group very soon. Given the overwhelming popularity of lotteries in Canada, being able to include ourselves as part of such a prestigious organisation will cement our expertise in this area and give us a big advantage when it comes to promoting the vertical in future.

Of course, be it lotteries, casino, sports betting or bingo, the primary strength of Bede’s offering is that we position ourselves as a true partner for success no matter what verticals our partners operate in. To us, this means aligning our strategies with customers’ strategic ambitions across all levels of our business so we continue to deliver an exceptional solution for long-term success.

Our tried and trusted partnership model provides an entirely flexible, adaptive approach that supports the strategic ambitions of each of our partners. We don’t believe there’s any one magic bullet that’s capable of delighting everyone, so rather than simply prescribing blanket solutions, we work one-on-one with partners to identify the areas where we can provide the greatest benefit, be that through our advanced platform offering, robust integration toolset, regulatory know-how or subject matter expertise. This way, no matter what challenges our customers face, Bede can find a solution that not only works specifically for them, but can also adapt as they continue to grow.

In an emerging market like Canada, the advantages of this approach are clear to see. By understanding customers’ market goals and the type of audience that they’re aiming to attract, we can conduct a thorough gap analysis to identify strategic opportunities and the best solutions to position them competitively from their day-one launch. This is, of course, hugely important, as gaining early shares in newly-opened markets like Alberta will be vital for long-term sustainability.

A key part of this strategy is to conduct a detailed review of the relevant regulatory and technical standards that are required for new market compliance. As mentioned previously, while it seems likely that provinces like Alberta will either adopt or attempt to align with the high standards set by Ontario and other international markets, there are also sure to be additional, jurisdiction-specific requirements that have the potential to trip up operators if they’re not properly prepared.

To assist with this, Bede pairs each customer with a compliance expert who can ensure close collaboration and proactiveness with incoming legislation, while fostering strong long-term relationships with regulators. These experts have a dedicated workstream within Bede’s roadmap to guarantee our platform is consistently updated to the latest standards and that all ongoing auditing, licensing and certification considerations are addressed. Naturally, the team also prioritise responsible gaming initiatives, helping us maintain integrity and support player health.

Beyond our compliance solutions, Bede also offers a range of services to ensure that every customer’s offering is relevant and uniquely tailored to each province they operate in. That is to say, both our platform and governance model are highly flexible and can be customised to suit unique customer needs. One thing to note about newly-opened markets where players have been less exposed to online gambling is that audiences tend to favour simplified experiences and game offerings, so our platform can be configured to provide the streamlined accessibility they crave.

It goes without saying that what has proved successful in a more mature online gambling market like the UK might not necessarily translate to a newly-opened province like Alberta, so we give our customers the flexibility to create a genuinely optimised experience no matter how many markets they operate in. One of the keys to this is understanding your target audience, and to achieve this, we supply rich downstream analytics capabilities that can be easily applied to a partner’s existing database to enhance their operations with better data-driven decision-making.

From financial analysis to player segmentation and real-time performance, our data intelligence not only captures all the key details partners need to optimise every area of their operations, but it can also be customised to suit the individual needs of each operator. This ensures that customers have the flexibility to take our feeds into their own tools or utilise our data reporting back office as they see fit, meaning that no two use cases are ever the same. We fully intend to further enhance these capabilities in the future to allow our partners to continue gaining even more meaningful insights. This is an area that we have been busy upgrading over the last year, so I’m looking forward to being able to share more exciting news about our data platform quite soon.

Again, with Canada being an incredibly diverse market with a large number of local differences from province-to-province, being able to quickly assess performance data and tweak strategies accordingly will undoubtedly prove crucial to both initial acquisition and long-term engagement. At Bede, we ensure this process is simple by making such information readily available to all our partners, allowing them to generate further business efficiencies and better support their players.

In terms of the Bede platform itself, we offer a powerful combination of out-of-the-box functionality and flexible third-party integration options, allowing us to easily adapt to each customer’s unique requirements.

Bede’s product management team works very closely with our customer operations teams to carry out regular feedback collection, research and development for how current services are being used and offer personalised advice on the capabilities of Bede’s full toolset. This way, we always know precisely what roadmap work will provide the best value for our partners going forward and can easily understand the feasibility of all planned work requests well ahead of time.

While our product team works closely with partners to ensure that they get the most value from our main feature set, we also have a full integration support team that provides the main technical point of contact between clients and third-party suppliers.

The integration support team liaises directly with customers to help them with every aspect of their integration into the Bede platform, thereby greatly assisting them with onboarding and technical set-up. In addition to supplying ongoing support to partners, the team also maintains a centralised documentation site to ensure all information is simple and self-serving. As the main challenge any operator faces when building up the front-end themselves is the knowledge required, this helps them make the most of our features and create a better end-user experience.

From a player safety perspective, if what we’ve seen from AGCO is anything to go by, other provincial governments in Canada are likely to employ similar industry best practice when it comes to both cyber security and data protection. With this important consideration in mind, Bede also provides ongoing technical expertise to partners throughout the duration of their relationship with us, ensuring that they can maintain the high standards expected of a trusted operator in the country.

In addition to providing expert advice on technological innovations and development projects, we’re particularly proactive about ensuring high-quality operations and code health, as well as data security, vulnerability prevention and emergency preparedness. By maintaining gold standards across each of these areas, we ensure that we’re doing everything possible to keep our customers’ data, assets and environments secure and compliant with local requirements, and we also regularly work with partners to suggest additional security enhancements for their sites.

Putting it all together, there are a lot of people involved in the Bede machine, and each of them plays a key function in delivering a truly end-to-end solution for our partners. With collaboration being such a huge part of our company culture, we’ve worked hard to establish a cross-functional team of experts that can simultaneously work directly with their own customer contacts to provide quick and personalised support, while also connecting with each other internally as well.

By setting things up this way, Bede ensures not only that there’s always a level of fluid interactivity throughout every stage of the customer relationship, but that this is also backed up by a cohesive in-house strategy that allows us to offer a unified and thorough package to each partner. Particularly in an emerging market like Canada where regulations are constantly shifting and compliance requirements are liable to differ from province-to-province, having such a strong network behind them helps partners stay agile and always be one step ahead of the competition. Of course, as the Canadian market continues to evolve, so too will the service Bede provides both there and on the global stage. In addition to all the partnership aspects we’ve covered in this article, we’re already working on a further offering that will not only include all our currently-available expertise, but also additional enhancement services such as consultancy and training that are available on request. With this being just another way Bede goes above and beyond to help customers achieve their ambitions, we’re not just a supplier – we’re your partner for success.

Across casinos and sportsbooks, legacy systems still underpin operations, from player accounts to betting markets. Once the backbone of stability, these platforms are now a drag on progress, trapping operators in costly maintenance cycles and limiting innovation. Just recently, iGB pondered whether the industry has actually lost its taste for cutting-edge technologies.

While some businesses continue to survive in 2025 with patched-up infrastructures, the days of clinging to the past are numbered. As competition intensifies, operators unable to capitalise on new technological developments – particularly amid the AI revolution – risk being left behind.

The migration dilemma

Replacing legacy technology is not a decision made lightly. Migration is complex and time-consuming, demanding total focus and carrying the risk of player disruption or revenue loss. Wary of these consequences, many operators postpone the move indefinitely, stitching together ‘Frankenstein’ systems from multiple providers and in-house fixes. The result is clunky platforms that are expensive to maintain and difficult to enhance, ultimately slowing business growth.

This reluctance highlights an irony at the heart of the gambling industry: a sector built on risk is often risk-averse when it comes to gambling technology. Operators who cling to legacy systems may preserve short-term stability but sacrifice long-term opportunity.

Alex Feshchenko, chief executive officer at GR8 Tech, understands the challenge better than most. Having once been the executive holding a metaphorical finger over the red button of migration, he knows the weight of the decision – and the fear that accompanies it.

Ultimately, however, he argues that the real danger lies in standing still.

“The biggest problem with legacy systems is it’s very difficult to turn them off,” Feshchenko said. “Five years ago, I was personally the guy responsible for migration to the new platform.

“It was a really hard decision to make. We spent perhaps more than a year to make things as smooth as possible as we migrated all the clients from the legacy platform to the new one.

“The hardest thing in this story is that you must make the choice and then be really focused on following it through. The danger is that you can spend years and years trying to make it as soft as possible without losing any player, just closing all the features.

“Unfortunately, many operators on the market are struggling and they are afraid of taking this necessary step.”

Enter the tech, entertainment giants

If standing still is dangerous, the road ahead is even more unforgiving. Competition in gambling has the potential to intensify beyond recognition, as the industry is no longer fighting only itself. Global entertainment and technology giants have been showing an increasing interest in the sector as the expansion of regulated betting markets becomes ever more appealing. Disney’s launch of ESPN Bet marked one of the world’s biggest entertainment brands embracing the fast-growing online gambling market, with former CEO Bob Chapek describing sports betting as “a very significant opportunity for the company – and it’s all driven by the consumer.” Meanwhile, tech giant Amazon now integrates betting content within its National Football League (NFL) broadcasts and Meta, Google and Apple all allow gambling apps in their stores.

With their unmatched scale, global audiences and world-class digital ecosystems, these giants are positioned to redefine customer expectations overnight. For today’s operators, the warning is clear: without decisive investment in flexible, competitive technology, they risk being overwhelmed not just by traditional rivals, but by some of the most powerful consumer brands on the planet.

“Sooner or later the big players will come in,” said Feshchenko. “We already see giants like Disney moving into regulated US markets, and I expect technology giants will follow.

“The future will bring tougher competition, consolidation, and a harder fight for key talent. The companies investing now in technology and people will be the ones winning long term, while those chasing short-term success may struggle without the fundamentals.”

Meeting this increasingly competitive challenge requires more than incremental upgrades. Operators need platforms that are not only fast and reliable but also extensible and adaptable – technology that can scale to meet surging demand, integrate seamlessly with existing operations, and deliver the personalised experiences that consumers now take for granted. This is precisely where GR8 Tech’s Platform for Champions positions itself as a genuine differentiator.

The platform includes innovations such as the ultra-fast ULTIM8 Sportsbook iFrame and the fully loaded Hyper Turnkey, but it is the platform’s extendibility that truly sets it apart. Originally built to fuel growth at established B2C gambling brands generating millions in gross gaming revenue, it has been engineered with adaptability in mind. These operators know their markets, products and audiences better than anyone; GR8 Tech’s job is to give them the freedom to modify, enhance and tailor the platform in ways that deliver competitive advantage.

“This isn’t an off-the-shelf product,” Feshchenko explained. “Our clients extend it, integrate it, and push it in ways that maximise flexibility and performance. Leading operators have already proven how far the platform can go.”

Pursuing personalisation

That same adaptability underpins another crucial dimension: personalisation. In an environment where tech giants and entertainment companies already excel at tailoring content to individual users, gambling operators cannot afford to lag behind. AI-driven personalisation has long been hailed as the next frontier in sports betting and gaming, and GR8 Tech has been investing heavily in this area for years. Rather than forcing players to scroll endlessly through static menus, its system presents tailored recommendations, challenges and promotions that make each user feel recognised and understood.

The results are tangible. According to GR8 Tech, customised player journeys and real-time personalisation can increase engagement rates by as much as 30%, while churn prediction achieves 80% accuracy. This level of insight and responsiveness is not simply a nice-to-have — it is fast becoming a prerequisite in a market where consumers expect the same level of relevance and immediacy they experience on streaming or e-commerce platforms.

“The gambling industry has often looked to entertainment and e-commerce for inspiration,” Feshchenko said. “But by making personalisation a priority, we believe gambling technology can finally step up as a trendsetter rather than a follower. Just like Netflix or Amazon, after a few bets a player should already have a unique product. That’s how we fight for attention.”

A champion mindset

Technology is not the only obstacle operators must overcome. Regulatory headwinds – from complex compliance frameworks to shifting tax burdens – remain an unavoidable reality across global markets. These pressures can feel like a constraint on growth and make technological advancements more complex and expensive.

However, GR8 Tech believes that such challenges should instead be seen as a proving ground for champions. Success in such an environment requires not only robust platforms but also a resilient mindset.

That is why GR8 Tech developed the Heavyweight Club concept in partnership with Ready to Fight – a platform co-founded by the World Heavyweight champion boxer Oleksandr Usyk. Inspired by the Ukrainian fighter’s discipline and mental toughness, the initiative fosters a community of ambitious, performance-driven operators who scale smart, act fast and play to win. In a market where regulation can change overnight, hesitation is costly. As GR8 Tech notes, champion heavyweights move with purpose – seizing opportunities, adapting strategies under pressure and maintaining focus on long-term performance.

“This business model is built on collaboration, and if both sides bring the right ingredients, we can achieve long-term success together”

“Only strong teams can succeed in today’s competitive market, and we are looking for exactly those kinds of partners,” Feshchenko added. “Success comes from true cooperation – when the scale and strength of our platform combine with the size, expertise, and market knowledge of the operator. That’s the recipe for a winning case and a lasting partnership.

“This business model is built on collaboration, and if both sides bring the right ingredients, we can achieve long-term success together.”

The decisive choice

In an industry where hesitation can be costlier than risk, the message from GR8 Tech is clear: operators must evolve or face decline. Legacy technology, regulatory hurdles and intensifying competition may weigh heavily, but with the right gambling technology, partnerships and talent strategy, there is still vast room for growth.

Those willing to act decisively – and invest in long-term fundamentals – will be the operators shaping the future of a rapidly changing gambling industry. Those operators looking to proactively take on the sector’s challenges can learn more when GR8 Tech presents in Lisbon next week.

Alex Feshchenko, CEO, GR8 Tech

Many believe mainstream recognition of poker’s potential to engage players, punters and the public at large dates back to the emergence of the game on TV screens a quarter of a century ago.

Whilst the big personalities, big stakes and compelling under-the-table hole cameras played a part in the success of the programmes, it was poker’s social aspect that really captured the imagination: the reads, the exchanges, the body language and the bluffs.

Now, in the digital age, such captivating social dynamics have taken on extra significance – and there is a growing belief that poker has the power to drive greater engagement, loyalty and innovation across the broader betting and iGaming space.

“Poker is unique because it’s inherently social,” says Dmitry Starostenkov, CEO of EvenBet Gaming, which has more than two decades of experience in poker and card games software development.

“In poker, players compete against each other, share their wins and losses, and actively discuss their experiences. That’s why forums and communities have always been a big part of poker culture.

“This social aspect gives operators a powerful retention tool. They can build communities, work with ambassadors and famous players, and host live events that complement online play. Poker provides a wide range of community-based strategies to retain players, which is critical given today’s rising acquisition costs.”

Tackling the retention challenge

Retention remains a major challenge in an ever-more cluttered attention economy for all consumer-facing brands – and betting operators are no different.

In the UK, for example, next-day retention rates for slots on Android devices fell by roughly a quarter between June 2024 and June 2025, with 30-day retention rates nosediving by 40%. The outlook has been tumultuous in other key markets as well.

The natural interactions that underpin poker are, therefore, seen as vital in building flourishing communities of loyal players. For this reason, the role of poker is evolving from a standalone product into a cross-vertical digital engagement tool in today’s iGaming ecosystem.

“It’s a very natural trend, and not just for poker but across all iGaming verticals – casino, sports betting, bingo, horse racing and more,” Starostenkov says.

“Players rarely stick to a single vertical. They might prefer sports betting, for example, but will also spend maybe 10% or 20% of their time in poker or casino games.”

Cross-vertical engagement

Positioned at the forefront of the sector, EvenBet Gaming is witnessing first-hand how the industry is striving to facilitate such cross-vertical engagement, Starostenkov explains.

“Twenty years ago, players had to register separately on a poker site, a sportsbook or a casino,” he says. “Then came integrated websites with shared wallets, which was the first step toward convergence. Today, operators recognise that players want a wider experience, and poker has naturally merged with other verticals into a single iGaming ecosystem.”

Operators have increasingly adopted social tools such as community-driven text and video-based content into their offering to bring to life real-time interactions through personalised feeds, social profiles, posts, comments and chats.

These vehicles for interaction help to fuel gamification opportunities, such as missions and challenges, helping operators to provide a platform to establish stronger emotional connections with players – in poker and across other verticals.

“Engagement tools are becoming essential,” Starostenkov says. “Retention is now just as important as acquisition because of rising costs, and poker is especially well-suited to features like chat, missions and challenges.

“We see parallels with casual and social games, where meta-games and multiplayer formats drive daily log-ins. Real-money gaming is moving closer to social gaming, borrowing mechanics like challenges and progression systems to keep players engaged for longer.”

Starostenkov also highlights how poker communities can be nurtured with the support of ambassadors – highly successful professional players with career winnings that often stretch into the tens of millions of dollars.

“Famous poker players can attract other players to a website,” he adds. PokerStars, 888poker, Grosvenor Poker and GGPoker are just some of the brands to have commercial tie-ups with the most renowned and popular players on the circuit.

“There is still a core audience, even among 20 to 25-year-olds, who enjoy long poker sessions”

Changing expectations

These operators are not only backing supremely talented players, but also personalities – echoing the central appeal of the breakthrough TV poker programmes of the early 2000s.

However, whilst such coverage a quarter of a century ago has been widely credited with accelerating the growth of digital poker and ultimately helping to fuel long-lasting brands like the PartyPoker mobile app, expectations of online and mobile poker players have evolved considerably over the years.

Indeed, some critics argue that poker is too slow a game for the modern iGaming user.

Some understandably point to the sharp growth of micro-betting in major markets like the US, for example, as evidence that punters are increasingly leaning into shorter and more frequent gaming experiences.

However, whilst it is widely accepted that younger generations in particular prefer faster experiences and often switch quickly between activities, Starostenkov insists that such habits are not set in stone with poker.

“There is still a core audience, even among 20 to 25-year-olds, who enjoy long poker sessions,” he explains. “To reach a wider audience, operators have introduced features like side bets, prop bets and shorter formats such as ‘Spin & Go’ or ‘All-In or Fold’. These reduce session times, increase excitement, and make poker more accessible, while still preserving the essence of the game.

“The focus is on faster formats that can be enjoyed in short sessions, whether you are waiting in a queue or commuting. ‘Spin & Go’ and ‘All-In or Fold’ are great examples: they deliver the thrill of poker in just five or 10 minutes, without losing the game’s DNA.

“Operators and providers are working hard to balance speed with authenticity, so poker remains true to itself while fitting into mobile-first lifestyles.”

A community-driven culture

Alongside these innovative formats though, other new approaches have yet to take hold in poker. For instance, blockchain has not had the impact in the game that many were anticipating. However, that may yet change, according to Starostenkov, who sees a common purpose and trajectory between poker and such technologies.

“A decade ago, many believed blockchain would revolutionise poker by guaranteeing transparency through on-chain random number generators or transaction histories,” he says.

“But in reality, players haven’t shown strong demand for that. For them, the bigger concerns are the playing experience and community reputation, not whether every transaction is recorded on the blockchain.

“That said, poker and blockchain share a natural community-driven culture. We’re now seeing poker rooms built around specific tokens or crypto communities, where players compete in tournaments and form social ecosystems. This community connection is where blockchain and poker truly fit together.”

Geographical nuances

Many of these communities of poker players are already established – and the digital nature of the competitions have broken down barriers to participation.

However, there are still geographical nuances. In growing gambling markets, operators can focus on using a set poker game offering to attract new players, as well as keep hold of them, Starostenkov says.

“In markets where poker is already culturally ingrained, it plays a key strategic role,” he explains. “The US is the obvious example. It is the birthplace of poker, and operators need poker in their ecosystem to succeed. Europe is also important, with a strong player base that enjoys poker alongside other products.

“In emerging regions like Latin America, Africa or parts of Asia, poker can work more as an acquisition tool. There, players may need education on how to play, so it’s less about retention and more about introducing poker as something new.”

The social experience

Whether poker is leveraged as a retention or acquisition tool, its future in the iGaming space will be defined by how the game continues to evolve to maximise its unique social appeal.

This, Starostenkov says, is highlighted by the increasing prevalence of poker-dedicated online streamers. On platforms like Twitch, no fewer than 14 of the world’s top poker streamers have more than 100,000 followers, with the most popular having over 2.4 million.

“The social experience will be key,” Starostenkov concludes, underlining poker’s potential to act as an engine that can power engagement in other areas of gambling. “Poker is becoming a platform for interaction, and not just on a peer-to-peer basis between players, but also between streamers and their audiences.

“You already see streamers running a poker table alongside slots or sports betting during broadcasts. In the future, poker could evolve into virtual rooms where players compete, stream, and socialise simultaneously. It has the potential to act as the ‘glue’ that brings different gaming and entertainment experiences together.”

Dmitry Starostenkov, CEO of EvenBet Gaming

For over a decade, gamification has been a recurring theme in online gambling, but implementations have not really changed. Leaderboards, achievement badges, and occasional weekly bonuses still form the backbone of how many operators attempt to engage players.

Compared to rich, layered experiences in casual gaming, social media, or e-commerce, the gambling sector’s approach can often feel outdated and one-dimensional.

In other industries, gamification is woven into the core journey: immersive, story-driven, and designed to spark return visits without relying solely on cash incentives. In gambling, by contrast, the customer relationship is frequently transactional; players log in, place a bet or spin, then leave. Operators respond with bigger bonuses and more aggressive acquisitions, but these spiral cost without creating lasting loyalty.

While some in iGaming may be content with recycling the same gamification tactics for another decade, others see a chance to push forward.

Rethinking gamification

For iGaming technology leader Soft2Bet, the opportunity lies in making gamification a central part of the user experience. By borrowing mechanics from modern mobile and casual games, such as narrative, interactive mini-games, and progression systems tailored to specific audiences, gambling platforms can transform fleeting visits into longer, more sustainable engagement. Done well, gamification could shift the industry’s focus from an over-reliance on acquiring new players to delivering genuine entertainment value.

“The industry has been very acquisition-focused,” says Martin Collins, chief business development officer of the group, which is both a tech supplier and B2C operator.

“In many markets, 50–60% of monthly active users are new customers. As regulation has tightened across Europe and North America, promotional and bonus spend has risen from around 10–15% to 25–30%. Acquisition and retention costs have increased, yet the relationship remains transactional, with players returning mainly for bonus offers.”

To achieve more sustainable engagement through compelling entertainment, Soft2Bet rolled out its content-led proprietary gamification solution, Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (or MEGA, for short). MEGA launched with three core features – MEGA Chance, MEGA Clawee and MEGA Builder – with each developed to offer players the sense of unrestrained fun engendered by traditional games. The dice-based Chance is inspired by classic board games like Monopoly, while Clawee gives players the opportunity to win prizes on an old-school arcade claw machine.

Introducing MEGA Builder

With its construction theme, MEGA Builder taps into the same appeal as city-building games: building, upgrading and coming back for the next stage. A more engaging and rewarding experience than traditional weekly bonuses, MEGA Builder players use loyalty points, earned through wagering, to build and upgrade virtual stadiums in sports betting environments or develop city districts in iCasino. As players progress, they unlock new territories and rewards, including bonuses and cash prizes.

By combining the satisfaction of building with the excitement of gaming, MEGA Builder introduces narrative and progression elements that encourage long-term engagement. This innovative approach keeps players invested and has ultimately produced some eye-catching results.

Goodbye weekly bonuses

MEGA Builder, with its focus on fun and enjoyment, fits well with Soft2Bet’s goal of positioning gambling platforms firmly within the entertainment sector. Soft2Bet has set out to create a richer experience for the customer, particularly mobile-native 25–35-year-olds who have grown up with a phone in hand. The typical MEGA Builder player is around 33 years old and predominantly male (74%).

“These players expect more from digital experiences,” Collins adds.

While Soft2Bet concedes that there is a place for the traditional weekly bonus, the opportunity to build loyalty points and enjoy some fun, as well as the chance to win with MEGA Builder, is undoubtedly more engaging. It is also much more cost-effective for cost-conscious operators attempting to maintain or grow their presence in saturated markets.

Collins believes the main challenge for operators today is competition against screen time owners on social media, streaming services, and mobile gaming.

“We want that ‘hour on the sofa’ of an evening ahead of TikTok, Netflix and Amazon,” Collins says. “We believe there’s an opportunity there within that mobile-savvy 25–35-year-old cohort that we mentioned before, whose disposable income is starting to increase. Those that can launch with the most engaging entertainment products and appeal to that group can define the market.

“MEGA is underpinned by driving engagement, lowering promotional cost increasing longevity and LTV, and enhancing sustainable and responsible gambling.”

Outpacing the industry

The figures stack up well for MEGA compared to standard industry bonusing mechanics. Soft2Bet data shows that average revenue per user (ARPU) is 45% higher and net gaming revenue (NGR) is 65% higher. Screen time has increased by 400%, while deposit amounts are 50% above the industry average.

For Collins and Soft2Bet, MEGA is only the beginning. In North America, Soft2Bet debuted with its ToonieBet brand, offering both casino and sports betting. The launch was built around a strong local focus, tailoring the app’s experience to Canadian players while aligning with the region’s gaming culture. Alongside geographical opportunities, there are also technological ones.

The group is working to enhance its products and find better ways to engage players. In addition to its in-house expertise, it is seeking fresh ideas from external sources. To support this, it set up Soft2Bet Invest, an iGaming Innovation Fund that provides financial and business support to iGaming and casual gaming entrepreneurs who share its commitment to innovation and growth.

“This is just the beginning,” Collins says. “If you’d spoken to the founders of Nintendo when they first launched and asked, ‘Is this it? Is it finished?’ They’d have said absolutely not.

“That’s why we always say we want to be at the forefront of innovation. We have our Soft2Bet Invest fund, so we can take new technologies and figure out how to integrate them. Graphics, technology, AI – all of these will impact customer experiences, and we want to be right there, driving it from the industry side and taking advantage better than anyone else.”

With MEGA Builder, Soft2Bet has demonstrated how gamification can evolve from superficial add-ons into a central entertainment experience that drives loyalty, retention and long-term value. By blending narrative, progression and reward with core gameplay, the business is setting a new standard for sustainable engagement in the iGaming industry.

In today’s iGaming world, the biggest hurdles are not necessarily the most obvious.

They do not come from a lack of creativity or a shortage of innovative products. One only has to look around to see the dazzling range of products on offer and the cutting-edge front-end technology bringing entertainment to so many players worldwide.

No, the real barriers lie in what happens behind the curtain: the inefficiencies that quietly slow everything down.

On the surface, these may look like small, everyday hurdles. But their hidden costs are far-reaching: lost revenue from delays, strained partnerships when trust erodes, gambling regulation compliance risks from poor transparency, and wasted manpower on manual fixes.

Natasha Giorgio, Hub88’s head of business development and sales, deep dives into why these challenges continue to persist, and how Hub 88’s innovative infrastructure is helping the industry move forward more efficiently and successfully.

Key growth inhibitors

Each day spent untangling these issues is time competitors could use to move faster and further ahead. And the biggest culprits are all too familiar.

Take onboarding. Whether it is a new game, payment provider, or compliance solution, integration often drags on for weeks or months. In a sector where speed-to-market directly fuels revenue, every extra day is a missed opportunity.

Then there is the problem of siloed data. Marketing, product, and compliance teams frequently work in isolation, juggling fragmented systems and inconsistent reporting. Without a shared source of truth, decision-making falters and strategies lose clarity.

Communication gaps must also be discussed. Misaligned workflows between operators, iGaming software providers and internal departments turn into duplicated tasks, errors and costly rework. Over time, trust weakens and the ability to adapt shrinks.

iGaming’s structural obstacles

In a market as fast-moving as iGaming, delays created by these inefficiencies can mean ceding ground to competitors who are more agile. For Hub88, creating solutions that can solve these inefficiencies is a driving force.

“The industry’s next leap forward will not come from more products, but from a smarter, connected infrastructure that finally clears the path for innovation,” Giorgio says.

“At Hub88, we see these inefficiencies not just as irritants, but as structural obstacles to be overcome. In creating a unified infrastructure that eliminates friction, we help operators and suppliers avoid these hidden costs and unlock the full value of their partnerships with us.”

The fallacy of the front-end focus

Giorgio is clear on where the roots of iGaming’s inefficiency problem lie – the industry’s unique complexity.

Both operators and iGaming software providers are required to adapt constantly to shifting gambling regulations, jurisdictional stipulations, and compliance demands. The uncertainty over regulations and taxation rates in the Netherlands recently illustrates some of the challenges operators face.

To cope, many businesses have historically adopted a bolt-on approach – adding systems and platforms as needed rather than rethinking infrastructure holistically.

She adds: “Over time, this results in a patchwork of legacy tools that are costly, fragmented, and extremely difficult to untangle.

“True modernisation isn’t just about catching up – it’s about laying the foundation for an industry that can innovate faster”

“Regulatory complexity magnifies the inefficiencies caused by fragmented systems, while fragmentation makes compliance a more error-prone mire to wade through. Together, they create a cycle of inefficiency that slows time-to-market and erodes competitiveness.”

That challenge, she notes, is compounded by the industry’s priorities. “Another cause is iGaming’s front-end focus. Investment has typically flowed toward areas that directly impact players – acquisition, UX, content libraries.”

The consequence is that back-end processes, which underpin efficiency, have been deprioritised. Many companies are now running on outdated infrastructure that slows their ability to scale, even as the player-facing side evolves rapidly.

For Giorgio, the solution is about turning imbalance into opportunity. “As an aggregator, we see these challenges not as barriers but as opportunities,” she says. “By offering a flexible, centralised integration layer, we help modernise without the disruption of replacing entire systems. True modernisation isn’t just about catching up – it’s about laying the foundation for an industry that can innovate faster, operate smarter, and grow without the hidden costs of inefficiency.”

A self-service solution

Hub88 is currently partnered with more than 120 providers, giving access to many tier-one suppliers, while also supporting new studios. Its technology empowers casino managers to track performance and KPIs in real-time. Recent additions to its diverse list of partners include Origami and Victory Ark Gaming.

Last year, Hub88 debuted HubConnect to tackle the industry’s biggest efficiency challenges head-on. The platform was designed around those three previously mentioned critical pain points – onboarding delays, siloed data, and communication gaps – with the goal of turning them from obstacles into opportunities.

At its core, HubConnect is a unified self-service platform that streamlines operations for both operators and suppliers. Dedicated Supplier and Operator Zones give each side of the ecosystem the tools they need to act quickly, manage effectively, and collaborate more transparently. Real-time dashboards bring performance, compliance, and reporting into one place, replacing fragmented systems with a clear, central source of truth.

This structure directly addresses the inefficiencies partners told Hub88 were holding them back. Onboarding timelines are cut from weeks to days, giving businesses the speed-to-market advantage they need. Unified dashboards eliminate duplication and enable sharper, data-driven decisions. And with the Hub88 Knowledge Base centralising communication channels, partners can align more easily, reduce friction, and focus their efforts on growth instead of firefighting.

As Giorgio explains: “We wanted to address those three pain points head-on, creating a space where collaboration can be faster, smarter, and more transparent. Instead of constantly reacting to regulatory or technical hurdles, operators and suppliers can rely on an infrastructure that adapts with them – making it easier not just to survive in fragmented markets, but to thrive ahead of their nearest competitors.”

The self-service model also fosters scalability for Hub88 partners expanding into new markets or adding new products.

“Time and again, operators and suppliers told us that traditional models left them waiting on third parties to manage updates, integrations and so on,” Giorgio says.

“With HubConnect they can now launch seamlessly within the same environment, without the friction of traditional onboarding processes. It’s about creating a collaborative ecosystem where partners are equipped to grow, adapt, and succeed on their own terms. We see that empowerment as the true measure of partnerships.”

A joined-up future

So, what does a truly modern B2B infrastructure for iGaming look like? For Hub88’s Giorgio, the answer comes down to connectivity and automation.

“We can only hope the days of fragmented systems and manual workarounds will soon be behind us,” she says. “In the same vein as our own model, the future lies in environments where content, compliance, and reporting flow together effortlessly.”

That vision means no more waiting on integrations or updates. Partners will have the tools to act instantly – whether onboarding new products, accessing real-time insights, or adapting to shifting regulations without disruption. “It’s about autonomy supported by platforms that are flexible enough to evolve with the market, rather than locking businesses into rigid workflows,” Giorgio explains.

Advanced analytics will also shape this future. With benchmarks, flagged activity, and predictive insights, decision-making will move from reactive to proactive, enabling companies to anticipate challenges and seize opportunities ahead of competitors.

The bigger picture is clear: modern infrastructure will redefine how the entire sector operates. By eliminating inefficiency and empowering every stakeholder with clarity and control, the industry can shift its focus to what really matters – building player-first experiences, strengthening trust, and driving sustainable growth. In this vision, infrastructure is no longer the hidden cost of doing business, but the foundation for an iGaming ecosystem that innovates faster, collaborates smarter, and competes on a truly global scale.

Natasha Giorgio, Hub88’s head of business development and sales

iGaming’s impressive expansion

Over the past two decades iGaming has evolved significantly, starting out as a niche online environment for poker and casino game enthusiasts before transforming into a multi-billion-dollar industry which is soon set to surpass $150 billion with wide reaching influence in the digital space. Initially driven by forward-thinking gaming hubs like Malta and Gibraltar, online gaming has gradually been adopted by countries across the globe, with many lawmakers realizing the increasing influence of the internet and the subsequent requirement for comprehensive iGaming regulations. This gradual transition from grey area to regulatory acceptance has seen the industry grow from just $23.5 billion in 2008 to an impressive $117.5 billion today.

A growing iGaming sector

iGaming has benefited from a range of factors that have allowed its growth to surge, setting the stage for its global expansion.

The mobile gaming era

There are countless ways the emergence of high-speed and accessible internet has changed our lives however it is the widespread adoption of powerful smartphones that has perhaps impacted iGaming the most. The ability to play on apps and mobile friendly gambling sites has changed the way people game, no longer restricted to a specific location, mobile gaming has unleashed a new level of accessibility. The result has been a huge increase in player numbers, especially in emerging markets where mobile devices serve as the primary point of internet access.

Updated global regulations    

While some countries were quick to introduce iGaming legislation, most notably the island of Malta who launched their pioneering regulatory framework back in 2004, leading economies have been slow to react to the online gaming boom. However, many of these nations have started to update their gambling laws to better regulate iGaming activities. In Europe, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands have all legalized online gaming in the last six years while across the Atlantic, major regulatory upheaval is underway with regions in both the United States and Canada introducing regulated iGaming markets. Elsewhere, emerging markets in South America and Asia are also beginning to emerge thanks to the modernizing of outdated gambling laws.

Long term impact of the pandemic

When assessing the rapid growth of iGaming, the seismic influence of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be ignored. With land-based casinos and high street betting shops closed, players inevitably found digital alternatives that could be played from the comfort of their own home. Many of these players simply did not return back to brick-and-mortar venues, enjoying the high-quality gameplay and lucrative bonuses on offer online. This permanent migration of players has accelerated iGaming’s growth as we have moved on from the era of lockdowns and social distancing.

Mature markets still going strong

Integral to iGaming’s global expansion has been the continued success of its mature markets, able to generate significant revenues while laying out the blueprint for the next generation of gaming regions. The UK, one of the earliest countries to legalize online gambling, remains a lucrative and growing market, forecast to grow by 5.4% between 2024 and 2029 – an increase of over $3.5 billion. This impressive growth pales in comparison to Ontario’s iGaming market however, with the trailblazing province still experiencing steep growth even as it matures. This is down to the effective infrastructure in place both by regulatory authorities and private companies, a key example being the gambling directory Casino.org. Here, only casinos trusted by players worldwide are available, a selective approach that fosters a strong sense of trust and confidence among players. By creating this responsible gambling environment, the long-term success of these iGaming markets looks secure and primed for further expansion.

High potential emerging regions

Of all the new markets beginning to emerge across the globe, Brazil perhaps presents the highest potential to grow into the next iGaming powerhouse. With a population of 212 million, a deep-rooted sports culture and widespread adoption of internet devices, South America’s largest country possesses all the ingredients required for success. At the beginning of 2025, after a period of slow legislative development, Brazil finally launched its regulated online betting market, setting the stage for a new era of Brazilian gaming. With explosive market growth already being felt, Brazil could soon be a leading figure in the global scene.

Another region with huge untapped potential is India. Home to over 1 billion mobile phone users and possessing one of the world’s fastest growing economies, the nation presents a huge gaming market, especially considering the rising interest in classic casino games and fantasy sports. Regulations surrounding iGaming in the country remain limited, however, and with the Indian government recently prohibiting online money-based games, there remains uncertainty regarding the future of online gaming there.

Elsewhere across the globe, there are increasing signs of regulatory reform with regards to online gaming which should help new markets to emerge. Countries like Nigeria and the Philippines as well as regions across North America including Maryland, Massachusetts and Alberta have all recently made moves to better regulate iGaming activities and promote regulated market growth. With the benefits clear to see, both in terms of gaming revenues and better player protections, it comes as no surprise to see such global expansion.

This worldwide growth is indicative of the shift that has been witnessed regarding iGaming. As our digital infrastructure has continued to evolve at a whirlwind pace, the online gaming environment has become increasingly visible on the international stage. Simply, there are more people than ever heading online to play their favourite games, setting the wheels in motion for new markets to rise. With the popularity of iGaming showing no signs of slowing down, expect to see ever more markets emerge as we move forward.

In this high-stakes era of iGaming’s relentless global expansion, change waits for no one. For operators and suppliers, even the smallest delay can carry a steep price.

Across hyper-competitive markets, regulatory frameworks shift overnight and customer expectations evolve in real time. New markets in Asia, the Americas and beyond open with huge potential but equally complex compliance demands.

For operators already navigating saturated and high-pressure markets, every delay is an opportunity lost to a faster-moving rival.

Technological challenges

The challenge is compounded by the technology many companies still rely on. Large, legacy platforms – often the product of years of development – can be inflexible and slow to adapt. Integrations take months, while regulatory changes are queued alongside long lists of competing development priorities. Even relatively small adjustments, like updating deposit limits or introducing a new payment provider, can become arduous multi-week projects involving multiple teams. The result is that businesses move at the speed of their slowest process, not the speed of the market.

As operators look to growth regions such as Brazil, the UAE, and wider LATAM, this lag becomes even more costly. Entering these markets is not simply a case of replicating an existing model – it means adapting to unique regulations, integrating with local payment systems and tailoring player experiences to cultural expectations. Those who can move quickly will capture attention early; those who cannot risk being locked out of the most valuable growth window.

World beyond code

What is required is a way to separate innovation from the bottlenecks of traditional development. Instead of tying every change to a release cycle, operators need a way for authorised teams – such as marketing, compliance or product – to create and deploy updates directly, without compromising the stability of the core platform. Real-time, no-code systems can be deployed to make this possible, enabling non-developers to build, adapt and launch logic-based tools, campaigns and features in minutes.

Among the leaders in this world beyond code is Flows, the London-headquartered Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that launched in 2021. Flows enable partners to automate their digital processes, build digital features, and produce applications, without writing a single line of code.

From day one, its goal has been to democratise innovation by reducing reliance on development teams. Flows’ no-code, intuitive interface, assisted by AI, lets anyone build products once the initial integration is complete. With the ability to process real-time events and display them in the voice-activated interface, users can start building immediately. With Flows, organisations have full ownership of their product roadmaps, can integrate with any app or data source quickly, coordinate multiple systems, and automate workflows in real time.

In its four years of existence, Flows has proved an invaluable partner for operators desperate for solutions to the real-life problems created by outdated systems.

“Legacy systems slow operators down,” says James King, the group’s chief executive. “Every time you enter a new market, you face new integrations, certifications and regulations. That can create long development queues. I’ve seen platforms spend huge amounts of time reconfiguring for regulators.

“Our no-code approach can handle high complexity. We’re not just connecting to APIs; we’re mapping, transforming, and triggering multi-step logic in real time. That allows businesses to build new products very quickly.”

A unique proposition

King originally worked in gaming media, before moving to Gaming Innovation Group, where he became director of sales. During this period, he acquired hands-on experience across the iGaming ecosystem, which was the foundation for launching Flows.

The iGaming software provider’s arrival has proved transformational for its clients. Quite simply, there is nothing else like it – not just in iGaming, but across industries.

King adds: “There are certainly companies that try to emulate parts of what we do, but at a high level, our strength is in orchestrating huge volumes of events and data across any system – without writing code.”

“Every time you enter a new market, you face new integrations, certifications and regulations. That can create long development queues. I’ve seen platforms spend huge amounts of time reconfiguring for regulators.”

Acting as an adaptable layer above existing systems, Flows enables rapid integration into new markets. Many treat it as an “integrations lab,” adding new third parties – from payment providers to compliance checks – in record time.

The Flows solution can embed compliance logic, content filtering, and other market-specific features without touching the core platform code. With real-time triggers, operators can respond instantly to local requirements, staying agile and competitive.

“From a tech perspective, because we started building less than four years ago, we’re on a modern, tech-agnostic stack,” says King. “We don’t have legacy systems holding us back, so we can adopt new technologies quickly. Larger, established businesses often struggle to break away from legacy tech, which is where we can help them.”

From jackpots to responsible gambling

The concept of the no-code solution has its merits, but is it a winner out in the real world? King gave the example of a partner that Flows assisted in entering the US, with a particular focus on powering new promotional tools like jackpots and hot seats. Soon after, with just a few jurisdictional adjustments, the same success was achieved when entering the Canadian market.

King explains: “Because Flows is adaptable, the partner could modify their offering for each jurisdiction’s regulatory needs quickly. The same applies to markets like Brazil – rather than rebuilding from scratch, operators can adapt existing systems on the fly.”

Similarly, Flows makes it simple for operators to stay compliant in existing markets. If a regulator changes the rules, the platform enables customers to adapt swiftly – without major costs or adding pressure to already busy teams.

“Speed to adapt is key,” King adds. “For example, if regulations change deposit limits or bonus conditions, operators using Flows can update logic in minutes – without waiting for lengthy release cycles. That agility is a competitive advantage, especially if delays mean pausing promotions or blocking features.”

Success is, of course, measured beyond the balance sheet too. King is an advocate for smart automation technology’s ability to help raise responsible gambling standards.

“Automation shines in real-time monitoring and interventions,” he says. “Combined with AI, we can instantly flag risky behaviour and personalise responses – shifting from reactive to proactive. That’s been our philosophy from the start.

“Many systems still operate on delayed updates, but real-time intervention is becoming essential.”

Taking automation forward

Looking ahead, King said the company’s roadmap is built around three main pillars. First is to keep scaling and improving its core platform, integrating new technologies. Secondly, it is to expand its “Flows Play” product line and more plug-and-play offerings, following the success of Flows Jackpots. Third, Flows is entering the “agentic” AI space, creating agents for everything from game recommendations to fraud prevention.

While Flows will continue to serve gaming and sports betting, King stressed the solution was never designed to be limited to that. He says: “We’re also exploring markets beyond gaming and sports betting, as our technology has applications in many industries.”

When asked what he expects to see in igaming over the next 12 months, King pointed to a mix of technological shifts and regulatory changes.

He says: “I expect AI will move from hype to embedded workflows, especially in the “agentic” space. Meanwhile, modular tech will continue to challenge large monolithic platforms, though completely replacing them is difficult.

“Regulation will likely tighten, particularly around advertising and data, but new markets like the UAE will open. Agility and compliance automation will be critical for success.”

In the race to capture the next wave of iGaming growth, the winners will be those who combine innovation with agility. As King makes clear, no-code tools and real-time automation are no longer optional extras – they are the foundations for staying ahead in a market that never slows down.

James King, CEO of Flows

Coin Strike: Hold and Win has been a top-performing title in our portfolio for over two years, and that level of sustained success was the strongest indicator that it deserved a sequel.

We’ve seen firsthand with titles like Royal Coins 2: Hold and Win, 3 Pots Riches Extra: Hold and Win and Thunder Coins XXL: Hold and Win that well-executed sequels can even surpass the original in performance. Coin Strike had already established strong recognition among both players and operators, which gave us a solid foundation to build upon.

Additionally, with increasing market competition and the abundance of new releases, players tend to gravitate toward familiar game names they trust. Sequels offer that sense of recognition while giving us the opportunity to innovate. From a business perspective, the original game’s strong financial performance across multiple markets made it a clear candidate for further investment and expansion into a game family.

From a product owner’s standpoint, what lessons did you take from the original Coin Strike that shaped the vision for its sequel?

One of the key lessons from the original Coin Strike was the importance of preserving the game’s core energy and atmosphere — its fast-paced rhythm, vibrant visual style, and powerful soundtrack. Players connected strongly with that dynamic experience, so it was important to carry that essence into the sequel.

However, we also identified areas for improvement. For instance, in the original game, if a collector symbol appeared late in the bonus round, its impact on the overall win was limited. In the sequel, we introduced the Super Strike feature — a powerful mechanic that can radically shift outcomes, especially when triggered in the later stages of the bonus game. This not only increases volatility but enhances engagement and unpredictability.

We also expanded the game grid, which opens up more opportunities for players to land valuable symbols, and introduced a buy bonus feature with several options. These additions give players more control and variety in how they engage with the game, all while keeping the core of what made the original successful intact.

Visual identity plays a big role in player retention, particularly across series. How did you approach the design of Coin Strike 2: Hold and Win to feel both familiar and fresh?

When approaching the visual identity of Coin Strike 2: Hold and Win, our goal was to strike the right balance between familiarity and innovation. We wanted players to immediately recognise the game, while also clearly communicating that this is a new and upgraded experience.

To maintain continuity, we preserved the signature elements that defined the original — the electrifying blue background, energetic fruit symbols, dynamic lighting effects, and of course, the iconic rock soundtrack. These components create a sensory experience that players associate with excitement and high impact.

At the same time, we introduced a larger game grid (from 3×3 to 3×4) and enhanced the visual treatment of key features, such as the Super Strike symbol. This required careful design work to ensure it felt more valuable without clashing with the game’s established aesthetic. We used new animations, golden lightning effects, and layered audio cues to make these moments stand out.

The result is a sequel that feels instantly recognisable to fans of the original, but also offers a fresh, high-stakes feel that reflects its evolved gameplay and expanded potential.

How is Playson keeping the Hold and Win mechanic engaging and new, without doing away with what already works?
At Playson, we see the Hold and Win mechanic not as a fixed formula, but as a versatile foundation that can be refined, reimagined, and expanded with each new release. The key to keeping it engaging lies in preserving the core thrill that players love, while introducing fresh layers of gameplay. By alternating and enhancing features within core Hold and Win, we strive to give players more diverse gaming experience and appeal to different playing styles.

We also carefully fine-tune each title’s math and visual pacing to ensure that the mechanic feels intuitive, fast, and rewarding — all while aligning with evolving market expectations.

“We carefully fine-tune each title’s math and visual pacing to ensure that the mechanic feels intuitive, fast, and rewarding”

For us, keeping Hold and Win engaging is not about reinventing the wheel, but continuously enriching the journey it offers.

Have you seen any different Hold and Win trends across jurisdictions?

Hold and Win continues to demonstrate strong global appeal, and while the mechanic performs consistently well across most markets, we do observe nuanced trends by region.

For example, in Eastern Europe, players tend to favour classic fruit-themed Hold and Win games with straightforward gameplay and high-frequency bonuses. These markets value familiarity and reliability.

In Italy, we’ve seen enduring success from some of our older themed titles, suggesting that local audiences are loyal to well-established slots with distinctive visual identity.

There’s rising demand for higher volatility and innovative math models in some regions, and Hold and Win games in these markets often succeed by offering extreme win potential, diversified feature sets, or unique audio-visual styles.

Across the board, however, what remains consistent is the mechanic’s universal simplicity — it’s easy to understand, scalable across mobile and desktop, and lends itself well to visual variation and feature evolution. That’s why, as we expand our reach, Hold and Win remains a central pillar in our roadmap — adaptable to market preferences, yet unmistakably Playson.

How do sequels and game families fit into your long-term product strategy at Playson?

In today’s saturated iGaming landscape, players are overwhelmed by choice. When a game resonates with audiences, creating a sequel allows us to capitalise on that existing engagement while introducing fresh features that extend its lifecycle.

From a business perspective, game families offer a data-driven way to build on top of the successes of games with similar mechanics. We already understand what players like from the original, and we use that insight to refine gameplay, visuals, and mechanics in the follow-up. It also supports stronger communication and positioning with our operator partners — they know what to expect from the franchise, and that trust translates into better placement and performance.

Ultimately, sequels are not just follow-ups — they’re milestones of growth, both for the product and for Playson.

Finally, what does Coin Strike 2 tell us about where Playson is headed as a studio – what should operators expect from your roadmap in H2 and beyond?

Playson is headed toward deeper game engagement, sharper feature innovation, and a portfolio strategy that blends consistency with evolution. Coin Strike 2: Hold and Win shows our focus on refining what works, rather than chasing gimmicks.

For H2 and beyond, operators can expect a continued emphasis on high-performing, retention-driven content. We’ll be launching more titles based on performing mechanics, while also exploring new ones, and expanding our buy bonus feature variations. Our goal is not to flood the market with volume, but to deliver high-quality stronger titles that contribute real value. With that said, expect higher games density from us in the future.

Anton-Ivannikov, game stream leader, Playson

Bettors are no longer satisfied with static pre-match bets. They expect live, mobile-first, and personalised experiences that mirror the always-on content they consume elsewhere. This demand is forcing operators – especially in esports – to rethink their infrastructure.

While the mega-gaming titles enjoyed by millions of consumers in their homes worldwide have continued to increase in popularity, innovations like eSimulators, which package up traditional sports in a digital format, have also emerged.

As a result, two distinct audiences have helped to fuel growth at the heart of the sector, according to Marek Suchar, co-founder and managing director of leading esports betting solutions supplier Oddin.gg.

“When we talk about core esports – titles like Counter-Strike or League of Legends – we’re dealing with competitive gaming that players often engage with for years,” Suchar says. “They play, they watch, and eventually, they might bet on it. This is largely a millennial or younger demographic, already immersed in the culture.

“eSimulators like eFootball, eBasketball or eCricket have a very different audience. These are regular sports fans who already understand football or basketball, and eSims give them a familiar experience in a digital format.

“Our clients understand these are two separate audiences – and one-size-fits-all infrastructure simply doesn’t work. That’s why our BetBuilder was built with flexibility at its core, capable of serving both core esports, such as Counter-Strike 2, and eFootball seamlessly, without needing two parallel systems.”

BetBuilder for different audiences

Oddin.gg launched BetBuilder last October, offering customised options across both eSimulators and esports.

Bettors have the ability to create countless combinations within a single match – up to 97 selections across 10 markets in Counter-Strike 2, or 26 selections across 12 markets in eFootball.

BetBuilder, which is backed by the supplier’s risk management service, builds on Oddin.gg’s commitment to live, in-play functionality, with flexibility at the heart of its infrastructure.

“We focus on live betting because that’s where the engagement and the betting volume happen,” Suchar adds. “In core esports, like Counter-Strike 2 or Dota 2, a map might last 30 to 40 minutes, and 80 to 90 per cent of the betting volume happens while the game is being played. That’s where the fun is.

“So when we built BetBuilder, the backbone was designed from day one to handle live markets. Once we had pre-match capabilities in place, we moved straight to live, because it lets players combine predictions on what will happen next, and that drives both engagement and value for bettors and bookmakers alike.”

Technological progression

The development of BetBuilder – and esports betting more broadly – is an inevitable consequence of technological progression that stretches back to the emergence of online multiplayer gaming in the early 2000s.

The growth of online video and streaming platforms such as YouTube and Twitch fuelled interest, but the pandemic accelerated esports betting like never before thanks to the enforced break in the international sporting calendar.

In the absence of traditional sports, not only did bettors explore esports in ever-greater numbers, but operators also recognised the importance of presenting a varied offering of digital sports to plug gaps in the traditional sporting calendar.

“Having 24/7 content is a big advantage for operators because there’s always something to offer, even when major sports are off-season,” Suchar says. 

“If football isn’t on, eFootball is. If the NBA is out of season, eBasketball is still running. This keeps bettors engaged year-round.

“During COVID, when live sports were suspended, esports and eSims became vital for operators. Even after live sports returned, many saw the value in keeping these products as reliable ‘gap fillers’ in their portfolio.”

Accelerating growth

This growth shows no signs of slowing down, according to the report Esports 2024: A Review of Betting Growth and Milestones.

The study, which is based on first-party data from the supplier’s client operators, found that betting volume had doubled year-on-year, with the average wager count increasing by 83 per cent. The average bet amount was €29 (£24/$34) – six times higher than for football.

Suchar says that there is no single reason for such a positive trajectory, which has resulted in Oddin.gg expanding globally through new client sign-ups, as well as adding more titles and formats to ramp up the variety of its offering.

“For eSims, we’ve increased the number of eFootball and eBasketball matches we offer, and we’re currently in the process of integrating American football due to demand from operators. Talking about core esports, we’re actively adding more mobile-friendly formats, but also improving our traditional core esports offering – from Counter-Strike 2 to VALORANT – with things like racing markets and player props,” he says.

“We’re currently in the process of integrating American football due to demand from operators”

“We’re constantly introducing new markets, like player duels or over/under on the number of kills. 

“The variety of these side markets is crucial because BetBuilder’s value depends heavily on them. If you can only combine ‘match winner’ and ‘first half winner’ in CS2 or eFootball, that’s very limited. Expanding the range of markets means players can build more personalised and engaging bets, which is what drives sustained growth.”

Engaging and fast

Of course, the successful momentum is being partly driven by a growing following for esports content itself which, by its nature, tallies with Oddin.gg’s live-first functionality and punters’ growing appetite for on-demand, frictionless bet construction around the clock.

“From our perspective, and based on partner feedback, players want content that’s engaging and fast – place a bet, see the result and, if they want, place another bet straight away,” Suchar says, before highlighting how Oddin.gg’s eFootball matches last for about eight minutes. 

Understandably, there are technological challenges with such a rapid betting experience.

Not only do odds need to update instantly, but the quality of the simulated action itself is paramount. For this reason, Oddin.gg runs up to 100,000 simulations for each BetBuilder session before anyone places a wager.

“The system has to instantly reflect new odds as a player selects markets, without any lag,” Suchar adds.

“If a bettor has to wait 10 or 20 seconds for odds to update, they probably won’t place the bet. So, it’s really about combining simulation quality, speed and consistency; and that’s only possible with the right technology in place.”

He goes on to explain that the bettor’s perspective is integral, with the aim of personalising the user experience. On this point, there is no technical limit on the number of selections that can be combined through Oddin.gg’s BetBuilder, unlike many other products elsewhere.

“With BetBuilder, the goal is that if a bettor wants to combine multiple selections, they can quickly choose, see the odds and place the bet without delays,” he says. “They are in full control, getting the kind of on-demand experience they’re used to from services like Netflix, Spotify or YouTube.”

Flexible foundations

The flexibility at the heart of BetBuilder has been enabled, he adds, by Oddin.gg focusing on providing solid foundations for future expansion.

“Though it was the very first for eSims, our BetBuilder wasn’t the first to market for esports, but I believe it was the first fully working esports bet builder. That’s because we didn’t take shortcuts,” Suchar says.

“We built proper models from the start, scalable to live betting. Each sport – Counter-Strike 2, VALORANT, eFootball, eBasketball – has its own main model, plus additional models for different markets. For example, match winner and game duration each require separate modelling.

“When we launch a new market, we first release it to our risk-managed clients. We monitor real betting activity over days and weeks, then adjust as needed. Once the market is proven, we then roll it out to our other odds feed clients. This constant feedback loop lets us keep adding and refining markets for the BetBuilder.”

Responsible gambling

For live betting, the challenge is to maintain both speed and accuracy so the bettor’s experience stays smooth, facilitating true 24/7 wagering opportunities. For some, though, such betting availability is a concern in a responsible gambling context.

“As a B2B provider, we work with licensed, regulated bookmakers like Betano, ESPN Bet, and Betway. They handle responsible gaming measures – setting betting limits and ensuring players don’t overspend – while we provide the technology and content,” Suchar says.

“The same level of risk applies whether a player bets €10,000 on one game or €1 across many games. It’s about having proper limits in place based on each player’s profile.

“Licensed operators set those limits according to local regulations. Our role is to supply the 24/7 content and technology; they ensure safeguards are in place for responsible play.”

Shaping the future

With a drive to help shape the direction of the esports betting space, there is plenty on the agenda for Oddin.gg. 

In core esports, new markets, titles, products and features are in the pipeline. In eSimulators, more side markets for eBasketball and eFootball are being added, stream coverage is being increased, and work is taking place to develop American football modelling.

Meanwhile, for BetBuilder, there is an opportunity to press ahead with further expansion.

“The plan is to keep adding titles and side markets, supporting more combinations, and exploring new ways to improve visualisation for our partners,” Suchar concludes. 

“The technology is proven and delivering strong results, so every new market or title makes the proposition more engaging for both bettors and operators.

Marek Suchar, Managing Director, Oddin.gg

Projections point to a double digit compound annual growth rate globally – while in some countries, expectations are even higher. 

However, for operators to secure even a fraction of a sector that is already worth hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide, a local focus is required within a global landscape. That is a big challenge for many operators that have experienced growing pains. 

Operating across multiple states, continents, laws and cultures is a serious task for any igaming or betting company seeking to broaden beyond its domestic market. 

Given this, the opportunity to tap into the experience of a technological partner that has specific market-by-market expertise to support the launch and ongoing development of brands in numerous jurisdictions across the world is highly compelling. 

Staking its claim

In this context, sports betting and igaming software provider Software Mind is increasingly staking its claim. 

Having launched as a boutique Polish software house in 1999, the enterprise has undergone a huge transformation over the past quarter of a century into a global software development and consultancy with clients in more than 35 countries spanning Europe, the US and Latin America. 

Local leadership plays a crucial role in navigating local cultures, while regional executives are part of the company’s management board and lead sales, internal and software delivery units. This approach means Software Mind can support clients worldwide through an adaptable team.  

Furthermore, and crucially, betting is not only in their outstanding portfolio for they work across sectors as diverse as media and entertainment, financial services, telecommunications, biotech, manufacturing, courier and real estate. For Software Mind, betting has emerged as one of the company’s key verticals since the late 2010s. 

Veikkaus partnership

Building on previous projects for the likes of Sporting Index and BetEast, Software Mind won a tender last year to provide application management support and product development services for Veikkaus Oy, the Finnish government-owned betting operator. 

About 40 Software Mind team members are currently supporting the partnership by utilising emerging technologies to deliver customised betting solutions through a range of integrations. 

For the supplier, the collaboration with a high-profile name like Veikkaus provides a major opportunity to support a renowned betting monopoly that is preparing for the challenge of market liberalisation in Finland in less than 18 months’ time. 

Indeed, Veikkaus is in the midst of a major technological upgrade, with new PAM and CRM platform integrations, apps and website front-ends all set to accompany a new betting platform. 

“For us, the target is to grow with them and basically ensure people from our side can help them with day-to-day operations so they can reach their goals,” says Alexandru Oana, Software Mind’s software delivery director. 

The Veikkaus partnership gives Software Mind an opportunity to attract new clients, as emerging platforms battle alongside established operators for new market share.  

“The industry is growing year-on-year and moving in the right direction, and a lot of people are trying to launch new platforms in different regions, including Latin America, with everyone fighting to be first in the market,” Oana adds. 

Scalable support 

Such ambitions require scalable tech support. 

Software Mind creates customisable software as well as supporting tailored product development. The company can also provide real-time data so that operators can analyse player behaviours and needs through stable and secure technology platforms. 

In the broader gambling space, the enterprise offers casino game software integration and land-based gaming solutions, as well as casino player management – from payment processing and fraud processing to compliance control. 

The company sees growth opportunities throughout the world. 

Whilst acknowledging that working across multiple time zones can be a challenge, Oana is also quick to highlight the benefits, including round-the-clock support for operators and the opportunity to leverage product development expertise across multiple regions. 

Software Mind’s AI focus

Within Software Mind’s product development scope is a growing focus on artificial intelligence. 

Software Mind has extensive experience in developing AI projects across various industries, and in betting, the opportunity to utilise the technology to drive personalisation, provide customer support, detect fraud and promote responsible gambling practices is increasingly important.  

Additionally, Oana outlines the power of leveraging AI to enhance the overall user experience by, for example, delivering tailored customer-facing offers through a new recommendation engine. 

“The standard in the future will be to use AI more and more – and it can help with processing bets, liabilities and all kinds of trading tools,” Oana says, before highlighting how the technology can help to write “faster and cleaner code” that is easier to review. 

“We are using AI with different clients, and we have been showing them the benefits and the increased productivity.” 

On this point, Software Mind is investing considerable sums in AI and data engineering to stay ahead of the curve, with operators acknowledging the importance of data-driven decision-making more than ever.  

Beyond AI, Oana explains how sustainable success depends on a scalable and secure technology infrastructure capable of supporting innovations such as live streaming, blockchain and even virtual reality.  

Emerging trends

Strategic partnerships and continuous monitoring of emerging trends are vital for staying competitive, says Oana, who adds that the industry needs to work harder on player trust and welfare, with a need for better-automated tools and features that promote responsible gambling. 

In addition, from a user’s perspective, Oana believes that the sector can do more to provide truly localised content that is tailored to diverse cultural preferences and languages. It is Software Mind’s belief that its in-house specialists and state-of-the-art technology can help operators to navigate such challenges, against the backdrop of the complex and ever-changing regulatory landscapes worldwide. 

“To date, Software Mind has completed over 2,000 projects, with more than 1,600 employees working across a portfolio of over 350 clients worldwide.”

“To date, Software Mind has completed over 2,000 projects, with more than 1,600 employees working across a portfolio of over 350 clients worldwide, including in the igaming and sports betting space.” 

However, further growth is on the horizon through fruitful partnerships. 

Collaborations

In addition to working with the likes of Veikkaus, Software Mind is determined to demonstrate its industry expertise by collaborating with consultants like casino gaming industry provider CyberTeam Solutions to develop products that address common challenges faced by operators.  

These hurdles, Oana says, include enhancing security and retaining customers on their platforms through loyalty programmes.  

Meanwhile, other partnerships and products are in the pipeline for Software Mind. 

“In our future plans, we aim to expand into new markets,” Oana says. “We are currently focusing on North America and Western Europe, while analysing expansion opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region.” 

For both Oana and Software Mind, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future. 

“Over the next five years, I would like to see our betting business unit double in size.

“We are reliable, we are trusted, and we haven’t failed yet with any of our projects. We are always first in the market when it comes to timelines, and we always respect the agreed deadlines with our clients. 

“We want to grow, embark on new projects and attract new clients. We want more people to hear about our brand and our experience in the industry.” 

Alexandru Oana, software delivery director, Software Mind

Some things start with a bang but end with a whimper; that is not an expression that can be used to describe the Ontario gambling market. It was more like a rocket launched with an enormous roar that has just kept going and growing. Not only has the legislation proved a massive boon for the province, its coffers, and the safety of its citizens, but the success is leading to seismic changes in other provinces, too. You can well and truly say that online casino gambling and sports betting have landed on fertile soil in Canada. The sky seems to be the limit when it comes to growth and success. Everyone is now vying for a slice of the action, and there are exciting opportunities right across the country.

Everyone was excited about the possibilities that would be unlocked by the launch of Ontario’s regulated gambling market in April 2022. After all, Canadians are inveterate gamblers, and playing casino games or taking a punt on the outcome of a sporting event seems to be part of the cultural DNA, with 60% of Canadians saying that they regularly partake in gambling. 43% of the population gamble at a relatively modest level, spending between $1 and $20 a month, while 3% are high-stakes players spending over $100 a month.

Canadians have been navigating the world of online casino gambling for years, and even before the Ontario market launched, there were 19 million active online accounts. Online Casino review sites like Casino.ca have been guiding players to help them find the best online casino in Canada that suits their playing style and budget for decades.

Everyone knew that the changes taking place in Ontario were going to be momentous, but it has still been a revelation to witness what happened. The commercial market in Ontario aimed to tempt people away from offshore gambling sites and persuade them to play on regulated sites. The primary reason was customer protection, though boosting provincial revenues was undoubtedly also a driving force behind the changes to the law.

From April 2024 to March 2025, Ontario gross gambling revenue (GGR) surpassed all expectations, with CA$3.20 billion being generated and 32% growth over the previous year. Wagering soared to CA$82.7 billion, up 31% year-over-year, with online casino gaming being the most popular vertical. According to Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission, almost 84% of people play on regulated sites – a huge feat for the regulators.

Ontario had the advantage of being able to go from ‘zero to hero’ and tackled the issue of offshore gambling in one fell swoop. Now, other provinces are looking on and possibly wondering if their approach of attempting to offer alternative solutions was the right one.

Alberta is an interesting case study when it comes to changing direction. Initially, the province opted for offering a controlled online casino operation through the Play Alberta site. However, last year, it was announced that the province would also be launching its regulated market, using Ontario as a blueprint. That said, the challenges in Alberta have been different as they want to move people from the unregulated offshore market to the new commercial market without cannibalising the Play Alberta customer base.

Alberta’s messages and advertising need to work differently from what was done in Ontario, particularly as recent polling has shown that many Albertan players believe the offshore sites they are currently playing on are regulated. Only one in ten players play exclusively on the Play Alberta site, according to polling carried out by Ipsos earlier in the year, and less than a quarter use Play Alberta at all. Three-quarters of Albertans are playing on offshore sites, where many operators have proven trustworthy to players.

Alberta has recently completed the legal steps to launch its commercial online gambling market, but the details of exactly how it will work are still being finalized. With the new Alberta igaming Corporation being launched, commercial operators will want assurance that they’re not being regulated by a body that also competes with them. While the move by the department responsible for cutting red tape has been broadly welcomed, the process of bringing the vision into practice has ironically got entangled in quite a bit of red tape itself. By contrast, there are now definite promises of an early 2026 launch from Dale McNally, the author of the iGaming Alberta Act.

It appears the rules and regulations for both Ontario and Alberta are evolving as the reality on the ground (or in the virtual space) becomes clearer. Concerns about physical casino revenues and viability have played a significant role in getting the balance right. Even with the most careful planning, however, it is often the unexpected factors that create the most change. Many people credit the explosion in online casino popularity with extended lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. When trade at bricks-and-mortar venues picked up, it was not at the cost of online activity.

However, the latest threat comes from south of the border as trade tensions with the USA ramp up. Many leading land-based casinos are heavily reliant on the American tourist trade, and relations have cooled with the imposition of tariffs and trade barriers going up. It is not only visitor numbers that are being affected; the physical sector relies heavily on US-supplied slot machines and video lottery terminals. When President Trump put tariffs on Canadian exports, the Canadian provinces began placing restrictions on the acquisition of American-made gaming machines.

Therefore, the physical venues are not able to easily or cost-effectively import the latest and most exciting hardware. The same cannot be said for online gaming software. The US is not the same dominant force in the online gaming market as it is in the legendary resorts of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Therefore, the trade in new games, platforms, and mechanics has not been affected in the same way. Canada has many home-grown igaming businesses, and the online sector is a global place.

The bottom line: in Canada’s gambling landscape, online casinos look set to be the biggest winners.

Getting to the heart of the issue requires a deep dive into data. However, transactional digital footprints only tell part of the story.

To gain a full picture of a punter requires layers of additional behavioural datasets, helping to break down the traits and datapoints that identify high-value or high-risk players.

Data-driven context

For Emma Philip, EMEA lead solution engineer at Fullstory, the key is to expand upon the data that shows when users are depositing, withdrawing and placing bets.

“It can be misleading,” Philip says. “For example, if a player is placing large deposits and stakes, that could be an indication that they’re a high-value player, but it could also indicate that they are at risk in a responsible gambling context.

“So, as well as having that transactional data, it is important to layer behavioural data, which shows us more about the user. What else are they interacting with on the site? What are they doing between the deposits and the bets? Are they engaging with other content? How long are they spending online?

“Are the responsible gambling features that brands have actually ignoring the reality checks? There are lots of different ways that we can look at behaviour to see if we need to intervene with a customer.”

With this in mind, Fullstory has identified seven key player behaviours that signal either loyalty or risk.

1. Deposits that increase over time

Deposit trends, when viewed over time, reveal patterns beyond top-line transaction data.

“If it’s a gradual increase in deposits, that would indicate high value,” Philip explains. “However, if it is a little bit erratic, it could be a sign of risky behaviour.

“High-value players usually display more steady behaviour, so their deposits will follow a pattern and they won’t have major spikes or dips along the way.”

2. High engagement with promotions and bonuses

High-value players are more likely to engage with personalised promotions and game recommendations that are tailored to their individual tastes, as well as loyalty programmes and gamification.

“As they are engaged with the platform and the experience, they are more likely to want to try out these things that are being put in front of them,” Philip says. “If we’re seeing high engagement with that type of personalisation, that’s usually a good indicator of a high-value player.”

3. Smooth and fast sessions across sign-up and deposit flows

Unpredictable behaviour in the sign-up and deposit processes can be an indication that there are responsible gaming issues.

“High-value players are more likely to follow a predicted pattern of going between those steps smoothly,” Philip says.

“A risky player is more likely to be more aggressive and frustrated in a conversation with support, for example, if they have sign-up issues.”

4. Rage clicks on deposit, bonus or withdrawal

Building on the previous point, Fullstory captures so-called ‘rage clicks’, when a user aggressively and repeatedly taps their screen or clicks their mouse.

According to Fullstory’s new benchmark report, error-driven exits have actually jumped 40% year on year and frustration is building, with rage clicks way up on mobile in particular.

“This could be a sign that a player is exhibiting erratic behaviour and they are at a higher risk of problem gambling,” Philip says.

“These rage clicks really highlight frustration from a customer. Alternatively, if you know someone is a high-value player and you can see they are getting frustrated, that’s also a sign that you should be reaching out to them.”

5. Repeat verification failures

A multitude of error messages can be a red flag when it comes to identifying users who are at a greater risk, especially with Know Your Customer (KYC) verifications.

“If users aren’t passing KYC checks and their payments aren’t going through, it’s an indication that this player is at risk, but it’s also a good sign that you have taken necessary preventative steps as a business,” Philip adds.

“It’s not just about what users have clicked on, but also what the error messages are saying. Is it a KYC message saying that an image is too blurry? Or is it a different message that indicates a user should not be able to move forward with creating an account?”

6. Bouncing between pages without completing key actions

Switching between different platform pages before completing certain actions is another sign of erratic behaviour, Philip says.

“Fullstory can see when users have multiple tabs open and are moving between them, and how quickly they’re doing that and refreshing pages,” she adds.

“It can be a sign of frustration as well as not being engaged. It is likely to mean they are not a highly engaged, high-value customer as they are not too bothered by the content.”

7. Abandoning a bonus after initiating it

There is also a potentially pivotal engagement issue if a player abandons a bonus unexpectedly.

“If customers are following a journey and then dropping out it means that either they don’t want to engage – or they can’t follow the process, meaning they’re not necessarily a high-value customer that knows what they’re doing.”

Philip says this might be because they’re new, because they’re not in a good state of mind, or simply because they don’t have the funds to proceed.

Timely interventions

Identifying and acting on the seven key player behaviours above can be hugely consequential for operators, as well as the customers they serve – and timeliness is a key factor in successful interventions.

Philip highlights how transactional data is often 24 hours behind the play, but Fullstory’s behavioural data takes place in real time. Furthermore, early and smart interventions can have real-world, bottom-line benefits.

“One client engaged us after being sanctioned by the Gambling Commission,” she says. “By working with us, they could demonstrate through an audit that they were more likely to be able to intervene early with responsible gambling measures.

“Another customer used Fullstory to identify fraudulent users – who are also more likely to be at-risk gamblers – who engaged in bonus abuse and had multiple accounts. Using behavioural data, they identified about 1,000 more of these users per month than they had with traditional methods. They estimated that this saved them more than £300,000 per year.”

Real-world impact

The impact of such data-driven analysis was explored in detail during an iGB webinar hosted in partnership with behavioural data analytics experts Fullstory in June.

A panel of experts delved into how data can be used to acquire high-value players and provide them with a better experience – while simultaneously preventing high-risk gamblers from continuing uninterrupted.

The webinar featured Game Lounge’s director of customer experience and optimisation, Jason Attard, as well as Dubravko Blaće, marketing technology and analytics lead at Casumo, alongside Aaron Bali, Fullstory’s manager of solutions engineering in EMEA.

Player behaviour insights

Both Game Lounge and Casumo have worked with Fullstory to help serve up soomther player journeys while supporting an ROI-driven mindset.

Casumo implemented Fullstory as a gaming analytics solution, leveraging  tools like Session Replay and Watched Elements, to address the challenge of gaining in-depth insights into user behaviour. The technology enabled Casumo to accelerate issue detection by 50% and reduce the time to resolution by 87%. This reduction of time-to-resolution enables more efficient releases and a smoother experience for high-value users.

Meanwhile Game Lounge wanted to improve their understanding of how users were navigating their affiliate sites. With Fullstory’s support, Game Lounge can now validate assumptions, identify areas of confusion and enhance the user experience after analysing retroactive session replays and event tracking. These updates contributed to a 70% improvement in dead clicks and a 50% reduction in error clicks.

AI-driven technology

The Fullstory technology is supported by artificial intelligence (AI) and integrated through an add-on script to a platform’s backend to capture all behaviours without the need for manual tagging. The AI-powered service is called Fullcapture and collects all user interactions across web and mobile (micro data points – like what users play and pause, copy and paste, where they zoom in and out). It’s comprehensive and retroactive.

“We use AI in this, so once we’ve got this data, we can start to track patterns and summarise user behaviour,” Philip continues. “Users can be online for hours, which is time-consuming to follow, so we are using our service StoryAI to make it quicker to get accurate summaries of what they are doing.”

Fullstory has automated templates set up for responsible gambling and high-value customers that can be triggered with real-time alerts. This means that if, for example, an at-risk player is identified, the right team members at an operator can be alerted for further intervention.

Intervention signals

As Philip outlines, there are numerous more indicators of problem gambling – ranging from being online at unsociable hours to trying to use multiple payment methods to trying to create numerous accounts.

“Declined deposit error messages, high-frequency spend, chasing losses, a rapid increase in stakes and duration of play are all flags,” Philip says.

“Also, interactions with responsible gambling features can be a key indicator. Are they trying to alter deposit limits or amend self-exclusion rules? There are lots of trends that can be identified, and we’ve built our responsible gambling offering with our customers from behavioural data.”

Centralising data

Aside from engaging specialists like Fullstory, Philip also highlights how operators can take a major step towards being more proactive in identifying customer value and personas by breaking down data siloes.

“We often speak to different teams in a business and they’re all using different data and different tools,” she says. “Having that centralised approach ensures you get as much valuable data as possible – and making sure teams are trained in how they can access data and what data is available to them supports real-time analysis.

“Having centralised, retroactive data is important for seeing changes in behaviour over time, so that you can track a player who may have been fine at the start but then becomes a risk.”

Power of personalisation

Personalisation is also vital, Philip says, by helping to enhance responsible gambling efforts while maintaining positive relationships with high-value players.

“You could have personalised messages that highlight unusual behaviour that may require intervention, while for high-value players, it is about making sure features and recommendations are based on what they like,” she says.

“We know that a small number of high-value players can make up the bulk of the revenue for a business. So, if you see one of them struggling, you want to be able to reach out to them swiftly and provide support – and also check in on them.”

As regulatory pressures intensify and competition for player loyalty grows, operators who embrace real-time behavioural insights will be best placed to drive sustainable growth. It is clear that such data-driven interventions are no longer optional – they are operationally essential for maintaining edge.

Emma Philip, EMEA lead solution engineeer, Fullstory

Given the complexity of the challenge, it is understandable why igaming operators have traditionally leaned into a reactive approach when tackling fraudulent activity.

According to research, fraud in the sector rocketed by an average of 64% per year between 2022 and 2024, while half of online gambling companies lost 10% of revenue through such activities last year.

Fraudsters are getting more sophisticated and – coupled with increasing regulatory scrutiny – operators have encountered growing pressure from all sides.

However, in this context, reactive compliance for such a critical issue is hampering innovation and progress, according to Ian Campbell, director of solutions at payment services provider Equals Money.

Campbell argues that a change of mindset is required from operators to bring about real change, so that integrated and progressive payment solutions are viewed as a strategic lever, rather than merely a backend function.

Onboarding protocols

By adopting such an approach, operators can shift towards proactive collaboration with payment platforms underpinned by shared onboarding protocols that protect players and future-proof businesses – and the sector at large.

“One key area is joint onboarding protocols, and we onboard both the gaming company and their underlying customers,” Campbell explains.

“By working closely with gaming operators, we can align on what information and checks are needed during onboarding, and they can embed those into their own journeys.

“This proactive approach reduces fraud further down the line and speeds up payment processing for genuine customers. It also benefits financial institutions by allowing us to detect suspicious activity early.”

Fraud risk

Fraud risk is considered to be the number one barrier to payment innovation across all sectors, with Campbell highlighting Equals Money’s research that 42% of businesses consider it to be their biggest risk.

However, as mentioned, direct onboarding – which brings both the gaming company and their customers into Equals Money’s system individually – is a key way to mitigate the issue.

Each underlying client is assigned a unique IBAN, improving reconciliation and helping isolate issues quickly.

“If there’s a problem, we know exactly where it is,” Campbell says. “That level of visibility helps both us and the gaming firm manage fraud more effectively and keeps issues from affecting an entire pool of funds.”

“If an issue arises, we can freeze activity at the specific IBAN level, rather than freezing the entire client account. That containment allows gaming firms to continue serving other customers without interruption – a huge benefit in such a fast-moving industry.”

Collaborative approach

By focusing on embedding new strategies at the onboarding stage, Equals Money aims to optimise customer flows, and then recommend specific solutions.

As part of this collaborative approach, operators should view payment solutions as an opportunity rather than a challenge. With this in mind, Campbell believes data-sharing represents a big opportunity.

“Right now, there’s not a lot of cross-industry sharing on what fraud actually looks like in igaming,” Campbell says. “Creating a shared ecosystem for fraud indicators would be a huge step forward. It would let firms spot and stop fraud faster, based on shared intelligence.”

Real-time monitoring

Whilst breaking down data siloes is important, a nimble approach to the task is required, with Campbell adding that real-time monitoring is “absolutely crucial” in detecting and preventing fraud.

“Real-time monitoring allows us to detect and respond to suspicious activity as it happens,” he says. “At Equals, all our transaction monitoring is in real time. That means we can immediately flag and investigate any irregularities, whether payments are going in or out.

“Collaboration is important here too. While we can’t share specific transaction monitoring rules for compliance reasons, we can work with our gaming clients to help them understand what kinds of patterns or red flags to look out for.

“That way, both the financial institution and the operator are better equipped to catch fraud early, while still delivering the real-time payments consumers expect.”

“Creating a shared ecosystem for fraud indicators would be a huge step forward. It would let firms spot and stop fraud faster, based on shared intelligence.”

The role of APIs

Underpinning real-time monitoring is speed – and APIs play a vital role in enabling faster and more secure payments in gaming.

“Instant payments are no longer a luxury – they’re expected,” Campbell says.

“Gaming companies need to move funds in minutes, not days. APIs make that possible by allowing seamless integration with financial institutions like Equals, which provide global real-time payments.

“But speed alone isn’t enough. Security and compliance are key. APIs need to be backed by robust onboarding processes and real-time monitoring systems. That way, gaming firms can deliver instant payments without compromising on safety.”

AI-driven analytics

In a sector that supports countless transactions, scalability is needed. Research published last year by Equals Money found that 95% of financial leaders are either using or considering using artificial intelligence (AI) in their processes.

The business uses AI-driven analytics both in onboarding and transaction monitoring, and Campbell praises the technology as “one of the most effective tools in fraud detection and monitoring”. However, he notes that there is still work to be done to ensure AI can be used effectively and responsibly at scale.

“We’re seeing some really impressive developments in this space, which are increasingly being adopted across the industry,” he explains. “AI can not only help detect potential fraud more accurately but also support the kind of real-time payments gaming customers expect.

“The insights it gives us are powerful, but again, it has to be deployed within a clear, safe compliance framework.”

The growth of stablecoins

Another emerging trend in the sector is the growing utilisation of blockchain – and specifically stablecoins, which are cryptocurrency tokens that track the value of fiat currencies like the US dollar.

Global circulation of stablecoins has reportedly risen to about $250bn, with Campbell anticipating significant developments in the space over the next 12 months as European lawmakers attempt to catch up with the US, where a crypto-friendly administration has accelerated progress.

“It’s hard to go an hour without someone mentioning stablecoins these days,” says Campbell, who notes that the tokens account for as much as 20% of usage in some sectors.

“Stablecoins offer real benefits. They help hedge against volatility and enable faster settlements. But it’s still early days in gaming, and regulators, particularly the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), remain cautious due to potential fraud risks.”

A ‘great step forward’ with the FCA

In March, the UK government announced plans to consolidate the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR)’s functions into the FCA. Campbell is optimistic that shifting to a single regulator represents a “great step forward”, allowing for closer alignment with gaming firms and the chance to build a more coherent and effective framework.

“This is a real opportunity for the FCA to provide clear, consistent guidance,” Campbell says.

“The FCA has long promoted trust, transparency, and strong supervision, and these are qualities that are crucial in igaming. Streamlining compliance requirements through a unified regulator could help firms both meet standards and innovate more confidently.

“The clearer the FCA can be on what constitutes best practice, the better equipped firms will be to implement the right tools early and reduce their exposure.”

A ‘safe path to innovation’

The aim is to move beyond ticking regulatory boxes and adopting a more progressive and integrated approach to payments that is supported by proactive regulatory collaboration.

On this point, Campbell is confident that the FCA can continue to support innovation while maintaining strong compliance standards. One way of doing this, he says, is by expanding the use of regulatory sandboxes, which are controlled environments that allow companies to test new technologies safely.

“Having spoken with the FCA’s innovation team, it is clear they are keen to engage more closely with igaming firms,” Campbell says. “If something proves effective in the sandbox, it can then be incorporated into formal guidance. That creates a safe path to innovation, without compromising compliance.”

Ian Campbell, director of solutions at Equals Money

The history of gambling is littered with failed attempts by lawmakers to bring the activity into a fully controlled environment.

In the UK, it is 65 years since the Betting and Gaming Act paved the way for legalised casino gambling, commercial bingo halls and of course bookmakers. Forty-five years later, the Gambling Act 2005 ushered in a new era of regulation, leading to the creation of the Gambling Commission two years later.

Just over two years ago, the long-awaited Gambling Act Review white paper was published – a meticulous 268-page document outlining countless proposals for an evolving industry – including, crucially, a commitment to strengthen the Gambling Commission’s powers to tackle illegal gambling.

It is therefore a sobering warning for lawmakers across the globe that a gambling jurisdiction as mature and heavily regulated as the UK is still home to a thriving black market.

Black-market challenges

A 2024 survey commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council estimated that up to £2.7bn is staked online with black market operators each year in the UK – the equivalent of 2.1% of the £128 billion staked annually with licensed online operators.

While 5.4% of UK gamblers use both regulated and illegal operators, illegal gambling accounts for 12% of their wagering expenditure – a disproportionately large slice of their wallet. The 0.8% of gamblers who exclusively use illegal sites spend an eye-watering £695m annually. Perhaps more worryingly, though, more than one in seven gamblers recognise at least one illegal brand, the survey found.

The problem is by no means contained in the UK. Experts warn that similar dynamics are playing out globally, with well-meaning regulations unintentionally accelerating the shift to illegal gambling.

David Matthews, CEO at Onyx Gaming, is a firm believer that the current trajectory is counterproductive and threatens to undermine responsible gambling efforts unless there is a sharp change of direction.

A growing problem

Onyx Gaming is an established operator behind the new sports and online casino BetWright – and its motto is, appropriately, ‘Safer Gaming through operational excellence’.

“We have seen recent figures showing over 500% growth in UK gross gambling yield within the black market over the past five years, so this problem is only going to grow,” Matthew says.

“We have seen recent figures showing over 500% growth in UK gross gambling yield within the black market over the past five years, so this problem is only going to grow.”

“Customers ultimately vote with their wallets. The more you tighten a regulated space, the more likely you are to drive customers into the black market. This is a known outcome tested over time across many different industries.”

Experts argue that the increasing frequency of penalties relating to player protection, Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) checks over recent years has led to regulated operators adopting an overly cautious approach. As a result, they request a burdensome selection of sensitive documents, including bank statements, from customers. Inevitably, some customers become frustrated with such a prolonged process and simply migrate to operators that provide a less intrusive onboarding experience.

Recognising the dangers

However, whilst the black market appeals to some, there are multiple dangers for punters who engage with illegal gambling, Matthews warns.

“The obvious danger is that your funds being confiscated with little to no recourse,” he says. “Ultimately when you transact with an entity which is not legally trading you run the risk that your funds may never be returned.

“But alongside that you run the risk of funding a business that likely does not have your best interests at heart and contributes nothing to the communities within which you live, through taxes, levies or charitable contributions.”

Further turbulence is likely, with taxes rising for people and businesses. In June, a YouGov survey found that 65% of gamblers agreed that a further rise in rates “would make customers turn to unregulated betting sites” if taxes were passed on to the consumer.

Put simply, the growth of black market gaming platforms in the UK – and elsewhere – shows a risk of “over-tightening” regulations, says Matthews.

“Some of the safeguards are absolutely required,” he adds. “However, some of the more recent legislation, which seeks to diminish the player experience, appears to be driven by a political agenda playing on people’s emotions rather than the rational reality that we all live in.”

Compliance pillars

The compliance and safety infrastructure that underpins regulated online casino and sports betting operators in the UK, for example, basically falls under three pillars.

AML and KYC checks focus on prevention of fraud and terrorism, while affordability checks assess financial vulnerability. Additionally, safer gambling provisions have become mandatory in numerous markets through self-exclusion options and self-imposed spending limits, for example.

However, black market operators have the freedom to play by their own rules.

“Depending on where these black-market operators reside, they may decide to follow some, or none of these as a pure business decision,” Matthews says. “But most likely, at the maximum, they will stop at AML checks.”

Delivering value

It is relatively easy for a punter to check if an online gaming platform is regulated or illegal in countries like the UK. Players can simply scroll to the bottom of any betting and gaming site and see whether it has an active Gambling Commission licence number.

Licensed operators, though, have a tougher task when going head-to-head with illegal platforms.

“Realistically, as a licensed operator, the only thing Onyx Gaming can do to combat the rise of the black market is try and provide a high-quality service to players that delivers value to them,” Matthews said. “We cannot protect players from registering with black-market casinos, but we do have to compete with them.”

The real responsibility lies with regulators to ensure the measures designed to protect consumers are not so restrictive that punters are encouraged to explore illegal operators for the playing experience they are seeking.

Therefore, according to Matthews, a different approach is required if the authorities are to stem the growth of illegal betting.

Re-evaluating the strategy

“There is a never-ending game of whack-a-mole currently being played across the industry seeking to try and ban, block or censor these brands. However, I do not expect this to be reflected on as a successful strategy,” he says, referring to the UK specifically.

“Ultimately, the only answer to this is to re-evaluate the approach to regulation in this country. If you speak to most people and ask them what they want from a regulator, it’s usually to ensure that there is fairness, transparency and protection of their funds, so their winnings and cash will be rightfully returned.”

A commitment to fairness, transparency and protecting customer funds, rather than “friction, nannying and diminished fun, which appears to be the current remit”, would be more impactful, Matthews adds.

Seeking a safer environment

One thing is beyond question: the size of the global gambling black market is huge.

In the US, where igaming and sports betting legislation is applied on a state-by-state basis, the American Gaming Association estimated in 2022 that over half a trillion dollars was wagered per year on unlicensed operators, creating an illegal market valued at $44.2bn.

In Europe, meanwhile, estimates vary wildly, but most studies have pinned the value of the black market at more than €20bn. However, experts warn that the real scale of the illegal gambling market is almost impossible to quantify.

Furthermore, while there are ongoing fears about the exodus of players to the black market, there are also concerns that operators themselves will increasingly view an unregulated status as a more attractive option than being licensed.

“A 500% growth in the black market tells its own story,” Matthews concludes. “If the government and the regulators care about this issue, then they will listen to operators and consumers instead of anti-gambling campaigners.

“Let’s unwind some of the complexity in the current regulations, encourage these operators to come on shore, and contribute taxes in a safer environment.”

David Matthews, CEO at Onyx Gaming

Without the unique atmosphere of a physical venue, online casinos often struggle to differentiate, leaving players feeling that experiences are too alike. To tackle this, operators are increasingly turning to AI-powered personalisation tools to tailor the gaming experience to individual preferences.

Soft2Bet, however, takes differentiation even further by incorporating gamification elements that capture players’ imaginations in fresh, innovative ways.

Making online gambling more engaging

Chance has always been at the heart of gambling, but Soft2Bet is raising the stakes by creating experiences that keep players entertained beyond traditional bets.

Its gamification solution, MEGA (Motivational Engineering Gaming Application), adds layers of engagement by incorporating mini-games and incentives into the casino experience. Unlike typical gaming sites that offer rewards purely based on monetary gains, MEGA encourages longer sessions by providing entertainment value alongside financial incentives.

Martin Collins, Soft2Bet’s chief business development officer, explains that many online casinos still rely primarily on transactional relationships with players, who log in only to gamble. MEGA, by contrast, aims to hold player interest for more extended periods, ultimately helping operators attract and retain customers without extravagant promotions.

“Look at the bonuses casinos offer during events like the Super Bowl or NBA Finals. They sometimes hand out $1,000 in free bets just to capture attention,” Collins notes. “That’s not our strategy. MEGA uses targeted incentives to build loyalty and keep players coming back regularly, competing directly with everyday entertainment like Netflix or TikTok.”

Soft2Bet has deliberately moved away from flashy, short-term promotions, opting instead for strategic rewards designed to build lasting player engagement.

Rolling the dice

Dice are perhaps the most universal symbol of chance, making them a natural fit for MEGA Chance, one of Soft2Bet’s most popular MEGA game engines.

Inspired by classic board games like Monopoly, MEGA Chance captures the nostalgic feeling of gathering around a board game at home. Each day that players log in, they’re given three dice rolls, moving around the board to unlock rewards.

There’s a daily limit of three dice rolls, after which players must wait until the next day before claiming further rewards. Yoel Zuckerberg, Soft2Bet’s chief product officer, describes it as a deliberate approach to boosting retention. “The concept is simple: encourage customers to return daily,” he explains, adding that operators have flexibility in customising reward triggers, payout timing, and maximum prize caps to suit their player base.

As players move along the board, they unlock prizes such as free spins, cash bonuses, free bets, cashback, or tickets for live casino events. While the rewards themselves might seem familiar, MEGA Chance stands out because of how these prizes are integrated into the game. Instead of conventional promotions, rewards feel earned through gameplay, making the experience genuinely engaging.

“We designed MEGA Chance so that players connect it to positive memories,” Zuckerberg continues. “We want them thinking, ‘I loved this board game as a kid. This is exactly what I want to play.’ Traditional incentives like free spins have lost their appeal. MEGA Chance provides players with a fresh and exciting alternative.”

Keeping players motivated through progression

MEGA Chance allows players to clearly see upcoming bonuses on the game board, encouraging them to continue playing as they aim for larger rewards.

Unlike random bonus drops that may seem unpredictable or disconnected from player actions, MEGA Chance lets players visually track their progress. Rewards feel earned rather than simply given, making the gaming experience more satisfying and engaging.

Zuckerberg explains that the decision to choose a board game theme was deliberate, providing players with a genuine sense of progression as they move forward.

“The idea is straightforward,” he says. “We want to revive positive memories so that players return regularly to enjoy experiences connected to classic board games like Monopoly. Our goal is to create meaningful experiences by bringing these memories to life again.”

Collins emphasises the importance of memorable experiences beyond basic gambling if online casinos are to stand out effectively.

He points out that differentiation is critical, primarily when gambling platforms compete directly against mainstream entertainment such as TikTok or YouTube.

“When players settle down for the evening, the key question is whether your brand is at the forefront of their minds,” Collins notes. “Do they choose to spend their free time with you because your offering is engaging? Currently, most operators struggle here, as their interactions with players remain purely transactional.”

MEGA Chance enhances its appeal through user segmentation, analysing past player behaviour to deliver tailored rewards. Using historical data and custom-built models integrated into the MEGA platform, Soft2Bet ensures each player receives bonuses matched precisely to their preferences.

The system considers details such as a player’s location, how they joined the platform, and their previous activity to create targeted offers.

Zuckerberg describes this personalised approach: “Without going into the specifics, we consider factors such as a player’s location and the manner in which they joined the platform to deliver tailored incentives that resonate with their preferences and playing style. By matching bonuses to individual interests, we ensure each player feels valued.”

MEGA Chance’s impact in numbers

Soft2Bet’s data demonstrates that MEGA Chance has a notable impact on player engagement and overall platform performance, thanks to its carefully crafted gameplay.

The typical MEGA Chance player is around 33 years old and predominantly male (77%). On average, users remain actively engaged for about six days after first interacting with the minigame.

When benchmarked against standard industry bonuses, MEGA Chance delivers remarkable results:

• Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) increases by 48.9%.
  
  
• Player sessions last 37% longer.
  
  
• Average deposits per user grow by 48.9%.
  
  
• Revenue per user climbs by 46.5%.

Executives at Soft2Bet credit these outstanding metrics to MEGA Chance’s immersive mechanics and the fresh sense of entertainment it provides to users.

Retention is central to MEGA’s design, and the results speak for themselves. Collins highlights the importance of engagement levels, noting, “We expect about half of our customers to actively engage with our gamification features. If we observe participation falling below this benchmark, it signals that adjustments are needed.”

Martin Collins, chief business development officer, Soft2Bet

Yoel Zuckerberg, chief product officer, Soft2Bet

On the face of it, a near-universal demand for betting and gaming should provide opportunities aplenty for businesses in a growing sector that are seeking to internationalise their revenue streams.

However, in practice, fulfilling such ambitions in multiple markets is fiendishly difficult.

Even for operators and providers that have an impressive track record of sustainable growth, the perennial challenge of navigating regional nuances and regulatory differences ensures success abroad can never be taken for granted.

Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the US, where some brands have admitted defeat in their efforts to gain a foothold.

Last year alone, five sports betting platforms that had been active in multiple states scaled back their US operations or simply exited altogether, usually citing a need to focus on their ‘core business’. Major players, as well as smaller, independent enterprises, have been among those to make such a move.

Meanwhile, in recent years, tightening restrictions in multiple European countries and destinations such as Australia and Italy have led to numerous companies sunsetting operations in sports betting, igaming and land-based gaming – even though regulatory landscapes are rarely set in stone.

Against this backdrop, the pace and scale of international expansion reported by Las Vegas-headquartered gaming industry supplier AGS is unusually impressive.

International expansion

The company registered growth of 45% across Europe in 2024 as it accelerated its drive to become a truly integrated global business.

However, utilising its US-led expertise and product philosophy to scale beyond its homeland while preserving brand identity has required forensic levels of planning and a deep understanding of new markets.

“Ideally, we target new markets where we can benefit from a first-mover advantage,” says Zoe Ebling, vice president of AGS Interactive.

“A brand-new market where everyone is starting from the same place offers the best opportunity. But often, what we see are grey markets becoming regulated, or already-established markets that we’re not currently in. Those can be trickier.

“If you weren’t active in the grey market previously, players may not be familiar with your game types. So, in an ideal world, we’d prioritise a brand-new, clean slate.

“Beyond that, we also consider market maturity, player preferences, and how well our product portfolio aligns – and importantly, we look at where our key partners are.”

Partnership growth

Ebling explains that if a major operator is showing a keen interest in a new market, AGS will “strongly consider that market from a partnership growth perspective”.

In terms of such collaborations, AGS is committed to creating a tailored plan in each instance, ensuring the most relevant and impactful offerings from their portfolio can be mapped directly onto an operator’s growth trajectory.

“Here’s where AGS shines: we make a real effort to understand each operator’s business, their goals, and how our products can support them,” Ebling says.

“We also work together to define success metrics and track performance. That consultative, collaborative approach has driven a lot of our success.”

AGS is primed for further growth. At the end of June, private equity firm Brightstar Capital Partners announced the closing of its acquisition of AGS in a $1.1bn deal while, over the past three years, AGS’s interactive division has expanded by 150%. Ebling puts this down to AGS taking the time “to understand our partners and build strategic, data-driven plans together”.

She adds: “If a partner tells us they want to target a specific player segment, we come back with data and say, ‘here’s what games will perform -and why.’ That’s real value.”

Data-driven modelling

Data-driven modelling reveals that while AGS can tailor volatility, RTPs, hit frequencies, and game configurations to suit different markets, the fundamental elements of a successful game remain effective across borders.

“From a maths perspective, strong game mechanics tend to hold up across different markets,” Ebling adds. “In Europe, we’ve seen success appealing to incremental player segments who are drawn to American-style content. In LatAm, we lean more into simplicity. Game play has to be intuitive, and device performance really matters, while load times, lag and mobile optimisation are crucial.

“Interestingly, the same product that appeals to a niche segment in Europe might be a core performer in an emerging LatAm market. So, we maintain a broad portfolio of slots, non-reel games and tables, but stay true to our roots by leveraging strong, proven maths models. That’s what drives performance.”

Smart localisation

That said, there are clear trends in customer preference, depending on the destination. Ebling gives the example of fishing-themed games and leprechaun-style titles, which are particularly popular in Europe, and makes the point that players are more likely to try out a game if it visually resembles other big-name titles in their region.

“That’s why when we have strong game maths, we often create different front-end visuals to fit local tastes,” she adds. “It’s not always about building something completely new – it’s about smart localisation around a solid core.”

While some game adaptations are by choice, some are enforced. In fact, Ebling highlights game specification alterations as the biggest regulatory hurdle when launching in a new region.

For example, some markets do not allow the word ‘free’, while others require responsible gaming indicators like session timers. Such changes may seem innocuous, but they can often require resource-heavy updates within the user interface.

“We’ve worked hard to make our games flexible so that, as we enter new markets, we can make small but crucial changes quickly,” she says. “From a development perspective, it’s more efficient to have a standardised framework that can be tweaked as needed, rather than building bespoke versions for every region.”

US potential

Whilst its international ambitions are clear, AGS, which is renowned for its Vegas-style slots and cabinets, remains focused on maximising untapped opportunities in its home market, the US.

“A new US state opening would be huge for us,” Ebling adds. “That’s where the most exciting near-term potential lies.

“Beyond that, we’re watching Brazil and other emerging Latin American markets closely – especially where we have synergy with our land-based business. We’re also looking at deeper expansion into European markets. But make no mistake: the big opportunity is still in US online gaming expansion.”

With growth at home as well as abroad on the agenda, the challenge of maintaining AGS’s brand identity while adapting to different local tastes and cultures requires a philosophical approach. Indeed, Ebling explains that while some suppliers build unique games for every market, AGS takes a determined approach: to build great games and then leverage them in various markets.

Methodical and collaborative

Supported by data-driven insights, AGS believes its methodical approach to market expansion through close collaboration with operators will continue to deliver games that resonate with players – wherever they are.

“If you need to create entirely custom content for every jurisdiction, that might suggest your core product isn’t strong enough to begin with,” she says.

“At AGS, we have invested heavily over decades to assemble a top-tier team of game designers, both on the land-based and online sides. Land-based is arguably the most competitive environment in gaming as getting a game onto a casino floor and keeping it there is the ultimate test.

“Our online success is rooted in that legacy. We’re not constantly reinventing; we’re refining, and because our products are fundamentally solid, they carry across borders without losing that core AGS identity.”

Zoe Ebling, vice president of AGS Interactive

With every operator now relying on third-party providers to some extent, the broad insourcing-versus-outsourcing debate in the betting and gaming space has long been decided.

However, while it is now a question of what rather than whether an operator opts to outsource in a typical hybrid model that blends in-house capabilities with specialised external services, many find that striking the right balance with the provision of odds is a unique challenge.

There are multiple reasons for this. Historically, odds feeds have been delivered as a commoditised product, lacking the depth or sophistication demanded by operators and, most importantly, their customers.

This traditional model struggles to deliver a strong user experience and, by its nature, competitive pricing, particularly with more complex offers like player props and bet builders.

It is also common for a significant technical burden to be encountered. Each sport’s feed often requires an individual integration, leaving operators overwhelmed by a complicated roadmap scarred by technical issues as they grapple with the task of maintaining consistency across a multitude of markets.

“A big issue with many sportsbook platforms today is that a lot of them are built on legacy infrastructure,” Kambi’s sales director Dylan Mitchard says.

“That can lead to a disjointed user experience. For example, the ability to combine bets might be limited, or the product might feel inconsistent across different sports or between pre-match and live betting. This used to be more accepted five or six years ago when speed-to-market was everything. But now, customers expect a seamless experience across singles and same-game parlays.”

Quality, flexibility and control

Against the backdrop of traditional limitations associated with odds feeds is a growing demand among sportsbooks for more quality, flexibility and control over their odds to differentiate their offering from rivals and provide a more personalised experience. This is driven by the bettors themselves, many of whom are ready to compare bookmaker odds to find the best offer whilst searching for a more tailored experience.

However, expectations have grown among operators too, and there is an increasing interest not only in expansive player props – where siloed pricing solutions often struggle to deliver positive margin without sufficient liquidity and risk management – but also high-quality bet builder products.

The underlying priorities for a sportsbook’s odds offering, though, have actually changed little over the years, according to Simon Noy, Kambi’s senior vice-president of trading.

“It’s the fundamentals we’ve always focused on – offering and pricing,” he says.

Mitchard adds: “A lot of what we talk about in the industry comes back to user experience. Speed is crucial, and flexibility is also critical. Operators need the ability to differentiate their product and tailor it to local markets or specific customer segments, whether that’s to drive margin or improve engagement.”

Redefining odds feeds

In this context, Kambi believes it has redefined what a premium odds feed should provide with Odds Feed+, which was added to Kambi’s expanded portfolio of modular services last year.

As Mitchard points out, the solution is a “modularised version of what we’ve been doing successfully for 15 years”. Crucially, considering the traditional integration headaches previously referenced, Odds Feed+ is designed to integrate into any sportsbook via a single API.

Pricing is driven by artificial intelligence, liquidity and trading expertise, for both pre-event and in-play markets, with odds sharpened by the billions of bets processed each year by Kambi from millions of players across more than 60 jurisdictions.

Such global liquidity allows Kambi to “sharpen our odds in a way that’s both competitive and profitable”, according to Noy.

“It’s not just about the features, but delivering them safely at scale – and once an operator is integrated with us, they get access to our entire turnkey library, covering countless leagues, sports and markets worldwide. That’s a big differentiator.”

Mitchard explains that Kambi has built extensive experience of supporting operators to grow to become tier ones – such as LeoVegas in Europe, BetPlay in Colombia and ATG in Sweden. It is further enhancing its ability to do so through Odds Feed+.

“Now, for the first time, we’re making our pricing and trading capabilities available to operators with their own platforms,” he adds. “It opens doors to partnerships we couldn’t have had before because so many were focused on owning their own tech.”

With expansive player prop coverage, markets are priced dynamically with real-time adjustments and reliable margins, while bet builder integration is embedded into the sportsbook odds architecture.

Such support is increasingly important, with the growing popularity of player props and bet builders helping to drive growth in key betting markets worldwide. Indeed, there is anecdotal evidence that the clear majority of same-game parlay wagers across the industry now focus on performances by individuals.

With this in mind, Kambi plans to launch more live player props to enhance its already expansive offering, while also broadening Bet Builder coverage to include additional leagues this year.

“People are now invested in their favourite footballers or celebrities, so they want to back individual player performances instead of just teams – and that shift has really changed the market,” says Mitchard.

“There are now suppliers that focus onlyon player props, and some have an edge by being first to market. But there’s a challenge: many of these player prop markets are volatile and hard to price consistently.

“That’s not the case for us at Kambi. We maintain strong and stable margins, and that’s thanks to the power of our network.”

AI pricing

Noy adds that Kambi’s AI trading capabilities – in combination with the company’s liquidity – help to maintain healthy margins on complex markets.

However, when it comes to AI in a pricing context, he insists that it is not an either-or situation.

Noy adds: “Even at our most automated, where we’re using machine learning to price, we still rely on traders to respond to data that models can’t ingest.

“That said, in some of our more advanced products like Bet Builder, we have up to 1,000 inputs per game. It’s simply not feasible to do that manually at scale. You need machine learning to process all that data, and as the amount of data in this industry continues to grow, AI becomes even more critical.”

Furthermore, Noy explains that machine learning can identify patterns in the betting action that are difficult to interpret through traditional methods. “AI is already a game-changer, and it’s essential for doing this at scale and safely,” he says.

Kambi’s AI-powered odds, which are available via Odds Feed+, already account for more than a third of the company’s operator GGR.

The solution is able to adapt to changes in official data sources without disruption, and feeds can be tailored to local markets and strategic goals, ensuring operators have the ability to customise their offering.

“Our partners are often local champions in their regions, so they need a hyper-local offering,” Noy says. “When a partner signs on with Odds Feed+, they immediately get access to a wide-ranging, highly localised product, unlike some other providers who may focus only on a few major sports or regions.”

Mitchard adds: “When someone integrates with Kambi for high-turnover sports like European soccer, they automatically get access to everything else in our content library.”

Enabling innovation via odds feeds

Looking further ahead, though, there is an expectation that access to more data and more betting markets will continue to drive change in bookies’ odds.

“A lot of that’s driven by media,” Noy says. “Risk management will also become more important. AI-powered services will play a bigger role there. Today, our strength is offering wide selection and delivering strong margins, but over time, risk management could become a full service offering.”

According to Mitchard, the aim is to empower operators to “drive innovation themselves” through odds feeds. “They shouldn’t be seen as a commodity,” he explains. “We want operators to build and innovate on top of our feed.

“We need to provide the tooling and functionality for operators to drive innovation themselves. That’s where I see us going in the next five to 10 years.”

According to Noy, an evolution in the perception of outsourcing will help to facilitate this change at the heart of sportsbook betting odds.

“Today, every operator takes at least some odds externally,” he adds.

“That’s progress, but some are still hesitant to outsource certain sports. Over time, they will realise that B2B services don’t hinder differentiation – they enable it. That shift will continue.”

Simon Noy, Kambi’s senior vice-president of trading

Dylan Mitchard, sales director

Leading rights-holders, from federations to leagues, now demand big money in exchange for awarding exclusive rights that are meant to underpin every wager on the action.

Indeed, the market for exclusive sports data rights has accelerated markedly in the 2020s, with major governing bodies like European football’s UEFA among those to seal such deals for the first time.

Challenging the principle

The established business model has detractors as well as fans, though.

A debate over the principle of packaging up information that is already available for a wide audience through streams and television coverage as ‘exclusive’ rather than merely ‘official’ has bubbled away for years. Multiple legal challenges have come and gone.

Advocates claim that such arrangements attract investment into sport and help to develop and refine the technology required to gather, process and analyse data.

However, critics like sports betting data provider LSports warn that the increasing number of exclusive deals are neither competitive nor financially sustainable.

‘Stupid money’

LSports CEO Dotan Lazar laments the “monopoly being generated by these rights-holders” that, he believes, are chasing “stupid money – not smart money.”

He adds: “They want to look in their pocket instead of leveraging and creating more income from the asset they have, so they sell it to the highest bidder and then all the others are unable to deliver data from a specific league without having the permission from the right-holder.”

But while rights-holders choose exclusivity, the reality is that certain data remains publicly accessible and can be independently sourced without restriction.

“No one can prevent us from offering Premier League data, because it’s publicly out there from various sources, like TV. It’s basically our civil right and our basic right to handle data and collect data and create data without having the need to get permission from anyone.”

Heading for a crash?

The most pressing challenges are, unsurprisingly, associated with the most popular sports, with Lazar adding that the likes of football, American football, baseball, basketball and tennis are driving inflation around data rights.

“There is a lot of competition surrounding the rights and then you have the two or three main deep-pocket suppliers that are buying the rights,” he said. “So, it’s only going to go up and up until it crashes.”

Lazar’s suggestion is to open it up to a market-access model so that rights-holders engage with data providers as a collective.

“We want the leagues to have more power, to understand that the stupid money is not something sustainable,” he says. “Eventually, we will need to harness all the markets, and the leagues should get their own cut of the money from all providers as a collective.

“The leagues need to hold the rights themselves and sell them to whoever they want. That’s the key idea, and we’re trying to change the industry. It’s going to be very hard, but it is what it is.”

‘Taking data to the next level’

LSports, which was founded as a family company in 2012, uses advanced technology, including artificial intelligence, machine learning and computer vision to collect and process enormous amounts of sports data in real time.

The company’s sports data API covers all popular worldwide sports, leagues and betting markets, including pre-match and in-play.

“On top of the data, we have a lot of tools that help sportsbooks to analyse themselves versus competitors, so they can act quickly to compare themselves to competitors and not lose market share,” Lazar says.

“LSports is all about making improvements and taking the data to the next level – more accurate, more in real time, and more robust coverage.”

Microbetting growth

The rapid delivery of sportsbook data feeds is essential for timely in-play betting odds – and the growth of microbetting has amplified the importance.

There is ample evidence of accelerating interest in microbetting, which allows players to wager on individual moments in a game in real time. There are estimates that microbetting could account for between 18% and 45% of all in-play bets as early as this year, with a mid-point projection of 30%.

“Microbetting is becoming interesting and it is not just a trend – it’s out there,” Lazar says. “The same goes for in-play, which today is even bigger than pre-match, and I think microbetting is going to be next.

“However, we will keep on expanding all of our markets and also add more that are interesting – not necessarily on a micro level, but our in-play suite, for example, will keep on expanding and the demand will rise.”

Global targets

LSports has grown to about 400 employees in total, with approximately 250 members of staff at the company’s headquarters in Israel and 150 in Poland. According to Lazar, most of the team work in research and development.

“We are super technological and we value our customers. What we have learned along the way is that all you need to do is just listen to the pain, listen to the customer, and you will have a freaking amazing product,” he says.

In terms of future growth, LSports is targeting Brazil, and Latin America in general, as well as Africa, alongside North America and, of course, the “huge market” in Europe.

“Sports data feeds are agnostic,” Lazar says. “You can sell it everywhere you want and it is a fit-all product. So where it’s going? It will keep on growing by 10% to 15% every year. That’s our estimation.

“In specific markets and regions, like the US and Brazil, it will be even higher. So, I think that in general we are in a very good position in a blue ocean of opportunities, and all we need to do is improve the product and bring on more and more customers to enjoy the experience.”

Responsible growth

In terms of goals in the shorter term, Lazar is keen for LSports to continue on its positive trajectory in a “responsible way.”

He adds: “We are finishing our new products that are going to be online [soon] and we have a new risk management solution that is AI-based – nothing the industry has ever seen before.

“We are here to fix our client’s problems, and the main logic behind LSports in general is that there is nothing we can’t fix.”

The ambitions of LSports are clear – and by the end of the decade, Lazar is hopeful that the company will be battling among the big guns in an ultra-competitive space.

“We’re definitely aiming for the top, so we would like to see our name running alongside or above our biggest competitors – and not because we are forcing our customers, but because we bring them added value,” Lazar says.

Dotan Lazar, LSports chief executive officer

How has the role of affiliates changed over the last five years in the iGaming ecosystem?

Affiliates have gone from being traffic providers to trusted advisors and brand ambassadors. Traditionally, affiliates have largely been an acquisition channel to drive volumes through search engine rankings, social media, email, and PPC, for example. Today, affiliates are expected to deliver valuable, loyal players while navigating compliance and education. We’re not just directing clicks, we’re shaping decisions and helping define the user journey.

What does it mean to be a “strategic brand partner” rather than just a traffic source, and why is that shift happening now?

A strategic brand partner aligns with the operator’s long-term vision, helping with market entry, brand messaging, and even compliance. Affiliates that have a strong foothold in a jurisdiction can be a valuable asset for casinos interested in market share. Operators want partners that deliver real value with consistent exposure rather than short bursts of traffic.

Are operators starting to value affiliate contributions beyond just conversions, for example, in brand equity, compliance, or player retention?

Operators increasingly look to affiliates that help with player retention, reputation building, and transparency. An affiliate that publishes clear bonus terms, educates players, and filters out low-quality operators contributes directly to player value and long-term revenue. It’s a more holistic partnership than ever before.

How are long-term partnerships with operators different today compared to the earlier CPA/RevShare-driven model?

Today’s partnerships are more collaborative. Rather than one-off CPA or media deals, we’re seeing hybrid models and performance-based bonuses. There’s a stronger data-driven feedback loop between publishers and advertisers, with shared goals around retention, player value, and even user satisfaction. It’s more of an ongoing dialogue instead of monthly negotiations.

What specific metrics or KPIs do you focus on now to demonstrate strategic value, not just performance volume?

Beyond clicks and FTDs, we focus on metrics like conversion rates, RDC deposits, NGR, bonuses, and player complaints. These KPIs reflect the actual value of the traffic we send and demonstrate a deeper alignment with operator goals. Our aim is not only to deliver player volumes but also sustainable revenues to grow the partnership.

Do you believe tech-enabled affiliates (with proprietary platforms or player tools) are better positioned to become strategic partners?

Affiliates who invest in their own platforms, tools, or data offer more than just visibility; they offer scalability, personalization, and insight. Whether it’s filters, dynamic geotargeting, or pop-ups, tech-enabled affiliates are far more valuable to operators seeking long-term ROI.

How does being more aligned with the operator’s long-term goals change the way you approach content or platform development?

Sites like Casino Groups prioritize educational content, bonus transparency, mobile-first design, and faster UX. The ranking systems are updated to highlight long-term value, not just flashy promos. The content is also tailored by jurisdiction, ensuring compliance and supporting the operator’s regulatory strategy.

What internal cultural or structural changes have you made to operate more like a brand-builder than an arbitrage channel?

We’ve invested in editorial independence, expert reviews, and user feedback systems. Our content writers have strong industry backgrounds, not just SEO skills. Our affiliate deals are based on long-term partnerships that work for all parties, including the players.

Do regulators and licensing bodies recognize the evolving value of affiliates in the same way operators do?

Regulators have recognized the value that affiliates deliver to operators and are therefore under increased scrutiny. In heavily regulated markets like the UK and Netherlands, regulators are increasingly requiring affiliate compliance and are even taking down sites that advertise illegal operators. Over time, we expect more direct engagement and clearer standards that reflect our growing role in the ecosystem.

Looking ahead, what’s your vision for how top affiliates will position themselves in the next phase of iGaming growth?

Affiliate businesses are maturing and will eventually have compliance baked into their DNA. They’ll offer dynamic, localized, and trusted experiences, combining editorial authority with technical agility. Developing brands will matter more than keyword positions. Those who build trust, innovate with data, and focus on their products will lead the next chapter of iGaming growth.

Sebastian Jarosch, founder of Mithrillium Media Ltd

The personal touch has been key to driving RubyPlay’s global growth.

With a ‘Game Craft Unleashed’ philosophy, the Malta-headquartered enterprise’s bespoke approach to video slots development is helping to secure a prominent presence across regulated markets worldwide. This year alone, fresh partnerships have been sealed with the likes of Rush Street Interactive in the US, Starcasino in the Netherlands and Lottomatica in Italy. 

Indeed, whilst ‘personalisation’ has become a cornerstone of igaming, few companies adhere to this principle as fervently as RubyPlay.

Focusing on increasing velocity, RubyPlay can respond at record speeds to capture branding and IP opportunities encountered by partners. Successful titles can be repainted at record speeds, staying true to partner’s branding, and can include changes such as incorporating partner’s brand IP into an existing established title, or changing the whole look and feel of the game to create a unique bespoke experience.

It is a strategy that has served RubyPlay well as it has branched out to multiple regulated jurisdictions, delivering market-by-market and partner-by-partner results.

Foundations for stability

Furthermore, this tailored approach has become essential in navigating regulatory complexities.

Although the essence of regulation is to offer providers and operators alike a pathway to legitimacy by strengthening consumer protections and building the foundations for long-term stability, the reality is often starkly different.

In many cases, tightening laws, tax increases and strict player stake limits are squeezing businesses in the sector and (as is sometimes highlighted by politicians and businesses) encouraging players to engage with unregulated operators that do not comply with such rules.

Another issue in the igaming sector is the divide between gambling industry stakeholders and regulators which has been growing increasingly strained, with constructive dialogue between the two parties largely absent. 

As a result, regulatory frameworks can sometimes be ineffective and create gambling industry risks, with well-intentioned companies forced to comply with draconian measures while unlicensed parties are allowed to flourish.

Good connections

Given RubyPlay’s experience of multiple jurisdictions, it is an issue that chief financial officer Motti Gil and chief product officer Dr Eyal Loz view as critical to the future of igaming and the industry at large.

“Whenever there is a good connection between regulator and the industry, the regulation is more balanced,” Gil says. “In other places where there is almost no connection… the regulation achieves the opposite of its intention and drives players and operators to the non-regulated market, which is a pity.”

It is not simply a matter of compliance versus non-compliance – or indeed the watchdog waving a carrot or a stick. It is about how effectively incentives can be leveraged to shape behaviour across the ecosystem.

“I think it’s a question of incentives,” Dr Eyal says. “When incentives are aligned for suppliers, operators and players within a market, we see a very successful and healthy industry where players are protected.

“When you’ve got regulators that don’t create the right system of incentives, it can really harm the market and harm everyone – the players, the suppliers and the operators. 

“From a regulatory perspective, people have been gambling for 7,000 years, and slot machines have been around for 150 years. So, it’s better to have the right incentives in place to create a healthy ecosystem, rather than to close your eyes and pretend that people are not going to want to play those games.”

Regulatory opportunities

However, RubyPlay is keen to position itself so it can capitalise on regulatory opportunities, with effective compliance helping to weed out opportunistic businesses, leaving the path clear for operators and suppliers that are committed to the long game.

Gil, who joined RubyPlay in January after spells at NeoGames and Aspire Global, explains: “For me, regulatory issues are the big risk, but also the opportunity. It puts up certain barriers, and only companies that can cross them can really become important players in those markets.”

Underpinning this long-term focus from RubyPlay is a commitment to prioritising quality, long-term relationships with operators. Through this, RubyPlay’s goal is to create entertaining products that players love and operators’ trust.

Dr Eyal is adamant that the industry should not shy away from celebrating the value it brings to millions of engaged players.

“What we are actually creating are beautiful products,” he says. “We create real, meaningful experiences for players. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a thriving industry, and more regulated than many others that might be even more harmful.”

Overcoming the stigma

Such a perspective is refreshing in an industry in which there is still a lingering reputational stigma.

“There are certain players who live up to this bad reputation, but most of the industry will collaborate with regulators to maintain a healthy environment for the players,” Gil says. 

Indeed, for a sector that can boast increasingly robust safeguards, this reputational burden is misplaced, according to Dr Eyal.

“For many people who work in the industry, when you ask them what they do for a living, they won’t tell you they make gambling games. There’s almost this element of shame – and I think that’s a real shame.”

Understanding the customer

RubyPlay’s focus is on delivering something different for customers, in keeping with its ethos of personalisation. 

“You have to really understand what the customer needs, so you must have a strong relationship with them,” Dr Eyal says. “You need to understand what works for them and how they view themselves and their own IP. You need to come to this conversation with a really open mind and accept that your customers know themselves better than you.

“For example, a bespoke game for PokerStars should capture their unique spirit. For Betano in Brazil, soccer is a natural focus. So, the individuality of the brand is very important for delivering something that’s relevant.” 

Speed to market is also viewed as crucial, helping partner operators to leverage brand opportunities to their full potential.

“For so many competitors, it’s about their product. However, we put our customers first and try to empower their brands,” Dr Eyal adds.

“When a customer has a branding opportunity, it doesn’t last very long. So, when you come to a customer and say, ‘we can deliver original and relevant content to you in a really short period of time to reinforce your brand’, that really shows our value.”

Strategic diversification

This July, RubyPlay launched Koala Games, a brand-new independent game studio created as part of the company’s strategic diversification initiative.

Operating with full creative independence, Koala Games is backed by RubyPlay’s extensive infrastructure, market expertise and, crucially, its robust distribution network.

“We have a very good understanding of distribution and how distribution can play a key role,” Dr Eyal says. “It’s not enough just to make really good content; it’s about where you take the content and who your partners are – and we like to be a partner of choice. The key is to understand the marriage of really strong content with really strong distribution, and that produces a stable company that is turning into a global player.”

Future growth

“It’s no longer a small company,” says Dr Eyal, who describes the transformation since 2018, when RubyPlay was founded by “a bunch of people who have substantial experience in creating very successful content studios”.

RubyPlay has more than 70 direct operator partners, reaching thousands of brands via distribution. The igaming development studio is planning to launch over 100 games this year alone.

The US remains a key target and, after launching with the likes of Rush Street Interactive and FanDuel, Gil insists RubyPlay is only “just starting our journey there”.

He adds: “The plan is to continue and to expand into other regulated states and we are working on additional licences, as well as continuing to expand our market share in existing markets in the US.”

However, there are also further opportunities elsewhere, including in Africa and Latin America. RubyPlay is aiming to build on its presence as a leading supplier in South Africa by exploring other emerging markets across the continent, while the company already holds a 4% share of Brazil’s emerging market and is the second-largest supplier in Argentina.

With an eye on the remainder of the year and a positive outlook more generally for the future of the gambling industry, Gil acknowledges that lofty “quantitative and qualitative” strategic goals are on the horizon.

“We’re getting into additional regulated markets and the focus of RubyPlay is to create value for shareholders as a meaningful company,” he concludes. “We are almost halfway through the year, and so far, it looks very positive for us in terms of meeting our ambitious targets. So, things look good for 2025.”

–

Want to find out more? RubyPlay will be launching a new podcast with iGaming Business soon – so watch this space.

This increase, built on years of steady growth and accelerated by digital transformation across society, has created a global juggernaut of a sector, with more esports tournaments, players and fans than ever before.

As a result, esports bets have rocketed, in terms of volume and value.

Last month’s Austin Major Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) competition, which took place over 19 days, had a betting value of more than $218m and attracted over 76 million streaming hours – eye-watering metrics that are impossible to ignore in a space in which engagement drives measurable results.

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Not only is Counter-Strike 2 just one of three major video-gaming titles that have disrupted the betting space, alongside Dota 2 and League of Legends, but there are also emerging game titles and tournaments cropping up in an increasingly busy schedule.

Competitive calendar

As illustrated in the iGaming Business Esports Betting Calendar, more than 50 tournaments have already been completed so far this year across the ‘big three’. 

This popularity has seen the return of established organisers such as StarLadder, which brings a track record of well-structured tournaments that attract international media coverage.

“Their re-entry signals renewed confidence in the stability and growth of the tournament ecosystem,” says Bogdan Holovnov,  head of esports at sportsbook solutions provider DATA.BET.     

An exciting addition to these events is the Esports World Cup, which kicked off its second edition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24.

The Esports World Cup is due to feature events in 25 different esports titles in a varied line-up including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, EA Sports FC 25 and online chess.

Each of these will be contested by an international player pool with competitors from Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and the Middle East all aiming for a share of the $70m total prize purse.

Holovnov believes that these developments “significantly reshape” the tournament environment by “adding depth and scale” to the competitive calendar.

New tournaments emerge

However, it is not only the elite international level of esports that is thriving, as there are several tournaments blossoming across lower-tier competitors.

This, paired with growing interest in mobile gaming due to its global reach, are pointing towards greater momentum behind esports betting – and these smaller events can complement the core tournaments that drive the bulk of the viewership and betting activity in the esports industry, Holovnov explains.

“This year’s esports industry is marked by an overloaded tournament schedule, a revival of established tournament operators, the emergence of new influential events, and increasing competition among organisers to create more attractive conditions for teams,” he says.

“Additionally, rising activity in lower-tier scenes and the development of mobile and cross-genre esports titles are shaping the next growth phase.”

The leading tournaments that traditionally generate the highest audience and betting volumes include The International and the League of Legends World Championship – with the 2024 edition of the latter having become the most-watched esports event of all time, with record peak viewing figures of 6.86 million.

This year, the League of Legends World Championship will once again attract plenty of attention, with a $5m prize pool set to attract the best players from across the globe to the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu – with the latter staging the final.

In an increasingly busy calendar, DATA.BET has positioned itself as a key player in the space, giving esports operators, traders and betting platforms the opportunity to keep track of all the most important esports betting windows throughout the year.

The solution is designed to help clients to plan around key engagement spikes, optimising trading resources and aligning business promotional strategies. This commitment to the esports space is underpinned by extensive content coverage, official data and 24/7 in-house trading services.

The most popular esports betting events

Although it is a natural assumption to think that the most viewed events in esports generate the highest betting volume, this is not always the case.

Indeed, while the major tournaments often drive huge viewership, betting can be more of a discipline-specific activity.

In fact, titles such as CS2 consistently lead esports betting volumes due to a more mature ecosystem, frequent elite tournaments, and a well-developed betting infrastructure. These elements offer more stable foundations from which dynamic markets can provide punters with a more engaging proposition, Holovnov explains.

These trends are underlined by data-driven insights. Recent performance metrics from May 2024 to May 2025 show that CS2 alone accounted for nearly 50% of total esports turnover, over 51% of total profit and 46% of all placed bets, engaging 61% of all unique bettors.

“The dominance is especially pronounced in emerging markets,” says Holovnov. “In contrast, despite high viewership, titles like League of Legends or Valorant tend to see lower betting activity per event. This is mainly due to the structure of their ecosystems and limited integration of betting operators into their tournaments, as these remain more closed compared to CS2.

“As a result, in most cases, the largest, most established tournaments within CS2 remain the key drivers of betting volume across esports.”

Which titles will attract bettors?

This year, the core titles driving the highest betting engagement remain stable, with CS2, Dota2, League of Legends and Valorant leading the market.

These games consistently generate the most significant betting volumes due to their established ecosystems, regular tier-one tournaments and global fan bases.

At the same time, several emerging titles are gaining attention and a global following. While already a hugely popular series, the Call of Duty games are evolving from a North America-centric base into a globally relevant betting product.

In the first quarter of this year alone, the number of Call of Duty events covered leapt by 137% in comparison with the same period in 2024, according to DATA.BET.

Esports betting volume also trebled year-on-year for Call of Duty, courtesy of an expanded tournament structure, a return to major events in Europe and rising international viewership.

In addition to Call of Duty’s inclusion in the Esports World Cup, the growth of regional Warzone leagues and investment from European organisations has further increased its visibility and wagering potential.

“This signals clear momentum in audience size, profitability, and betting market viability,” says Holovnov. “Other titles, such as Rainbow Six and King of Glory, also show traction in specific markets like LatAm and Asia, mainly due to local fan bases and growing mobile esports ecosystems.

“Niche titles like 2XKO and Valorant Mobile are not part of active betting yet, but they are already raising player interest and regional engagement. Although these titles are unlikely to challenge the top four’s dominance soon, they present growth opportunities for operators targeting regional audiences.”

Opportunities for operators of all sizes

For many smaller operators with limited resources, investing in esports can feel like a leap into the unknown – so it is essential to know which games offer the best value.

With this in mind, it is worth noting that there is a clear difference in betting margins and operational efficiency between esports titles.

For example, shooters such as CS2, Valorant, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege consistently outperform other genres. This is due to them delivering higher margins, generating the majority of esports betting turnover, and being more predictable from a risk management standpoint.

Holovnov states that this uplift is due to their “more straightforward mechanics, structured formats, and lower variability”.

Multiplayer online battle arena games, known as MOBAs, such as Dota 2 and League of Legends, still draw high engagement. However, they have more complex dynamic demands, advanced trading set-ups and deeper data analysis.

“Focusing on shooters is the most efficient and profitable strategy for operators with limited resources,” says Holovnov. “CS2, in particular, accounts for up to 50% of total esports turnover, making it a priority title in terms of profitability and operational ease.”

How will esports fare in 2025?

In the first three months of this year, esports betting delivered a stable performance. Whilst the first half of January showed a slower pace – including a 0.55% drop in profit margin – this is typical for that time of year.

However, activity picked up in the second half of the month, driven by increased engagement around Valorant, League of Legends and Counter-Strike events. This contributed to sustained engagement and turnover levels throughout the quarter.

Live betting took off towards the end of 2024, with 46% of Counter-Strike bets being placed live in the fourth quarter.

This shows that more fans are getting comfortable with making bets as the action is taking place.

The continuing popularity of these live bets is joined by the desire for more detailed betting options, such as the bet builders that DATA.BET offer.

For the remainder of 2025, steady growth is anticipated across the sector. According to Sports Litigation Alert, esports wagering increased by 13% in 2024 to far outpace the 4% growth seen in traditional sports in the same timeframe.

“This [growth] will be supported by an expanded tournament calendar, with more top-tier events in League of Legends, Dota, Rainbow 6, Valorant, and CS, driving both engagement and betting volumes,” Holovnov says. “Overall, the outlook for 2025 is positive, with expectations of improved performance compared to 2024.”

Long-term trends

Increasingly, esports are being integrated into traditional sportsbooks, with long-established mainstream operators such as Bet365 and GG.BET beginning to establish a significant presence in the market.

Courtesy of their own esports sections, these platforms offer more visibility to different demographics, which helps to attract new customers.

The adoption suggests that the perception of esports is shifting from niche to norm. Furthermore, last year the highly sought-after 18 to 27-year-old age bracket accounted for 44% of all esports bettors.

These players are also betting with much higher stakes than in some other wagering markets. Younger adults are splashing out around $30 on every esports bet in comparison with the average football bet of just $5.

Meanwhile, another notable trend that is reshaping the esports betting landscape is that major tournaments are being hosted worldwide.

For example, there have been major Valorant events in China and CS2 events in Kazakhstan, bringing high-profile competitions and competitors closer to diverse fan bases, thereby expanding the geographical footprint of competitive esports.

As a result of this, operators can gain more opportunities for localised promotions, as well as audience-specific engagement and better alignment with regional time zones. These all contribute towards delivering more effective marketing strategies and improved betting performance.

“To capitalise on these trends, operators must modernise legacy infrastructure and automate operational processes to handle increased demand and efficiently manage betting activity across diverse time zones,” says Holovnov.

“Simultaneously, the industry is shifting toward a more continuous tournament model. In 2025, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in the number of events across CS, Dota 2 and Rainbow Six, while League of Legends added a new international tournament.

“This broader and more consistent tournament calendar ensures steady engagement and gives sportsbooks a more predictable and profitable operational rhythm.”

Esports has become an enormous industry in its own right – and with projections estimating a global audience of more than 640 million people by the end of 2025, it is already objectively more popular than many traditional sports. The challenge for sports betting platforms is to leverage the sector’s tantalising potential – and if operators can tap into this by navigating the busy esports tournament calendar and aligning their strategy with the most important betting windows, then fruitful new revenue streams await.

Bogdan Holovnov, head of esports at DATA.BET

Such oversight creates significant challenges for operators though.

From fines levied forshortcomings in player duty of care to increasingly tough sanctions related to anti-money laundering failings, operators of all sizes have to tread carefully to avoid the wrath of national gaming industry watchdog Spelinspektionen.

As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve in Sweden, there are further hurdles on the horizon for licensed platforms. Proposals have been drafted to expand restrictions on gambling with credit, while additional resources are being demanded to promote responsible gambling. 

Bonus restrictions

However, few regulations have caused as much debate in Swedish gambling as the one related to the use of bonuses.

Operators are only allowed to offer customers one bonus each, which can only be available upon the sign-up stage. Regulated platforms that have stepped out of line have been hit with eye-watering fines.

Beyond the regulatory sanctions, though, the knock-on impact on customer behaviour has been significant, with the limits on bonus offers having been subject to criticism from both political actors and within industry. In fact, Swedes have listed bonuses as the main reason for using unlicensed platforms, leading to the growth of a substantial grey market in the country. 

Creative solutions

Regulated operators have therefore been forced to find alternative and creative ways to engage players – and igaming bonus comparison platforms like Casinobonusar.nu are playing an increasingly important role.

Casinobonusar’s goal is to bring clarity to players who are trying to navigate the cluttered igaming landscape in Sweden.

Having launched in 2013 as an igaming guide for Swedish players, Casinobonusar is designed to help players by comparing deposit bonuses and free spins.

As Christian Lowe, the COO of Raketech acknowledges, “a lot has changed” since the platform’s launch more than 12 years ago, with the introduction of bonus restrictions being a key development.

“However, this didn’t change the fact that players still need help understanding bonuses and the terms that come with them,” Lowe explains. “We continue to serve the same fundamental purpose today as we did back in 2013 – helping players make informed decisions about what the different regulated casinos offer.”

Regulatory transformation

Sweden ushered in major gambling reforms in 2019, liberalising its online gaming market and establishing a framework for taxation and licensing. However, even the authorities concede that some of the player protection results have been mixed and, according to a recent Spelinspektionen survey, up to 72% of Swedish gamblers are unaware which products are licensed versus unregulated.

Many believe such issues have been exacerbated the regulatory shift on bonuses six-and-a-half years ago.

While the pre-regulation era allowed multiple bonuses and promotions, the post-regulation landscape led to an immediate tightening of the rules, with the bonus restrictions being a “game-changer for the entire market”, Lowe adds.

Indeed, with fewer bonus deals to list on the platform, Casinobonusar itself has been forced to adapt – turning more to detailed reviews of igaming brands, expert insights and a free-to-play slots library. Furthermore, the comparison platform has had to comply with increasingly strict rules on gambling-related marketing – another legacy of the market opening up back in 2019.

Key differentiators

Referring to the restrictions on bonuses, Lowe adds: “This regulation has fundamentally changed how operators compete in Sweden. Rather than relying on frequent promotions and campaigns to attract and retain players, operators must now focus on other key differentiators like brand partnerships, user experience and exceptional customer service quality.

“The overall online casino experience has definitely been impacted by this change. While it creates fairer competition and encourages sustainable business practices, it has also made the market less dynamic from a player engagement perspective.

“The challenge now is finding that balance between regulatory compliance and maintaining an exciting gaming environment that keeps players within the licensed market.”

Optimising bonuses

Embracing the challenge of creating engaging regulated igaming environments for players is one part of the task facing regulated operators. The second part is to ensure the bonuses they do use are optimised to drive engagement, returns and, ultimately, loyalty.

With this in mind, the free spins-win real cash offers can be particularly enticing.

“The most attractive welcome bonuses are deposit bonuses combined with free spins that have little to no wagering requirements, no game restrictions and no maximum win caps,” Lowe says.

“Players want transparency and genuine value, not complicated terms. What’s particularly popular in Sweden are ‘Cash Spins’ or no-wager free spins where winnings are immediately withdrawable.”

Strong market

Despite the challenges, Sweden’s reputation as a thriving, regulated market is not in question.

Total gambling revenue in Sweden last year reached SEK27.85 billion (£2.07 billion/€2.49 billion/$2.62 billion), surpassing the SEK27.13 billion reported in 2023.

The 2.65% year-on-year rise was largely driven by the growth of online gambling, which generated SEK17.84 billion to account for nearly two-thirds of the total revenue – an increase of 5% for the vertical in comparison with 2023.

As a result, the Swedish igaming market remains one of Europe’s strongest regulated markets. The regulatory framework continues to evolve, with more than 560 licence-holders now contributing a 22% tax on gross gaming revenue, up from the original 18%.

Meanwhile, responsible gambling measures are gaining traction, with over 120,000 people self-excluded through the Spelpaus.se scheme. More broadly, public participation in the sector remains stable, with 71% of Swedish adults having gambled in the past year.

However, as Lowe acknowledges, “the grey market creates real challenges” for licensed platforms that have significant hurdles in their path as they manage operator licences.

The waters are muddied further by the fact that the majority of the most popular illegal gambling sites actually use the same platform providers as licensed operators, according to research published late last year.

Lowe adds: “The Swedish Gambling Authority is monitoring around 1,100 unlicensed sites, which shows the scale we’re dealing with. For licensed operators, it is frustrating because these unlicensed sites can offer multiple bonuses and ongoing promotions that they can’t match due to regulations. They’re competing without the same restrictions licensed operators have to follow.

“The positive is that most Swedish players still choose licensed sites, showing trust in the regulated market. But the grey market definitely pressures regulators to make the licensed market more competitive while maintaining player protection.”

Setting new benchmarks

Whilst Casinobonusar has navigated the regulatory headwinds successfully so far, the platform’s decision-makers are well aware that continuous development is needed to set new benchmarks and remain relevant to players whilst remaining compliant with the relevant authorities.

A major website relaunch this year will focus on enhancing the user experience – by optimising the responsiveness of the platform and providing increasingly clear, reliable and trustworthy information for Swedish gamblers.

Furthermore, there is also an acknowledgement that regulations in Sweden will continue to evolve. This will require a nimble and flexible approach from all brands and platforms in the space – including Casinobonusar.

Christian Lowe, chief operating officer of Raketech

Gil Tal: After working closely with several large operators and platforms, I realised that many merchants struggle with their payment infrastructure and set-up, not because they lack ambition, but because the space is complex, fragmented and constantly evolving.

I have founded PayConsult to provide a practical, hands-on partner that could simplify the payment journey. Whether it’s PSP onboarding, negotiating better terms, or scaling into new markets, we help merchants grow without being slowed down by payment bottlenecks.

PayConsult works with both B2B and B2C operators. How do your services adapt to different business models?

Great question – and it’s part of what makes our work interesting. For B2C merchants, we focus heavily on optimizing conversion, reducing friction in checkout, and securing better rates. On the B2B side, like platforms, aggregators, or white-label providers, we often act as an extension of their product and compliance teams, helping them align PSPs across multiple jurisdictions and client types. The foundation is the same: strategic advice and hands-on execution.  

You often help operators migrate from white label to turnkey models. What makes that transition so complex, and how do you support it?

Moving from a white-label setup to a turnkey model is a big step. Suddenly, you’re responsible for things like licensing, compliance and your own payment infrastructure. That’s where we come in. We manage the full PSP onboarding process, handle commercial negotiations and take care of everything from configuring platforms like PaymentIQ to testing and going live. Our job is to make sure the transition is smooth and fast, without any friction – so players don’t even notice the change when they deposit or withdraw.

What do you believe truly sets PayConsult apart from other consultants or internal hires?

We’re hands on. We don’t just advise – we execute. Unlike an internal hire, our clients benefit from our broad market knowledge, established PSP relationships, and the ability to move fast without the overhead. And unlike larger agencies, we’re personal, flexible, and deeply embedded in the payments’ ecosystem. We’re not here to sell generic strategies; we deliver tailored, cost-effective solutions that scale.

Many payment agents simply make the introduction between the merchant and the PSP and step away – we go much further. We help match our clients with the best PSP option for their specific needs and guide them through the entire onboarding process – from first contact to full go-live. And we don’t stop there; we continue working closely with the PSP even after launch to ensure everything runs smoothly and issues are quickly resolved.

We understand all the details and potential roadblocks involved in onboarding, and for merchants without prior experience, it can be frustrating and time-consuming. That’s why we manage it all, end-to-end, so our clients can focus on growing their business.

Looking ahead, what’s your vision for PayConsult and how do you see the payment landscape evolving?

Our vision is to become the go-to payments advisor for digital businesses especially in fast-growing sectors like igaming, fintech, and cross-border ecommerce. Payments are no longer just operational: they’re strategic. Merchants who treat payments as a growth engine, not a cost centre, will outperform. We’re here to help them do exactly that – smarter, faster, and globally.

The series opens with three operators, two in France and one in Belgium, sharing how specific Light & Wonder games are engaging their audiences and elevating the player experience. An official trailer is now live on the iGaming Business platform, with full interviews to follow throughout the summer.

From player behaviour to the power of nostalgia, the interviews explore what’s driving performance today. Jean-Marc Laperrousaz, Slot Manager at Circus Casino Resort Namur in Belgium, notes the immersive quality of Lion Link, saying: “Players today are seeking a more immersive and interactive experience.” Arnaud Mandret, General Manager at Kasino Vannes, notes the “playful appeal” and “elaborate design” of Huff N’ Puff Money Mansion. And at Kasino Larmor Plage, Director General Emmanuel Briand shares how Huff N’ Even More Puff has become a player favourite: “A new way of appealing to the player through nostalgia is really resonating with them.”

The series also highlights the importance of supplier-operator relationships and the power behind data.

“Establishing credibility and consistency is essential to delivering long-term value,” a Light & Wonder spokesperson said. “We aim to be a reliable resource, offering guidance on game selection, configuration, and floor strategy, with transparency and a shared focus on success.”

“We also contribute deep player insights and trend forecasting, while casinos provide valuable input that informs game development and innovation,” the spokesperson added. “Where trust exists, there’s greater room for creativity, customization, and stronger results.”

The series continues rolling out on the iGaming Business platform, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how meaningful industry relationships fuel next-level entertainment.

Affiliate management in the iGaming world has long carried the feel of a high-stakes operation – complex, high-pressure and often alarmingly analogue. While the industry has been quick to chase the next big feature or the latest buzzword, the most expensive and persistent problems have not come from missing functionality – they have come from the foundation itself.

At the heart of the issue is architectural inertia. Many legacy platforms were conceived in the early 2000s, marketed in the early 2010s, and now, in 2025, are expected to seamlessly integrate AI and meet modern performance demands. It is a little like strapping a rocket to a wooden cart – no matter how fast or flashy it looks, it is not going anywhere meaningful.

Then there is the user experience – or lack thereof. Over the years, platforms have accumulated layer upon layer of hard-coded logic and dated UX/UI. Reward engines, once cutting-edge, have morphed into unmanageable relics. They are so complex and counterintuitive they might as well be written in ancient script – impossible to scale, harder still to explain. The result is an ecosystem bloated with irrelevant settings and barren of the real flexibility affiliate managers need.

Perhaps the most damaging of all, however, is the fragmentation. Reporting systems speak in conflicting languages, leaving finance teams reconciling mismatched invoices and affiliates sifting through multiple dashboards just to track a single source of traffic. Operators are left in a state of constant doubt – uncertain of their data, suspicious of their platforms and unarmed with the clarity needed to make confident, real-time decisions.

A new start

These are not surface-level glitches; they are structural failings and they are costing businesses dear. Financially, operators have lost money because they cannot track performance of affiliate marketing programmes accurately. Fixing errors is time-consuming, unproductive and dispiriting, all of which can contribute to burnout among team members.

According to Vlad Bondarenko, head of product at state-of-the-art affiliate management system ReferOn, this web of complications has persisted because most platforms were built over a decade ago. Rather than overhaul the foundations, companies simply added more layers – effectively putting duct tape over deep structural cracks. They chased “just one more feature” instead of rethinking how affiliate systems should function. Feedback was ignored and scalability suffered.

While some have attempted to solve these industry-wide challenges using AI, ReferOn argues that this often only exacerbates the underlying issues. Launched in February 2023, ReferOn seeks to start afresh with its comprehensive suite of tools and services from transparent data reports to management and accounting functionalities.

“AI ends up explaining why things are broken rather than helping users act and make decisions,” Bondarenko says. “At ReferOn, we’ve taken a different path. We’re not just adding features – we’re redefining the logic behind them. Simplicity, transparency and automation aren’t marketing slogans for us – they’re core design principles. That’s why we believe we’re not just evolving affiliate management; we’re helping to fix it.”

Market needs

ReferOn embarked on its journey by concentrating not on adding more features, but by deploying better logic. There would not be a wish list, but a pain list.

ReferOn created a simple rule – every feature must pass three filters. First, it must deliver tangible business value by driving revenue or enhancing client satisfaction. Second, it must align strategically with the company’s priorities and be introduced at the right time. And third, it must be sustainable – something the team can realistically support and maintain over the long term.

“If a feature clears all three, it moves forward,” Bondarenko explains. “Otherwise, it goes to the backlog. We also use Objectives and Key Results (OKR), but as a startup, priorities shift fast based on partner feedback and market needs.

“Instead of a fixed roadmap, we work in ‘priority streams’: critical business features, scalability and architecture, support and operations, and ad hoc requests. Stream Zero is always integrations and migrations to support growth.

“Importantly, we break features down into realistic Minimum Viable Products (MVP). If something takes more than a month, we cut it down. This ensures we stay focused and ship the right features – not just fast, but smart.”

Over the past two years, ReferOn has delivered a transformative experience for its clients. Their momentum is perhaps no surprise when you consider the hidden costs of outdated legacy systems – such as companies being charged as much as €5,000 simply to add a single geo column to a report. 

“Honestly, the best part is when something that used to be a pain point now feels obvious,” Bondarenko adds. “I’ll never forget when a client complained that our reports were too complex. We sent a 30-second video explaining how to use them. They replied, ‘Wow. I’m embarrassed. It’s actually very simple. Sorry I even asked.’

“That’s when I knew we were on the right track. When a complex system feels simple, that’s real product quality.”

Building trust

Trust is arguably the most important factor in affiliate relationships, and this is something ReferOn puts a focus on through both its collaborative attitude and transparent technology.

As Bondarenko says: “Trust doesn’t come from dashboards – it comes from how a system behaves when no one is watching. In affiliate partnerships, trust is built through clarity, consistency and control.”

ReferOn therefore designed its platform not just to track data, but to act like a partner who respects the operator’s process. It ensures clarity by full transparency of payout logic, deal conditions and reward flows. There are no hidden steps or silent overrides.

Meanwhile, inconsistency is one of the biggest sources of distrust – same traffic, same numbers, but different payouts. “That’s a red flag,” Bondarenko says. “Our logic behaves consistently every time, making trust scalable.”

Trust is also built by what ReferOn does not do. It does not upsell basic features and it believes dynamic reporting should be standard. It also does not hide key metrics behind paywalls or create artificial complexity just to charge for custom solutions.

“In short, good design fosters trust,” Bondarenko explains. “It’s not just about a helpful account manager – it’s about building a system that’s inherently trustworthy.”

ReferOn brings a refreshing level of self-awareness to the table, with Bondarenko unafraid to spotlight areas the team is actively working to improve.

“Feature adoption is still a weak spot for us – we have powerful tools that not everyone discovers right away,” he says. “That’s on us. We’re now focusing on onboarding and making sure users not only have great tools but know how to use them.

“The good news is that’s a solvable problem. As long as we keep listening, improving, and prioritising what matters, the product gets better with every release.”

Becoming an affiliate ecosystem

Looking ahead, ReferOn wants to move beyond the confines of being seen as a platform that simply solves core issues. Instead, it will morph into a scalable ecosystem.

To supplement its tools that offer in-depth reporting, easy rewards, payments and effortless tracking, ReferOn is exploring the development of a unified affiliate profile which would be like a Google account for affiliate programmes. ReferOn is also working on an AI-powered junior affiliate manager and reassessing how campaigns work. The company is looking forward to showcasing these new projects at iGB L!VE in July. For those interested in exploring how it all works behind the scenes, a limited number of 1-on-1 sessions can be booked through the ReferOn page here.

“The unified affiliate profile would have one login, one identity, one place to manage payments across brands, one-click registrations, shared preferences and payout histories,” Bondarenko says. “It’s not a finished feature – it’s a vision. But it could redefine affiliate onboarding and ease the operational burden.

“The AI-powered junior affiliate manager would not be a chatbot. We’re exploring a real assistant that detects traffic anomalies, suggests offers, generates tracking links, uploads invoices and explains mismatches. A ‘second brain’ focused on operations. We’re also rethinking how campaigns work – what if discovering and activating an offer took 10 seconds? What if the system generated everything automatically, including tracking and deal assignment? These are directions we’re actively prototyping.”

Looking towards its broader vision of establishing infrastructure for a scalable ecosystem, Bondarenko concludes: “We’re preparing to share tools across brands, unify user experiences and evolve from a platform into a foundation for the next phase of affiliate technology.”

Vlad Bondarenko, head of product at ReferOn

iGaming has come a long way from its humble beginnings in the late 90s, when clunky websites with basic UIs brought online gambling to rudimentary home computers for the first time.

Trailblazing companies like Microgaming, Sportingbet, William Hill and Interops may have kickstarted iGaming before the turn of the century, but in the decades since, the product has been iterated. Intuitive design, clean interfaces, new products and new verticals have brought a small revolution to the way we bet and game over the internet since those early days.

But there’s only so far a wide game offering and shiny UI can take you. Yoel Zuckerberg, chief product officer at major iGaming turnkey solutions supplier Soft2Bet, thinks there’s been a lack of innovation in other areas of the iGaming user experience.

“In 20 years of being in this industry, nothing has changed. If you take all the operators and all the platform providers, we all have all the same tools, the same games, the same payment methods, the same regulated markets. All the sites look the same – although yes, there’s different graphics, design, UX.”

Real innovation, Zuckerberg says, is to give players an experience that can compete not just with other gambling sites but with major sources of screen time consumption – the TikToks and Netflixes of the world.

The answer, he says, is to bring gaming into the gambling mix – to gamify experiences. For Zuckerberg, gamification is the next big opportunity in iGaming – and MEGA is the next big opportunity in gamification.

Yoel Zuckerberg, chief product officer, Soft2Bet

Enter Soft2Bet’s MEGA

MEGA, short for Motivational Engineering Gaming Application, is Soft2Bet’s proprietary gamification solution designed to be compatible with a range of regulatory landscapes. MEGA is built up of a huge number of different ‘engines’, each one a unique gamified experience that balances player rewards with sustainable margins. Operators can customise the gamification engines by setting reward levels, bonus triggers, user segmentation, level of difficulty and more.

“Gamification isn’t a new thing,” explains Martin Collins, chief business development officer at Soft2Bet. “Within our industry, in the last 10-13 years, gamification has existed but it tends to deal with the customer experience without delivering content. It doesn’t take you to a different experience.”

With the focus always being on optimising the casino games or sports betting odds themselves, the quality of the whole user experience being delivered to the customer has arguably lagged behind other industries.

“If you look at casual gaming, if you look at social, if you look at ecommerce, the way that these guys engage with their customer is entirely different to how us in the online casino and sports betting market did,” Collins continues.

“In iGaming the relationship with a customer was very, very transactional. They weren’t coming back for anything but to transact.”

The idea behind MEGA, Collins explains, is to “deliver experiences and mechanics like they have in casual games, like they have in social, like they have in ecommerce, within the casino and sports betting experience.”

Introducing MEGA Clawee 

MEGA is Soft2Bet’s grand project, its comprehensive attempt to deliver on the lofty ambitions of reinventing the playing experience in online gaming.

One of the jewels in this crown – one of Soft2Bet’s most unique engines – is MEGA Clawee, which offers a new, innovative way to deliver bonuses to players.

The genius of the idea is hidden in its simplicity. With MEGA Clawee, users get the chance to play a literal arcade claw machine, attempting to pick up toys from a real-life machine cabinet that they control remotely through an operator’s iGaming site.

By default, users of a given iGaming site receive a free ticket to play for every first deposit of the day, though the amount is configurable and players can buy more tickets from a shop.

“The origin story behind MEGA Clawee is that we took on a new office that was a playground with games,” says Zuckerberg, laughing. “One level had bowling, one level had an arcade. When we arrived at the office there were all these arcade claw machines. And we said to ourselves, what can we do with this?

“The idea came up to livestream the machine and give a chance to the customer on their first deposit of the day to catch something for free – if they catch something, they get a reward.”

The idea may be simple, but it’s surprisingly effective, adds Collins. “You’d think it’s very simple and niche, but actually it’s not. It plays on nostalgia, so it massively drives engagement. It’s a real product created by a talented team.”

Nostalgia is a super power. But to fully maximise engagement, Soft2Bet has mixed it with another core driver of player behaviour: competition.

Built for social engagement 

MEGA Clawee is social by design. The game is livestreamed to a public lobby, complete with a live chat, where users can watch each other have a go at the game. The best performers will make it onto the leaderboard, designed to drive a sense of competition among players.

“The purpose is to create something a little bit more social there to have some kind of race between the customers, increase the deposits and boost retention on a daily basis,” says Zuckerberg.

“The players are so impressed about these mechanics, honestly speaking. We started with two machines and now we have many, many more.”

There is a skill-based element to the game, meaning savvy players can unlock more bonuses, which Zuckerberg adds is an integral part of its design. 

“You can actually be better than the others and that adds a lot [of value] because you want to try again, you want to try again.”

There are, of course, limits on how many bonuses even the most adept MEGA Clawee players can claim – limits which are customisable by operators. Zuckerberg says there can be any trigger, whether it’s a deposit, wagering value, or any other criteria that suits an operator’s needs.

Martin Collins, chief business development officer, Soft2Bet

MEGA Clawee boosts key metrics

The design philosophy of MEGA Clawee rests on solid fundamentals – the genuinely fun, gamified activity adds value by building beyond what Collins terms ‘transactional relationships’, bringing players back for the experience itself.

But what about outcomes for operators? The cold hard data speaks for itself, the company says. 

Soft2Bet’s data shows that average gaming session length is 35.4% longer for users that engage with MEGA Clawee, when compared to average industry standard bonusing mechanics – a core reason why MEGA Clawee has been dubbed the ‘claw of retention’.

The same data also reveals that average revenue per user (ARPU) is 44% higher, average deposit per user (ADPU) is 56% bigger, and on average net gaming revenue (NGR) is 60% higher than what Soft2Bet says are industry averages for standard bonusing mechanics.

MEGA Clawee significantly improves the number of deposits and the return rate, Zuckerberg says, because it motivates players by offering them clear progress through bonuses and rewards like multipliers and cashback. 

It is also just a good time – an important end in itself when trying to genuinely innovate on the player experience.

“What I’m trying to achieve,” Zuckerberg concludes, “is to have fun, and to give something new to our customers, new experiences that they will enjoy more than the rest.”

In a market saturated with one-spin wonders and copy-and-paste reels, the RNG segment of iGaming has grown tired. Predictable mechanics, templated visuals and a flood of sameness have turned what was once a thrill into background noise. Games come and go, flashing their bright lights and hollow jackpots, but rarely leaving an imprint.

For players seeking novelty, depth or even the whisper of a narrative, the current RNG offering is too often a gamble not worth taking.

Enter MEGAFAIR and its new release Crazy Zeus Run. MEGAFAIR has not just launched a new game, it has brought a different mindset entirely to the RNG scene. Having crafted a reputation for creativity through an industry-leading portfolio of skill games, the Cyprus-headquartered software developer is now bringing its expertise to a new vertical.

Dynamic player engagement

Zeus Crazy Run is a perfect example of how MEGAFAIR is seeking to combine familiar mechanics with rich storytelling and dynamic player engagement. Set in a mythological world where Olympus has been overthrown by Hades, this game invites players to join Zeus on a high-stakes mission to reclaim his throne and restore cosmic balance.

As Yan Shif, MEGAFAIR’s co-founder and chief executive explains, three cherries and four bananas this is not.

“This is a game that isn’t like anything that exists in the market – it’s like a new subcategory of iGaming RNG games,” Shif says.

“We always like to see outside the casino, and we were actually inspired by the mechanics and casual gameplay of titles like Monopoly Go and Piggy Go. There was also a game called Board Kings that has a dice element that we liked because it was attractive to look at.

“With these inspirations, we took their mechanics and we put them on the mathematics of slot machines, which includes RTP, RNG and volatility. The combination of all these factors created Crazy Zeus Run.”

Skill games influence

MEGAFAIR’s skill-based gambling background is key to the game’s unique appeal. Although MEGAFAIR began trading in 2022, its journey began six years ago when its founders identified a niche around casual skill games within igaming, especially in B2C apps. They wanted to create something different to the traditional titles such as blackjack and baccarat. In contrast to those table games, MEGAFAIR’s hit skill games have included Mega Solitaire, Mega Bingo Cash and Mega Candy Cash.

In Crazy Zeus Run, the group’s first RNG release, players spend to roll and move, but the strategy comes from choosing when to spend, pacing the bonus build-up, and chasing multiplier-rich cells. It is not just spin-and-pray – it is about timing, anticipation and reward optimisation in this game, which has an RTP of 96%.

The visual style is a playful 2D isometry with stylised Ancient Greek elements, occasional 3D accents and interactive board tiles. The tone is bold and light-hearted, giving players a sense of movement and momentum with each roll.

While Crazy Zeus Run has features that will be familiar to the established slot player, there is enough to appeal to newcomers.

Shif adds: “We do think that it’s something that will attract many players because the graphics and the visuals of this game are familiar with other games that they are not so used to playing in the casinos.

“The excitement of the possibility to win or keep playing or collecting bonus points, we believe, will keep players sticky to the game.

“When we thought about who the game appeals to, we think it divides into two. Firstly, it’s for slot players because again you can put your auto-play on, you can run, the background is changing, and you can collect prizes. Secondly, we also want to attract a younger generation who want something else and not just traditional slots. These players want their gambling games to be more like a video game, and you see that with Crazy Zeus Run and with our skill games.”

Two-track games portfolio

Moving into RNG alongside skill games will allow MEGAFAIR to expand both its appeal and its portfolio. This two-track focus has a number of benefits thanks to the high retention rates associated with skill games and a greater reach across demographics. This is alongside the affiliate-friendly appeal of existing skill game titles, and the top-level technology that enables seamless integration.

MEGAFAIR sees the move into RNG as integral to the development of its business. The resources required to develop skill-based gambling games mean it is a challenge to establish a standard portfolio for the industry, which Shif believes to be around 50 titles.

MEGAFAIR’s plan is to release five RNG games before the end of this year. While developing RNG games is a speedier process, MEGAFAIR’s “quality over quantity” mindset means its output will be limited. That mantra was evident in the development of its first RNG game, which cost around 10 times the market average.

“Crazy Zeus Run isn’t the average slot, and it doesn’t cost like the average amount to develop or take the average amount of time, so there’s some risks in our move,” Shif says. “But we believe that these days the casinos and their players are looking for something more.

“In our vision, we will create a few series of RNG games, each with a few titles, which we can develop in parallel. We will have casual series with themes that everyone knows. There will also be more, let’s say, unusual games.

“To build a huge portfolio of skill games is not the smartest thing because you need density in skill games. You need a density of players and liquidity of players.”

Skill games commitment

That liquidity will be boosted by the expanded portfolio, integrating the new RNG titles. In turn, the unique benefits of skill games will offer support in the opposite direction.

MEGAFAIR remains unwavering in its commitment to the skill games vertical that set the company on its pathway to success. These games invariably see players compete against each other rather than the house, boosting engagement as they seek to beat their rivals. The games can have broad appeal, with matchmaking ensuring that players come up against opponents with similar capabilities.

Looking ahead, MEGAFAIR plans to release up to three more skill games, plus push out enhancements to existing titles.

“We’re not leaving skill games,” Shif says. “We’re just continuing to grow the portfolio and the clients for skill games. These games attract many clients because of the possibilities for marketing, new content and new audiences.

“Our clients have a demand for both skill and RNG gaming, so we just want to fulfil the demand with quality content.

“While MEGAFAIR started as a skill game company, now it’s a new content company for igaming. The shift is not from skills to RNG, but rather from skills to unique content in general.”

Skill games’ bright future

Shif sees a bright future for casual skill games and anticipates that the segment will continue to grow as they become more commonplace. Having been developed only really in the last decade, Shif believes there has been some hesitancy around skill games simply because it is easier to keep on pushing out tried and tested slots.

“Developers have kept on with slots because it’s easier to explain to the casinos, and older players have seemed satisfied,” Shif explains. “But younger players want something different.

“It was risky for us to target skill games. Plus, creating new content is much harder to develop. But we have seen that new types of game will take off. We saw it with crash games, and we’ve seen live casino come from nowhere too.”

MEGAFAIR has great faith in the skill games market, and lofty ambitions for its own future across the igaming ecosystem, including releasing 15 new RNG games next 12 months to further diversify our portfolio.

“I always say that our target is to be integrated into every casino in the world,” Shif says. “But, in general, we also want to make games which make players remember us and love to play. The biggest achievement for any game provider is when a player looks not for the casino but for a specific game, like with Aviator.  We won’t compromise, and we want to develop games which people remember.”

In an age of igaming innovation, outdated tech stacks are a common headache, leaving operators hamstrung as they bid to broaden their horizons.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in newly regulated jurisdictions, where a speedy launch is essential in securing a share of the market before it reaches saturation.

Such an approach has sometimes involved a trade-off in terms of quality, though, which is then difficult and costly to rectify against a backdrop of evolving regulations.

The resulting impact can be savage: irrevocably poor player experiences, high churn, higher-than-expected costs and lower efficiency – and, in some cases, compliance issues that can lead to further reputational damage and regulatory sanctions that hit the balance sheet.

Time to Market

However, Jonathan Gauci, the founder and chief executive officer of startup iGaming platform provider Elantil, insists that a modular approach can offer the flexibility to strike a balance between launching quickly and providing players with a quality product.

Elantil, which launched with its first client last September, has a “strategic backbone” comprising an Operations Management System, a Real-Time Data Platform, a Casino and Sportsbook Builder, and a Marketplace – and, importantly, a laser focus on speed and efficiency.

Elantil’s API-first, event-driven architecture is not just modular; it is built to slash time from deal to launch. The recent integration of Tequity, a prominent RGS and gaming tools provider, took less than two hours, setting a new internal benchmark and showing that Elantil’s target of delivering more quickly than anything else in the market is more than just an aspiration.

Thanks to Elantil’s platform design, operators can enter new regulated markets without digging deep into code.

Regulatory requirements, such as jurisdiction-specific limits, geoblocking, or compliance workflows, are all managed at the platform surface, rather than being buried in backend code. Operators simply toggle or configure the needed settings for each market, optimising the platform’s agility.

This level of flexibility allows teams to react instantly to regulatory changes or expand into fresh territories, delivering rapid time‑to‑market with full compliance intact.

Flexibility is key

“The main problem with outdated tech stacks is that they are often very rigid in their capabilities,” Gauci says. “They require a lot of time and effort to upgrade and are largely inefficient when it comes to adapting to the ever-changing demands of the iGaming industry.”

These inefficiencies, Gauci adds, are stifling growth and unnecessarily tying up resources, particularly for operators that are launching in new markets with an older igaming tech stack.

“In the vast majority of cases, they will be using a closed system supplied by a traditional white-label provider, and these tend to be very limited in terms of what you can change,” he says. “More often than not, they will need to completely rebuild their platform to ensure it is compliant in the market they are targeting.

“Then you have integrations, where connecting to new game suppliers often takes significant time and manpower. On top of that, integrating aggregators usually means additional fees, revenue shares and third-party dependencies that slow down progress even further.”

Removing bottlenecks

The slow pace of integration and limited flexibility of legacy systems can leave those who strive to be early movers with fragile foundations and shrinking margins.

However, Elantil’s Marketplace is intended to streamline integration, with operators able to select from an array of gaming providers, sportsbook platforms, payment systems and customer-facing tools. Crucially, Elantil does not take any fees from these integrations.

Indeed, according to Gauci, the aim is to facilitate connections between operators and casino software providers, allowing them to integrate content quickly and easily. As a result, Elantil’s one-click integrations allow users to onboard new suppliers instantly.

Scale and adapt

“All igaming suppliers – whether it’s casino, sportsbook, CRM, KYC or payments – are integrated free of charge,” Gauci says.

“Our technology is built from the ground up to be fast, flexible and integration-friendly, meaning operators can scale and adapt to new markets without delay or added complexity.”

Gauci also highlights the ample industry experience within Elantil’s team members who enjoy strong existing relationships with suppliers and understand the typical frustrations that can emerge through integration processes with iGaming software.

“We’re not an aggregator and our goal is not to resell content at a marked-up cost or to force our customers into predefined contracts,” Gauci adds. “Instead, we simply facilitate the process of connecting operators directly with their providers and allow them to figure out the terms that work best for them.

“Once an agreement between operator and provider has been reached, we supply all of the login credentials they need – and all in the provider’s own terminology – and these just have to be put in when clicking the relevant product tile in our marketplace, meaning all our integrations are quick, easy and hassle-free.”

Constantly changing

In an ever-changing space, flexibility is important to enable quick and easy updates beyond the initial launches and integrations, Gauci says.

“With most legacy platforms, you can’t simply go into the backend, adjust a few settings and launch right away – instead, you have to make wholesale changes that closed systems simply can’t accommodate,” he explains.

“As a result, any update you make requires input from compliance, product and operational teams – to name just a few – before you can go live with any changes, and this seriously extends time to market and limits operators’ ability to be agile. It’s precisely this kind of scenario that we wanted to avoid with Elantil, so the solutions we provide are much more dynamic and flexible.”

This also means that when regulatory changes occur, operators can adapt settings swiftly – a particular benefit for operators attempting to navigate the complexities of newly regulated markets like Brazil, where experts expect such updates to be inevitable over the coming months.

“There is no need to dig into the codebase or rely on developer intervention, meaning faster adaptations, smoother operations and much greater independence,” Gauci says.

Radically different

Elantil has already attracted a number of clients since launching last year, and Gauci believes that operators are increasingly open to considering platform suppliers that can address long-standing integration issues with a modular, hassle-free approach.

“Up until now they’ve simply been making decisions based on what was available,” Gauci says.

“That’s more of a problem with the industry and the platform providers themselves than it is the fault of the operators; and it’s one that Elantil has addressed by offering something that’s radically different from anything else on the market.

“We’ve already gone live with one operator and have another two lined up who we’ll be onboarding very shortly, so it’s my belief that once more businesses see that there’s another more efficient and more cost-effective way of doing things, we’ll see even greater uptake of our solutions in the future.”

The Brazilian market is emerging as a jackpot for the global gambling industry, but the real high score may lie in the unlocked potential of its booming esports scene.

The vast South American nation is set to become one of the world’s most lucrative gambling markets in the coming years, with revenues set to reach $12.7 billion by 2028 (assuming that land-based regulates), according to figures from iGB’s data partner H2 Gambling Capital.

The global gaming industry currently resembles something a little like the first week of a FIFA World Cup tournament – all eyes are on Brazil. The enthusiasm for this LatAm land of opportunity has kept growing since the licensed online gaming market went live in January 2025.

Unsurprisingly, football is king in Brazil’s nascent legal wagering market, accounting for around 80% of bets in figures cited by Waterhouse VC analysts. Another traditional sport, basketball, is the second most popular betting market.

In third place, however, is esports – ahead of established verticals such as tennis, golf and combat sports. Still considered a niche by many across the world, the popularity of video gaming and live streamers in Brazil helps to explain why it is accounting for so much business in the legal betting market’s early months. In recent years, Brazil has been the second biggest global market for streaming platform Twitch with almost 17 million users.

Many of the world’s leading streamers are Brazilian, including the likes of Gaules, Baiano and Alanzoka. While the kids may still love Vini Jr and Raphinha, ‘Counter-Strike 2’ streamer Gaules attracted some 101 million hours of viewing time during 2024, according to Streams Charts figures.

But the lines between Brazil’s traditional sports heroes and the esports scene are also starting to blur. Football stars like Neymar (president of FURIA’s Kings League team), Casemiro (owner of Case Esports), and Vini Jr (a partner in LOUD) have all invested in esports, highlighting just how deeply gaming is embedded in Brazil’s broader sporting culture.

With such intense interest, it is little surprise that betting on esports competitions is proving to be so popular, according to Marek Suchar, co-founder and managing director of leading esports betting solutions supplier Oddin.gg.

“Betting is essentially following your passion and putting your money where your mouth is,” Suchar says. “So when you have the players and the viewership [in esports], this will translate into the betting numbers as well.”

Brazil a key player in esports betting growth

Esports betting has experienced remarkable growth over the last year, according to Oddin.gg’s Esports 2024 report. With a global reach, and offering services such as esports odds feed, risk management, an esports betting iFrame solution and marketing services, Oddin.gg has become a powerhouse in the sector. Its partners include Betway, Stake and Betano.

In its 2024 report, Oddin.gg found that major esports titles saw betting volume increases of up to 175% year-on-year, while bet count was up 131%. Total wagered amounts and average stakes climbed across major tournaments compared to 2023, reinforcing esports’ expansion as a maturing betting vertical. Global stream viewership also saw notable increases, highlighting the growing size of the addressable market.

Much of that wagering growth, says Oddin.gg’s Suchar, was driven by esports betting in LatAm markets, especially Peru and of course Brazil. The country – with a population of 211 million – is one of Oddin.gg’s top five markets in terms of handle, but it is the fact that it already has the second greatest number of bettors that illustrates the nation’s potential.

“Around six years ago, one of our clients in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Tipsport, took a closer look at its esports vertical,” Suchar says. “What they found was that it was around 20^th in terms of handle in its sportsbook at the time. But at the same time, it was the sixth biggest sport for new bets.

“They saw this and their thinking process was very logical. Thinking about the longer term – the next five to 10 years – they considered that if esports’ popularity continued to grow, then so would this betting vertical. Right now, esports is essentially already 7% of their sportsbook, sitting at fifth place by total volume, and it is this year most probably going to be the fourth biggest handle when it comes to live betting.”

Esports an acquisition tool for LatAm?

Such growth, if replicated across LatAm, would be exponential. Figures published by iGB show that 38% of regular esports watchers in Brazil regularly bet on esports competitions – a number more than three times higher than the 12% in the US. With more than 40% of Brazil’s huge population under the age of 30 – the average global age of an esports bettor is 23 – sportsbooks can expect to welcome more and more esports bettors, and benefit when they become older and wealthier.

Esports is also a shrewd marketing tool to bring in new LatAm customers who might otherwise not discover other forms of gambling. Attracting Gen Z is an astute move, as they could be customers for many years to come. Early entry to the market is therefore advisable.

“The young are digitally savvy and can easily block gambling operators’ advertisements. Esports is a way to get them through the door, to provide them something they care about.”

“An average football bettor would be in their 30s and a baseball bettor in the US would be in their 50s. However, esports bettors are in their early 20s, so if you can get them in you have signed up a long-term client. The lifetime value of an esports better is very competitive compared to the other sports.”

Regional differences in LatAm esports

Suchar believes there is no reason why betting operators offering traditional sports cannot successfully launch esports betting in Brazil or other LatAm countries. However, he warns that they must understand the market to avoid repelling potential customers.

Each LatAm market has its own nuances, so simply replicating a product from other regions is not advisable. Operators entering the market must consider favoured titles and take into account the entire video gaming ecosystem that includes not just esports competitions, but also the wider community and its leading influencers.

“Esports is not one thing – just as you don’t just look at ‘ball sports’ instead of football, basketball and volleyball individually,” Suchar says. “When you look at Brazil, it will be mostly about Counter-Strike 2, followed by League of Legends. Then there will be also Free Fire and then some smaller ones. But, for example, in Peru, the market will be all about Dota 2.

How to be successful in Brazilian esports betting

Those operators struggling to gain traction with esports should first evaluate whether their product setup and approach are aligned with what bettors actually want, rather than concluding that there is something deficient about the vertical itself. Suchar suggests that when operators are losing money, it often comes down to a combination of factors tied to poor quality of the product – especially odds.

“Esports is a different beast compared to traditional sports,” he explains. “Frequent patches, the fast pace of play and game complexity call for a tailored approach. When we see low volumes or negative margins, it’s usually due to short uptime, limited live markets or poor coverage – issues that reflect poor product execution more than a lack of demand.

“Many times, we’ve seen a shift when an operator fixes two major things, product and promotion to the market – both of which Oddin.gg can help with.”

In terms of product, operators should focus marketing efforts on each country’s favoured games. Offering a premium platform to stand out within the nation’s gambling gold rush is also advisable. Suchar suggests one valuable addition would be in-platform live streaming of esports competitions and widgets, which unlike traditional sports are generally streamed for free on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. This enables bettors to wager without even having to leave the sportsbook.

Beyond performance, Oddin.gg emphasises integrity as core to its offering. The company is a member of the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and adheres to robust integrity standards, including internal risk management designed to protect both operators and bettors. This approach aligns well with Brazil’s recent regulatory initiatives – bringing structure, consumer safeguards and long-term viability to the market.

In terms of promotion to the market, Oddin.gg recommends that operators ingratiate themselves within the ecosystem and become a known brand. He warns against employing external marketing agencies that may have regular sports betting expertise but know little about esports. Oddin.gg itself works with an esports-centric marketing agency that is helping its clients with media coverage and developing commercial partnerships.

“In Brazil, the passion is there, the volume is there, and we are seeing the growth,” Suchar says, adding that other LatAm markets are catching up. “Players will come if they can enjoy your product and you can grow with them.”

Like Brazilian football, Brazil’s esports sector is unique and special. For operators bold enough to engage authentically and build for its esports ecosystem, the rewards could be immense. As Suchar puts it, the passion is already there – now it is about delivering an engaging product that matches the energy, earns the trust and grows with the community.

Marek Suchar, co-founder and managing director of esports specialists Oddin.gg

This principle holds true in sport, and for sportsbook and iGaming platform provider GR8 Tech, it applies equally to business. Indeed, “mindset” is the driving force behind GR8 Tech’s striking partnership with the Ready to Fight platform, co-founded by world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk – a superstar athlete renowned for his mental resilience, laser-sharp focus and relentless pursuit of greatness. With the Heavyweight Club, GR8 Tech aims to create “an exclusive community and mindset for operators who want to lead, not follow”.

Before delving too much deeper into the concept behind The Heavyweight Club by GR8 Tech, it is worth noting the successes it has already helped its partners to achieve. In boxing parlance, it is futile to celebrate a fighter’s training regime unless they can put belts on the table. One of GR8 Tech’s most striking value propositions is that operator partners utilising its technology are reaching operational breakeven in under 12 months, which is a knockout achievement when the market average is three to four years. One GR8 Tech client reached gross gaming revenue of more than $1 million in just four months.

Performance-driven operators

Chief Revenue Officer Sergey Ghazaryan explains that GR8 Tech partners – who operate across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa – benefit from its Heavyweight Club because they are offered more than just technology solutions. They become part of a community of ambitious, performance-driven operators who scale smart, act fast and play to win.

“We partner with operators who are built for more,” Ghazaryan says. “It’s not a club you join – it’s a standard you live by. That’s what the heavyweight mindset is all about.

“We know that success in iGaming – like in sport – takes a mix of talent, discipline and the right tools. Like elite athletes, elite operators need great coaching, powerful tech and a strategy that adapts under pressure. That’s exactly what GR8 Tech brings.

“Whether it’s using smart shortcuts to move faster, leveraging hype to fuel brand growth or building for long-term gains – we work with operators who think big and execute bigger.

“A champion recognises another champion – and that’s the kind of partnerships we believe in.”

Speed to market

The Heavyweight Club and its inspiration, undefeated world champion Usyk, will be among the main events at the forthcoming iGB L!VE London on 2-3 July. GR8 Tech’s two-storey stand at booth U34 will immerse attendees in the full Heavyweight Club experience, including an AR activation that features the boxing star. There will also be a raffle for tickets to see the mouth-watering rematch between Usyk and Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on 19 July. The B2B Bar, powered by GR8 Tech, will be a perfect spot where industry champions can exchange insights and recharge.

Delegates can also visit the GR8 Tech Demo Zone to explore the supplier’s solutions. These range from the ULTIM8 Sportsbook iFrame and Hyper Turnkey solution to the Infinite Casino Aggregation and Aff.Tech affiliate management platform.

GR8 Tech’s market-leading tech stack enables operator partners to achieve those instant results previously mentioned. The supplier aims to build every solution with high performance at the core, entering target markets fully prepared and adjusted to local needs. The platform benefits from local payment options, native language support, customised UX and even region-specific content.

With an iGaming platform that is geo-ready, compliant with local demands and fully configurable, GR8 Tech partners can launch faster with the confidence that key local requirements are already covered – and still have the control to fine-tune their setup as needed.

“With us, operators don’t waste time or budget figuring things out post-launch,” Ghazaryan says. “They go live fast, and with our performance-focused tech stack, they start seeing real engagement and revenue early on.

“This approach shortens the path to profitability, especially compared to the industry average. We focus on what moves the business forward from day one, and that’s why the numbers speak for themselves.

“But tech alone isn’t enough. We combine market-tailored solutions with deep local expertise and ongoing knowledge sharing – helping operators avoid pitfalls and seize opportunities. When this tech meets a competent team with the right mindset, that’s when growth really takes off.”

While speed to market is an essential consideration, a heavyweight can end up flat on the canvas should they ascend before their time. GR8 Tech therefore aims to balance speed and scalability from day one. As operators grow, they can add new modules or expand into other markets without ripping everything apart.

“It’s like starting in a race car you can later turn into a rocket – fast now, and future-proof for what’s next,” Ghazaryan explains. “That’s how we help ambitious operators win early and keep growing long-term.”

Heavyweight partnerships

In addition to its pioneering tech offering, GR8 Tech aims to bring much more to its Heavyweight Club partners. iGaming, according to Ghazaryan, is overloaded by suppliers who overpromise but fail to deliver. This is an industry issue that GR8 Tech strives to address by transparently delivering real-world results.

In Ghazaryan’s view, “heavyweight” tech suppliers are those who deliver for clients when under pressure, know how to win in specific markets and stick around for the long term. They assist the operator in building a sustainable, revenue-focused business.

“When markets shift fast, having a partner who brings strategy, flexibility, and real accountability makes all the difference,” he says. “That’s what a heavyweight partnership means and why it matters more than ever.”

GR8 Tech’s heavyweight mindset influences its entire business strategy, both externally and internally. Its team members float like a butterfly and sting like a bee whether in meetings with clients or in their day-to-day endeavours. This, for Ghazaryan, is an important expression of the company’s culture – where agility, precision and impact are valued as highly in the boardroom as they are in the ring.

“In our client relationships, we don’t overpromise – we deliver,” he says. “We set clear goals, we move fast and we’re in it together when things get tough. Internally, the same rules apply. We train hard, push each other and never settle for average. Every team, every product, every decision is shaped by that same focus: perform or step aside. That’s what it means to live the heavyweight mindset.”

Meanwhile, GR8 Tech defines a heavyweight operator as one who moves fast, knows their market, and is focused on real business outcomes – not on surface-level stats that look good but do not drive revenue.

“iGaming isn’t about flash for the sake of it; it’s about building smart, resilient systems that deliver long-term profitability,” Ghazaryan says. “That takes the right mindset, the right team, and the right tech foundation.

“It’s not about size – it’s about discipline and ambition. You can be a heavyweight challenger even as a new brand if you’re focused on building the right way.”

With its eye-catching activations, networking opportunities and more than 30 team members on site, iGB L!VE promises to be a major milestone in GR8 Tech’s own ascendancy within the iGaming ecosystem. Ghazaryan is looking forward to the opportunity to connect with, and be inspired by, pioneers who share GR8 Tech’s drive.

“We’re building a community where serious operators and partners share insights, push each other and grow together,” he says. “Expect exclusive events, deep-dive content and ongoing support that keeps raising the bar.

“The Heavyweight Club will live on through the growth and success of its members – multiplied by every win, every market breakthrough and every bold move they make. We want the mindset to live on long after iGB L!VE ends – keeping every member ready to dominate their market.”

Across the world, sports betting is attracting unprecedented interest, driven by a growing appetite among younger adults.

In the US, for example, 21 to 29-year-olds are more than twice as likely as those aged between 30 and 44-years-old to bet on sport online, according to one study, and more than 10 times as likely to place such wagers as those over the age of 44.

However, the complexities of sports betting remain a barrier to some prospective new punters.

Among US sports fans, for instance, ‘sports betting seems confusing’ is given as one of the top five reasons for not engaging in the activity. From player props to same-game parlays, there is clearly a learning curve that, for some at least, is prohibitively steep.

However, Mike Forslund, head of sales & business development at Odds88, believes the sports aggregation platform’s new Pick’Ems product provides an ideal entrance point for new or inexperienced bettors.

Beautifully simple

Pick’Ems offer a straightforward, wagering experience with a simple interface through which users can combine several picks into a single bet, with the potential for substantial payouts.

Billed as a “beautifully simple betting model with a low barrier to entry and maximum entertainment value”, designated Pick’Ems refer to markets where there is no clear favourite or underdog. With each outcome deemed to be equally likely – such as in player prop markets or totals, where a player might choose “over” or “under” a specific game line – it is the sports betting version of putting your chips on red or black.

The finely balanced element of the wager ensures “an extra layer of excitement and exhilaration” for players, according to Forslund, with no point spread or handicap involved.

Multibet opportunities

The focus at Odds88 is to introduce Pick’Em products that allow users to build multiple wagers easily into a single bet.

“The overall appeal of Pick’Em markets is their simplicity and the obvious presence of fairness, making them ideal for both novice and experienced bettors who want a straightforward, coin-flip outcome wagering experience”

“If Odds88 is able to bring purposeful acquisition tools to our partners, then we know we are always moving in the right direction. For Odds88 to be able to offer our partners a simplified entry point into sports betting, which in turn makes them an ideal choice for new or inexperienced bettors frankly is a win for everyone.”

For players, the concept of offering binary choices removes what Forslund describes as “the trepidation factor” that can sometimes accompany traditional sports betting.

However, for operators, such simplicity translates into a more welcoming experience that crucially lowers the barrier to entry. Owing to this, Pick’Ems are relatively fast-paced and typically low-stakes – and therefore appealing to casual sports fans and even fantasy sports players, while also creating natural opportunities for viral growth through social channels and interactions.

Converting players

Converting casual players into long-term value customers, though, requires education – specifically by introducing users to the broader betting ecosystem while enhancing their experience through personalisation.

“It is something we’ve seen with our sibling Live88: making use of clear, digestible educational tutorials, bet explainers and predictive insights that help users understand traditional betting markets,” Forslund says.

“As players become more confident, they’re more likely to explore additional product options.

“Then progressing from this part of the consumer lifecycle, retention relies on sustained engagement. This means using promotions, loyalty schemes, personalised game recommendations and so on based on their gaming or, in this case, Pick’Em history to keep users active and engaged.”

Power of gamification

Alongside the state-of-the-art sports betting software, Forslund also underlines the importance of gamification features like leaderboards and achievement badges in creating a sense of progression and community.

“With more and more casinos and sportsbooks turning to mobile-first formats and increased gamification, the simplicity of Pick’Ems falls beautifully into this format,” he explains.

“In creating social games, which are becoming gradually more familiar to a younger, digitally native audience, operators can use this format to build brand loyalty and trust with new users before potentially guiding them toward more traditional betting markets.

“When combined with social elements, Pick’Ems can build their own loyal user base independent of the wider sportsbook environment. By making betting feel approachable, rewarding and progressively richer, operators can convert casual Pick’Em users into loyal, high-value bettors over time.”

Standalone appeal

Pick’Ems can be integrated alongside existing traditional betting offerings as a complementary layer in a broader product offering. However, as Forslund outlines, if Pick’Ems are designed with strong user engagement and retention in mind, there is no reason why they cannot become standalone products of interest in their own right.

“Emerging gaming brands have the potential to have Pick’Ems generate meaningful revenue and repeat engagement as a standalone product by utilising mobile-first design, intuitive interfaces and educational content updates,” he adds. “That being said, their true strength lies in flexibility, personalisation and customisation which are truly the cornerstones of Odds88.”

Indeed, Odds88, which launched its new brand in January and features more than 110 different sports, is designed to empower customers to build customised betting experiences through the user journey.

Addressing the risks

However, Forslund also acknowledges the importance of addressing the potential risks involved for sportsbooks.

While Pick’Ems are designated outcomes that are too close to call, it is worth considering what happens if one of the options is, in reality, a marginal favourite. The danger is that this could lead to an uneven distribution of bets, financial exposure and even reputational risk for the operator if odds are imbalanced.

“Operators must manage operational and financial risks, as unexpected outcomes or heavy betting on one side can result in significant payouts and potential losses, especially if risk management processes are inadequate,” Forslund explains.

“If a large number of bettors collectively identify and exploit an imbalance, operators could be exposed to higher liability on that outcome.

“It can become particularly risky if the market is mispriced, which is not necessarily an uncommon thing for sportsbooks to do when initially launching a market within an event, which can be further compounded if experienced, informed gamblers notice the discrepancy and place large wagers.

“Bettors expect a fair, 50/50 proposition when they see ‘Pick’Em’, and any perception of misleading odds could damage trust and customer satisfaction. The risks are minute in appearance, but the outcomes can be rather impactful.”

Alternative Odds API

Odds88’s artificial intelligence-driven tools, including its Alternative Odds API, addresses these concerns though by balancing carefully calibrated odds that prioritise the player experience while ensuring responsible risk management.

This means that, wherever a punter is in the world, sports betting results for events that are designated Pick’Ems are never expected to be one-sided.

“As a sports aggregator, we are proud that our Alternative Odds API solves these risks,” Forslund says. “We can be sure we are only offering the most up-to-date and accurate content to Odds88 customers.”

Cross-promotional value

Looking to the future, Forslund certainly believes there is significant potential for cross-promotional value with Pick’Ems and the broader sports betting product offering.

“Given the extremely reflexive nature and customisability we provide, operators can use data and engagement patterns from Pick’Em participation to personalise recommendations, offer targeted promotions and segment marketing efforts way more effectively,” Forslund says.

“A user who regularly plays NBA Pick’Ems, for example, might be offered boosted odds or educational content on NBA moneyline bets. It just makes strategic sense.

“It widens the top of the funnel without alienating existing users – and it allows a broader net to be cast.”

Despite generating a substantial 28.7% increase in gross gaming revenue (GGR) to hit $8.4bn in the US last year, online gaming remains unregulated in the vast majority of US states – 44 – versus just seven where the required legislation has been passed.

However, sweepstakes have long been seen as a way of giving players an experience that resembles igaming in jurisdictions where real-money games are either illegal or unregulated.

In a sense, some have traditionally considered such activities to operate in a vacuum. Strikingly, though, the opportunities presented by sweepstakes casinos are being increasingly recognised by operators as more than a mere vehicle to bridge the regulation gap in markets where igaming potential remains untapped.

What are sweepstakes casinos?

Sweepstakes casinos operate a ‘freemium’ approach, without taking real-money wagers. Typically, this involves processing virtual tokens obtained at no cost that can then serve as play money for accessing in-game features. These virtual currencies can be exchanged for cash or prizes.

Of course the concept itself is far from new – the term ‘sweepstakes’ actually dates back as far as 15^th Century England – and in a modern-day context, such products have been marketed to the public by some operators for more than a decade.

However, a relatively recent explosion of interest has led to a belief that now is the ideal time to fully take advantage of an enormous opportunity.

US growth

The US has driven the growth of the global sweepstakes market, which expanded at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 89% between 2019 to 2022, reaching a value of $3.1bn, according to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.

Fast-forward three years, and the segment is projected to generate a whopping $11bn in 2025 – surpassing regulated igaming in terms of both reach and revenue.

Accordingly, competition is hotting up, with more than 25 new sweepstakes casinos having launched in 2025 alone – bringing the total number to more than 140.

Amid this explosion of interest, igaming software and online gambling platform provider NuxGame believes it is ideally positioned to ride the crest of the wave.

“Sweepstakes casino will take off, and we will be one of the companies that will shape the evolution of it and make it more transparent and engaging,” NuxGame chief operating officer Denis Kosinsky said.

Justified optimism

There is good reason for Kosinsky’s optimism.

NuxGame officially launches its full turnkey sweepstakes solution this July; but it started its journey in this space much earlier.

Rather than jumping into the market with a half-baked product, NuxGame has focused on gaining a forensic understanding of the sector and building a solution from the ground up.

“We took the time to study player behaviour and check out other platforms to learn the regulatory frameworks and monetisation strategies,” Kosinsky said.

“We have now built a feature-rich, legally compliant and scalable platform that is ready to go. So, while this product is new, the foundation of it is based on our current turnkey solution. It’s not just a rushed add-on; it’s a standalone tech system.”

Strategic support

The solution builds on NuxGame’s established dual balance platform, which facilitates the use of virtual currencies, as well as the provider’s customisable prize pools.

However, the overall aim, according to Kosinsky, is to deliver a strategy – and not just a product.

“We can cover everything from turnkey lounges to deep integration, dual balance, support, localised pricing, KYC, chat, shops and achievements – all native, all simple, and the bulk in one ecosystem,” he said.

“Our roadmap also includes advanced analytics and AI-driven personalisation, which should bring legal clarity, high-speed time to market, and optimum product scalability. So basically, we do not just create a skin – we deliver for clients an engine that they can work with.”

“Criticism of sweepstakes usually comes from misunderstanding, which is why it is important for operators to stick to the rules and be transparent.”

Legal clarity

Legal clarity will be particularly important in markets like the US, Kosinsky said, with NuxGame providing flexible options in the backend to comply with regional regulatory requirements, from age restrictions to prize limits. Furthermore, NuxGame can also provide additional guidance on legal matters and regional nuances.

NuxGame also works closely with partners like Jumio to apply industry-standard Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering protocols, while facilitating responsible features such as spending limits and self-exclusion tools.

“Operators get a platform that’s both fun and compliant, with players feeling secure, regulators gaining transparency and operators reducing risk without compromising the experience,” Kosinsky added. “Compliance is key, and we are investing in legal intelligence, content variety and features so that operators who stay ahead on compliance and deliver real engagement will win.”

Such an approach is critical in helping to address any criticism of sweepstakes in the broader gambling space, according to Kosinsky.

“Criticism usually comes from misunderstanding, which is why it is important for operators to stick to the rules and be transparent about how prizes are won,” he added. “We focus on documentation, legal reviews, support and tools to stay compliant. If you run transparently and with responsibility, then it is a valid and exciting way to engage players.”

AI-driven automation

Beneath the surface, AI is not only being leveraged for player segmentation, bonus personalisation and predictive retention models, but also automated management of daily login bonuses and loyalty tiers.

Ultimately, the aim is to remove the heavy lifting of a launch by reducing costs, improving retention and supporting long-term growth, with the operator able to focus on growing its brand by amplifying the social element surrounding sweepstakes.

On this point, players can be onboarded via platforms like Facebook, Telegram, Google and TikTok, with sweepstakes classified as promotional contests rather than gambling.

Building on this, NuxGame’s software provides social chat features, the supplier’s signature gamification offerings such as leaderboards and live wins, as well as a refer-a-friend programme – which can be hugely impactful in driving first-time depositors and retention.

“Players come for fun, but they will only stay if they have the right rewards, the right interactions and if they totally understand the platform and the experience they should get from it,” said Kosinsky.

“So, the tiered system is powered by a shop, where players can choose products with their sweepstake coins – and this shop can include anything an operator is willing to offer – from flights and cars to Netflix subscriptions.

“Also, the chat features between players are a must, because they can speak about their winnings and their shared experiences, and it makes the platform much more transparent. With this, and the daily, weekly or monthly login rewards, it’s all up to the operator – we give them the tools.”

Partner support

NuxGame works with affiliate marketing solutions provider Cellxpert among other partners, to optimise strategies to attract and retain players.

Through a flexible, connected toolkit that is supported by such partners, operators can “grow smarter, and not just bigger,” Kosinsky explained.

Building on such fruitful collaborations, NuxGame is now focused on teaming up with the best sweepstakes casinos to bring its engaging solution to players.

“We are investing in platform growth, expanding our game catalogue, improving tooling and are working closely with operators,” Kosinsky said.

“We help our partners to co-create new models and not just reconstruct old ones, and we want to be the partner of serious operators that will win with us.”

South Africa has enjoyed an unrivalled status as its continent’s biggest gambling market for many years – and underlying metrics suggest the country will become an increasingly competitive player on the global scene.

While Africa as a whole is projected to generate US$11bn of gross gaming revenue (GGR) this year, according to H2 Gambling Capital, South Africa alone registered a record $3.37bn of GGR in the 12 months through to the end of March 2024 – the most recently available data. This total, which represented a year-on-year rise of 40.2%, was achieved even though the nation’s 63 million inhabitants account for just 4% of Africa’s total population.

While 37 casinos across the country generated almost $1bn in GGR in the 2023-24 financial year – led by those in Gauteng, the nation’s most populous province – it was in the online space where there has been particularly sharp growth.

Sports betting revenues leapt by 51.2% year-on-year. Online sports betting accounts for the vast majority of such expenditure – and 49% of the country’s total GGR.

However, it is increasingly recognised that sports betting is not the only interest of punters in a country that has a long-held obsession with rugby, cricket and football.

Online casino in the Rainbow Nation is booming – and Greentube, which has long been committed to establishing a truly international presence, is keen to cement its reputation as one of South Africa’s leading game providers.

Market launch

With parent company Novomatic having had a presence in South Africa for many years, Greentube decided the time was right to enter the market about a year ago after concluding that the country’s notoriously patchwork regulatory landscape could be successfully navigated.

While online casino has thrived in South Africa in recent years through legislation that was initially designed only for sports betting, Greentube is focused on developing its presence in the country through in-person offerings, as well as online.

“We started looking at the South African market quite recently, and I think it still has a lot of potential to grow in the online casino space,” says Greentube chief product and revenue officer Michael Bauer, who adds that the popularity of casinos in the country helps to underpin the increasing appetite for online gambling.

“We’ve already seen significant growth in online sports betting and we think that there is still a lot of room to grow, and on the other side Novomatic is bringing new land-based products to the market as well.”

Tech stack

Crucially, Greentube entered the market with what it described as a “revolutionary” new tech stack. Mynt, which launched at the start of 2023 to produce and supply games worldwide, comprises several modules and engagement tools and is supported by a Remote Gaming Server.

South Africa was the first regulated market where Mynt went live, with the tech stack also available in a number of other test markets worldwide.

“It gives us several advantages, and one of them is that it’s cloud-ready compared to our old stack, so we can be closer to the player, which reduces latency,” Bauer says.

“We can much more easily scale up, with a modular infrastructure and up-to-date technology at every step.

“We are producing a lot of games on Mynt and putting existing games from old stacks onto Mynt, where there is much more flexibility to produce native features – from free spins and daily jackpots to more sophisticated things like price drops and tournaments.”

“There are different routes into the market and you need to figure that out initially. Everything takes a bit longer than in Europe.”

Building momentum

While Novomatic’s well-established presence ensured there was a ready-made list of contacts to pursue in South Africa, Greentube also approached operators directly, “tackling the market from both sides” in both land-based and online gaming.

“Both approaches have worked well, and we are in touch with basically all of the main regulated operators in the market,” Bauer adds. “We make sure that we have the right games for that market on Mynt and make sure that we can get everything certified.”

Momentum has been building ever since.

Nearly a year ago, Greentube, in collaboration with its sister company in South Africa, Novomatic Africa, struck an agreement with Sunbet to launch in the market.

Then this April, Greentube went live with leading operators Goldrush and Supabets, with two more collaborations due to be confirmed by the end of this month.

Book of Ra ‘opening doors’

Bauer explains that its efforts have been aided by the huge popularity of its Book of Ra slot, which is widely available on in-person gambling machines, as well as online. This, he says, has helped to “open doors” with bricks-and-mortar and iCasino operators.

However, Greentube has numerous games that are grabbing the attention of players in South Africa, and the provider is also weighing up bringing its Italy-based subsidiary Capecod to the market, given the latter’s expanding portfolio of crash games – thought to be an increasingly popular game format in the country.

“The next step is that we need to get feedback from the players, but also from the operators, and what else they want to see from us there,” Bauer says.

“We have a very interesting mix of games coming up, including several three-pot games, which is another big trend in the market.

“We’ve just released Wukong, which is our third three-pot game – and there will be more coming up. We have Piggy Prizes, which is really smashing it in lots of markets, and version two of Wand of Riches is killing it.”

Challenges

There are hurdles to entering any market, but in South Africa, the challenges are plentiful.

Firstly, as highlighted by Bauer, there is a fragmented and – even by the standards of international gaming law – an unusually complicated regulatory landscape that has to be understood by gambling companies in South Africa.

While last year’s Remote Gambling Bill remains under review, with hopes that it will ultimately clarify licensing rules that are currently implemented by nine different provinces, there is not specific legislation for online gambling in South Africa, despite a bill being on the table since 2008.

As a result, online casino games – such as slots, roulette or draw games on licensed online gambling sites in South Africa – are treated as betting events to comply with the law.

“There are different routes into the market and you need to figure that out initially,” says Bauer.

“Also, integration-wise, everything takes a bit longer than we would see in Europe where everything is commoditised and where everybody knows the terms of a contract.

“However, the good thing is that we have a really good relationship with the local Novomatic team there, and they help us a lot.”

A launchpad for Africa

Looking to the future in South Africa, Bauer views the country as a launchpad for the continent as a whole.

“For us, the whole continent actually is interesting – it’s not only South Africa,” he says.

“The first step though is to roll out into the majority of the operators there, including aggregators, so that we get most of the online casinos covered. The aim is to create a pipeline on Mynt so that we can deliver fresh new content to the casinos there on a constant basis.

“On the land-based front, Novomatic will be bringing a lot of content and games into the market, so people will see our games and our products on all kinds of levels. We will also push more on the marketing front so we will be a lot more visible.”

More broadly, Greentube’s focus on expanding its business in South Africa encapsulates the provider’s global vision. North and South America remain major targets for growth, while in Europe, the provider wants to gain a greater foothold in markets like the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In Asia, Bauer describes the Philippines and the UAE as “interesting” markets, with significant growth potential.

“There are many, many things to do, many things to grow, and of course we need to defend our position in the existing markets as well,” he says.

However, for Greentube, it is clear that few markets have the potential to be as impactful – in the country and across a continent – as South Africa.

Michael Bauer, chief product and revenue officer, Greentube

Given the sheer volume of games being churned out in the ever-expanding igaming space, it is inevitable that studios will find it increasingly difficult to get their output noticed.

According to Egaming Monitor, which tracks approximately 70,000 games from 1,700 suppliers across 3,500 operators, the average number of game launches reached an astonishing 1,400 per month in the third quarter of 2024 – around 15 every single day.

Perhaps more surprisingly, even the top-performing online casino game by distribution in May 2025 had an extremely small overall ‘share of games position’ – less than 0.02% of the market.

“One of the biggest challenges game providers face right now is visibility in a saturated, competitive market,” says Kate Puteiko, chief marketing officer at igaming content provider BGaming.

“New games are launched every week, every provider pushes content, lobbies are packed and – in this environment – getting listed is not the same as getting played. Being seen, noticed and talked about doesn’t come automatically. So, we asked ourselves: what if visibility wasn’t random, but was something we could design?”

Tackling the visibility challenge

With the online influencer platform market projected to treble in value between 2025 and 2032, it is hardly surprising that streamers have found themselves on the marketing front line in a vertical as visually compelling as igaming.

While it is clear that gaming influencer marketing can reach a huge audience, monetisation is far from guaranteed, while attribution is a common problem.

“For many in our industry, streamers seem like the perfect shortcut to visibility,” Puteiko adds. “You find someone with an audience, agree on collaboration, and hope the exposure turns into traction. But here is the catch: you don’t know if it’s actually working.

“There is no guarantee the audience converts, no clear way to track what happens after the stream, and no visibility into whether the same viewers ever return to your games.

Removing the guesswork

Puteiko explains that most influencer strategies collapse “not because the idea is wrong, but because the execution is blind.”

With this in mind, BGaming created a strategic framework that not only empowers studios to remove the guesswork from streamer-led collaborations, but also provides a practical blueprint that can be repurposed and reused countless times to deliver a sustainable, long-term impact through a highly engaging medium.

At the heart of this pioneering data-driven, streamer-first model is a scalable, three-tiered approach – comprising data, product and engagement layers – that is designed to connect BGaming’s games more deeply with influencer audiences.

Data layer

The first major breakthrough in turning such a vision into reality came when BGaming started using Strmlytics (formerly Casinolytics) – a tool that, for the first time, could give the Malta-based enterprise a clear idea of which streamers were playing its games.

Furthermore, BGaming could track air time and the number of live viewers, and even compare how the company’s games were performing against competitors.

“It gave us orientation, benchmarks, and a starting point to kick off something big, and for the first time we could evaluate how our partners were delivering on what was agreed,” Puteiko says.

“Is there organic follow-up play? Does the streamer genuinely enjoy our content? With this context, we stopped flying blind and started thinking strategically, and that’s why we could move on to the second layer – the product.”

Product layer

The product layer underscores the streamer-first focus of BGaming’s model by ensuring games are designed for the influencer, as well as the player.

For BGaming, this not only meant considering whether a streamer would show the game, but also whether the game itself is sufficiently ‘streamable’. Integrating game elements such as exciting swings, big bonuses, high volatility and achievable wins will help to retain an audience’s attention, of course, but so will “pacing that creates tension”, according to Puteiko.

“We analysed gameplay patterns, bonus formats and build-up potential, all with the help of streaming data and insights from the Strmlytics team,” Puteiko adds.

“That’s how we created our cluster slots, purpose-built around what streamers and their audiences crave, with Aztec Clusters entering the top 20 most-played games across streamers for over a month.”

Engagement layer

The central thrust of the streamer-first model’s engagement layer is to create moments that enable players to participate in the action, and not just observe.

With this in mind, BGaming created a tool to empower streamers to launch live challenges directly from their stream, with players able to join in instantly – from spinning for the highest multiplier to trying to beat the host’s score to win real prizes.

“It’s exciting, it’s happening now, and it creates a direct motivation for the audience to engage,” Puteiko says. “Those without accounts register. Those with low balances make deposits and everyone joins the experience – not just as viewers, but as participants.

“On our side, we turn this into full-funnel cohort data; who joined, how they behaved during the challenge, whether they played our games before, and whether they stayed with us weeks after. It gives us a full picture of player behaviour over time.”

She adds: “This framework in general helped us to shift from occasional visibility spikes to repeatable engagement.”

Viral slot game hits

This scalable model for streamer-driven games has borne fruit with viral hits.

Such was the success of Aztec Clusters, even streamers who had not struck partnerships with BGaming picked it up organically.

BGaming then collaborated with Roobet and Strmlytics to develop and release the first-ever celebrity-branded slot – Snoop Dogg Dollars – with the rapper contributing towards the creative concept of the game and even providing the voiceover.

With Snoop Dogg Dollars, BGaming created a title with “built-in streamer energy”, according to Puteiko – and it remains one of BGaming’s most played and shared games.

Converting visibility into value

Furthermore, Puteiko says that BGaming’s Challenges tool has helped to turn visibility into value.

BGaming worked with the Latin America-dedicated team at Stake, launching live challenges to activate streamer communities and allow players to join games.

“Some registered, some deposited, some reactivated dormant accounts,” Puteiko adds. “We tracked the cohort’s GGR and activity and we also learned more about streamer quality. Some brought large views but little traction, while others were smaller, but highly engaged.

“It worked because it felt real and emotional – a win for the casino, a win for the streamer, and for us – and a clear window into actual impact.”

Vital lessons

With expansion on the agenda, BGaming believes it has established a scalable approach that will continue to drive engagement via streaming partners long into the future, with vital lessons for any enterprise seeking to cut through the clutter.

Puteiko says: “Design games that perform on screen, and not just in lobbies, and give streamers tools, not just requests or release announcements. Don’t just ask them to play your game – equip them to activate their audience – and track everything.

“Treat influencer success as a measurable data point and not a lucky break. B2B strength today is built on visibility, and visibility today is built on B2C dynamics.”

She adds: “If streamers are driving visibility, your product, marketing and measurement need to align. Visibility shouldn’t be accidental – it should be intentional, strategic and repeatable.”

Kate Puteiko, chief marketing officer at igaming content provider BGaming

It would appear that the entire consumer-facing world has woken up to the opportunities presented by gamification in recent years, with the value of the market set to rocket from $11.6bn (€8.5/£10.1bn) in 2023 to $96.2bn in 2033.

While studies have shown solid links between gamification and employee satisfaction in the workplace, gamification in education is becoming particularly prevalent – and not just among youngsters. Indeed, with students in higher education also attracted to such activities, gamification in learning seems to be spanning all ages.

However, few sectors fit as naturally with the concept as online gaming, where the power of gamification is becoming more important in the battle to attract and retain players.

Gamification benefits

Indeed, the potential benefits of integrating gamified elements into an igaming platform are well documented and increasingly well understood across the industry.

Gamification can not only provide a vital tool for engaging customers and gathering deeper first-party data, but it can also enhance the user experience, driving revenues and ultimately long-term loyalty.

Furthermore, it is a particularly powerful tool for attracting and retaining the attention of those much sought-after younger adults, with 70 per cent of people under the age of 25 now preferring to spend time playing games rather than watching videos, according to a study by McKinsey.

Every time a player signs in to their igaming account, they are about to take on the house. It should therefore be a natural step for gamification beyond the immediate gameplay to resonate with the online gaming experience.

Yet merely awarding digital badges or launching leaderboards misses an opportunity to dig into the all-important psychological factors that can frame strategies so that strong connections are forged with players on an even deeper level.

User-centric approach

On this point,  PIN-UP Global, an international holding, which specialises in developing B2B solutions, technologies and products for the igaming industry, believes it is ahead of the curve – not only in terms of developing game-changing tools, but also understanding the science behind why and how gamification works.

At the heart of this confidence is a user-centric approach that treats every customer uniquely.

“Individual preferences, abilities and motivations vary significantly among users, and one-size-fits-all approaches often fail to engage diverse audiences effectively,” says Oleksandr Oliinyk, PIN-UP Global’s marketing domain product officer.

“Tailoring challenges to match users’ skill levels and interests ensures that tasks remain engaging, voluntary and meaningful – striking a balance between enjoyment and autonomy.”

Learning early lessons

Embarking on such a mission requires an adaptable approach that allows lessons to be learned quickly based on actionable data.

“In one of our early gamification releases, we noticed low engagement from VIP users,” Oliinyk explains.

“Our first version offered the same set of tasks to all users, focusing on volume and frequency of play, but high-value users weren’t motivated by this. They preferred fewer but more meaningful and exclusive challenges, which we hadn’t accounted for.

“After revising the system, we introduced tiered tasks based on user segments. This shift significantly improved engagement across all levels as users could interact with content aligned to their habits, capabilities and motivations.”

There are also unintended consequences to consider when introducing another competitive element to an igaming offering.

“Leaderboards can be great, but only for the right audience,” Oliinyk says. “In one case, we noticed new users disengaging after seeing themselves at the bottom of the ranking. So, we introduced micro-leagues and team-based tasks, where users could win together. Engagement from newcomers went up significantly.”

Motivation, ability and prompt

One of the most important insights PIN-UP Global identified early on in its gamification journey was that users would consistently fail to finish tasks after starting them. Put simply, either the challenges were too easy to be interesting, or they were too complex or difficult to feel achievable.

This led to a rethink of the entire task design framework, with the Fogg Behaviour Model becoming a useful reference point. The widely used principle asserts that motivation, ability and a prompt must converge at the same moment for a behaviour to occur.

“We realised our approach lacked one crucial thing – alignment between users’ motivation, ability and the moment they were prompted to act,” Oliinyk says. “The Fogg Behaviour Model helped us rethink how to balance difficulty, motivation and prompts.”

Trial and error

On the difficulty point, a segmented task logic was developed through trial and error, so that challenges were complex enough to be meaningful for each player group, without overwhelming them. For example, casual users were given achievable, daily actions, while VIPs received exclusive challenges more in line with their time and play style.

In terms of motivation, a greater focus was placed on ensuring rewards were personally relevant by tailoring them to user preferences and behaviour – leading to improving participation and completion rates.

Finally, contextual prompts were introduced to offer users optional actions at moments when they are already active and motivated, allowing them to stay in control of their experience. This relatively small alteration had a major impact on re-engagement, Oliinyk says.

“This revised approach turned tasks from ‘just another feature’ into a driver of real behavioural change – something we wouldn’t have achieved without learning from our earlier mistakes,” he adds.

Power of personalisation

Personalisation in gamification – as in other areas of the igaming experience – is becoming essential if opportunities to optimise player lifetime values are to be maximised.

Distilling this concept into a specific example, Oliinyk reflects on one campaign that initially offered generic bonus rewards. Participation spiked at the start before soon dropping off, with player feedback confirming the reasons why.

“It’s not enough to offer ‘any’ prize. Rewards must feel personal, relevant and respectful of each user’s motivation – whether that’s financial, social or progress-driven.”

Gamification is thought by some to tap into two different types of user psychological motivation. While an ‘extrinsic’ desire is associated with the chance of winning tangible rewards, an ‘intrinsic’ motivation is more about intangible incentives, such as mastery and social connection – with the latter being a particularly important factor among younger adults.

Non-monetary incentives

More broadly, rewards in igaming have expanded considerably from simple deposit bonuses and free spins to become far more varied in recent years.

Indeed, PIN-UP Global has integrated a series of non-monetary incentives into its strategy – partly in response to the success of its reimagined financial rewards through gamification.

For VIP users, for example, exclusive nicknames have been introduced, via custom identifiers available only to certain individuals, with the aim of creating a strong sense of recognition and status.

“The results were striking,” Oliinyk explains. “Users valued this unique marker of prestige even more than additional financial bonuses.”

Furthermore, public rewards like badges, titles and profile enhancements make progress visible to others – a particularly powerful tool in competitive environments – with PIN-UP Global leaning on ideas that have worked in other sectors. For instance, Oliinyk cited virtual medals via language-learning platform Duolingo and rare skins in video games like Fortnite and League of Legends as effective gamification examples.

“By adding non-financial incentives, we unlocked a new layer of engagement driven not by monetary value, but by uniqueness, visibility, and recognition – and it worked, not only for retention, but for building long-term loyalty,” he adds.

Building for the long term

Adopting a long-term vision is vital if gamification is to sustain engagement, Oliinyk explains.

“Gamification is not a ‘set and forget’ feature. We build content calendars for seasonal tasks, limited-time challenges, and regular refreshes of rewards. Without this, even the best-designed mechanics eventually become background noise.

“Gamification works, but only when it’s dynamic, responsive and shaped around real user insights. At PIN-UP Global, we are committed to responsible innovation in igaming. Our gamification systems are designed to support player autonomy, respect individual preferences, and enhance user experiences without creating pressure or dependency. All behavioural insights are derived from anonymised, aggregated data, in full compliance with GDPR and other applicable laws.”

As society embraces the age of AI, there are concerns among some that the human voice is in danger of being drowned out by the technological cacophony – and not just in gambling, a historically social activity.

This unease is partly a reaction to a broader shift towards solitude. In-person socialising slumped by more than 20% between 2003 and 2023, according to the American Time Use Survey, an annual study conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

It is notable, though, that those years – starting just before the launch of Facebook in 2004 – coincide with the growth of social media as a phenomenon.

Moreover, while there are understandable worries about the impact of dwindling face-to-face exchanges, media fragmentation means there is an increasing number of channels and platforms that can support meaningful conversations, regardless of their location.

Keeping it human

In gaming, a sector in which there has been particular scrutiny over the shift from physical to online and mobile in recent years, there is a growing acceptance that such interactions can be integrated into a digital setting, creating more social communities.

This is reflected by the recent rebranding of KIPEM+ to Keep.Social, which will continue to specialise in providing a cutting-edge suite of social tools designed to integrate with existing online platforms using client-based APIs.

“Keep.Social is a stronger, simpler name that is in line with what we stand for and what we want to achieve,” Marcus Adolfsson, the enterprise’s vice-president of product, says.

“It’s not just about enabling engagement; it’s about keeping the engagement and also keeping it really human. KIPEM+ started as a powerful toolkit, but as we’ve grown, so has our vision, and the rebrand to Keep.Social is both a natural evolution and a strategic signal.

“We want to transform how businesses, especially in igaming and sports betting, connect brands and their communities.”

Connecting to the community

Developing these communities involves leveraging technology to facilitate the natural social exchanges that have been at the heart of the gambling industry for years. Simultaneously, it is important to veer away from the more sales-driven social media casino posts that players believe are inauthentic, according to Adolfsson.

“Some brands have started to dip their toe in the water of creating a slightly more social experience, but they use it more for marketing and not to create that feeling of a community that I know is happening in every arena and in many pubs on a Saturday afternoon,” he adds.

“We see an increase in engagement and retention when people connect to a brand and the community around it, and our mission is to empower brands to build social ecosystems that feel alive – powered by machine learning, but led by real people.

“We’re making it easy for platforms to surface the right content, from the right person or entity, at the right moment and in a way that doesn’t feel algorithmic, but authentic.”

Compelling blend

In practice, Keep.Social’s approach involves a compelling blend of machine learning with a human voice that brings an authentic tone to social media for casino and sports betting.

Community-driven text and video-based content bring to life real-time interactions through personalised feeds, social profiles, posts, comments and chats.

These feeds provide an engaging content stream that is tailored to the user’s preferences and interests, while personalised social posts encourage users to share bets, casino games and other wager-related tips, stories and discussions.

“We’ve built a system where every interaction can be surfaced by algorithms – but it never feels like it,” Adolfsson says. “Our infrastructure connects players, creators and the brand itself into a shared content network.

“AI helps to moderate, prioritise and personalise content delivery, while our entity-based social architecture ensures the voicebelongs to someone real – a player, a team or even a branded persona. It’s machine learning-powered curation with a human front.”

iGaming dynamics

While sports betting social media would appear to many a natural extension to the Saturday afternoon post-match debrief at the pub, casino social media opportunities are less widely recognised.

Indeed, while the social dynamics surrounding sports betting are well established, Adolfsson believes that similarly powerful potential in iGaming is underdeveloped.

“Sports betting has obvious social touchpoints, but casino gaming has its own social potential that’s untapped,” Adolfsson says.

“Players are passionate, superstitious and often loyal to specific games or providers. What’s missing is a layer of storytelling and connection.

“Imagine letting players follow trends, comment on streaks or celebrate big wins not just on a stream, but in real-time social threads, tags and curated feeds. With Keep.Social, we enable that kind of dynamic community even in the context of a slot spin.”

Socialising the game

The aim is to build a sense of belonging, something that has been a key aim of forward-thinking marketing executives in the industry for several years.

While advertising rules in leading gambling markets like the UK prohibit any suggestions of ‘peer pressure’ in adverts, it is now far more common to see such spots featuring friends and family, rather than an individual gambling on their own.

“Most platforms offer isolated, transactional experiences, but our goal is to make them feel like communities so players can follow each other, join conversations, and feel part of something bigger,” Adolfsson adds.

“We make it easy to share strategies, celebrate wins and even mourn losses together. It’s not just about gamifying social; it’s about socialising the game.”

‘Powerful and precarious’

Of course, it is important for any operator to tread with care when they are developing an online community, particularly in social media which, Adolfsson says, has a “powerful but precarious” relationship with gambling.

While gambling and social media fosters community, transparency and brand trust, it can also amplify bad habits if not handled with care. With this in mind, Keep.Social has a built-in modern moderation system and community control, while efforts have been taken to develop an ethical and user-friendly design.

“We believe responsible social tools can amplify joy and connection,” Adolfsson says.

Meanwhile, AI is also viewed as more important than ever in driving connections within the igaming and sports betting sectors.

“The world is getting a lot bigger and you will be able to find like-minded people in lots of different countries around the world,” Adolfsson adds.

“We can predict behaviour and optimise overall engagement to help stimulate that conversation and help find those real connections.”

‘Seen, not segmented’

AI can also play a key role in enhancing the human moments, rather than replacing them – and the key to maximising social connections through gaming is to make people feel “seen, not segmented”, Adolfsson adds.

“AI can predict behaviour, optimise engagement and even simulate conversation, but it can’t replace emotional connection,” he says. “The future isn’t about choosing between algorithms and authenticity; it’s about building tech that enables both.”

Keep.Social’s tools have been developed to seamlessly integrate into an existing system, helping to differentiate its offering from others in the market, whereas many platforms simply bolt on social media as an afterthought, Adolfsson says.

“We have built from the ground up a plug-and-play infrastructure that’s deeply customisable, scalable and industry-specific,” he says. “However, more than that, we offer a philosophy: that community isn’t a feature – it’s the future of retention. We help brands get there without losing control of data, user safety, or tone of voice.”

Changing perceptions

In fact, while igaming and sports betting are obvious verticals for such solutions, Adolfsson is convinced that the technology is applicable in a wide variety of settings, including outside the gambling sector altogether.

For now, though, the focus is firmly on gambling, and trying to change perceptions for the good of the industry as a whole.

“Most operators view social media as a marketing channel, not a product feature,” Adolfsson says.

“But today’s players expect more – they want connection built into the core experience. There’s a massive opportunity to move beyond acquisition and into community-building.

“The tech is ready. The players are ready. Keep.Social is here to bridge the gap.”

VP of product, Marcus Adolfsson

Our new CasinoPro.se redesign focuses primarily on improving the user experience across all devices. The design features a modernised logo and a cleaner interface with a fresh visual identity. It’s fully responsive, working seamlessly whether you’re browsing on desktop or mobile, with significantly improved loading speeds for a smooth browsing experience.

A key improvement is providing a much clearer overview of what each regulated online casino offers. We’ve implemented a more advanced filtering system that lets players easily find casinos based on specific criteria – whether they’re looking for newly launched operators or searching for a particular welcome bonus.

What have been the main challenges with the revamp and how are these overcome?

The main challenge with our revamp was determining how to meaningfully integrate AI technology. We wanted to incorporate AI in a way that would genuinely enhance user experience, not just as a trendy feature.

We identified that understanding bonus terms and conditions can be confusing for many casino players, so our solution was to implement an AI assistant where players can ask questions directly about these terms. If something is unclear, players can simply request the AI to explain specific conditions in plain language or clarify any points of confusion.

There has been lots of (mostly from ATG) publicity about how channelisation lags government figures. What regulatory changes would help affiliates such as Casinopro.se to better support efforts to improve this rate?

Improving channelisation in the Swedish gambling market requires a balanced regulatory approach.

More effective enforcement against unlicensed operators is critical. The regulatory authorities need stronger mechanisms to limit access to these sites, as they currently operate with minimal consequences in the market.

The current bonus structure for licensed operators could benefit from some refinement. The limitations on promotional offerings affect how players engage with regulated platforms. Many players value frequent bonuses as part of their entertainment experience.

Affiliates are often painted as part of the black or grey market problem by regulators. Is that unfair given the role played by other stakeholders such as games studios?

I think it’s unfair to single out affiliates as the primary contributors to black or grey market issues when multiple stakeholders influence the igaming industry.

Responsible affiliates act as informational guides, helping players find licensed operators and understanding regulatory protections.

While some affiliates may promote unlicensed options, this isn’t representative of the entire sector.

We focus exclusively on promoting regulated casinos and providing transparent information about licensing and player protections. This role supports channelisation efforts by directing traffic toward the regulated market.

While some affiliates may promote unlicensed options, this isn’t representative of the entire sector.

How do you see the future of search for Casinopro.se and your other sites? Does the emerging AI search landscape offer opportunities for disruption?

The search presents both challenges and opportunities. We’re noticing more searches happening through AI interfaces rather than traditional search engines.

For example, Google’s AI Overview and similar features are already changing how users interact with search results.

The opportunity lies in becoming an authoritative source that AI systems turn to for specialised information. If we can position ourselves as the definitive resource for Swedish casino comparisons, there’s potential for our data and analysis to be featured prominently in AI-generated responses, creating new pathways for visibility beyond traditional search rankings.

Has search volatility changed the future-looking KPIs you set for a site like Casinopro.se (i.e. focus on engagement/retention rather than FTDs)?

Traditional search metrics remain valuable, but we’re increasingly considering indicators that reflect user experience and engagement. Time spent exploring options, direct returns to the site, and interaction with comparison tools all provide important insights into how well we’re serving our audience.

Our goal is to develop lasting relationships with users that don’t depend solely on search algorithms.

Christian Lowe, chief operating officer of Raketech

This fragmentation is not just inconvenient – it is disruptive. By pulling players out of the experience they came for and eroding loyalty before it ever truly begins, operators risk losing dissatisfied customers.

Enter the omnichannel evolution. By unifying the player journey across digital and physical realms, today’s forward-thinking operators and suppliers are dissolving the boundaries of where play begins and ends.

Customer pain points

According to Zoe Ebling, vice president of interactive at leading land-based and online gaming supplier AGS, a robust omnichannel strategy dismantles several customer pain points.

Inflexibility in the era of Netflix and Spotify is the gambling sector’s most conspicuous failing. Just as consumers expect to enjoy their favorite shows or songs across any device they choose, so they demand the flexibility of being able to play the games they love and brands they recognize where and when they choose.

Fragmentation is not just about flexibility, however. Customers rightly wonder why they cannot carry over their progress, status or achievements from one platform to another. Imagine hitting a new tier status or unlocking a bonus feature on a slot cabinet but not being able to take those successes from a land-based casino online.

“Players want to pick up a game on whatever platform suits them at the moment and expect their experience, and even their progress, to carry over seamlessly.”

“More than ever, players demand the freedom to engage on their own terms,” says Ebling. “They want to pick up a game on whatever platform suits them at the moment and expect their experience, and even their progress, to carry over seamlessly.

“This kind of discontinuity causes engagement to drop and erodes the loyalty that a cohesive journey would otherwise foster. In short, fragmentation makes players feel like their time isn’t valued.”

Player journey focus

Operators can take their customers from fragmentation to fulfilment only if their behaviors are identified and individual preferences understood. While many industry suppliers have historically excelled in either the digital realm or the traditional casino realm, very few have successfully merged the two in a way that feels natural to the player.

For leading suppliers such as Las Vegas-headquartered AGS, it is crucial to map out the full player journey across all touchpoints when developing new products and solutions. Having identified a gap in the market, AGS set out to tailor its strategy to serve both types of players simultaneously, building its omnichannel approach on an understanding of the nuances of each environment.

Ebling says: “Only by understanding player behavior and preferences in both the online arena and the land-based venue can the supplier create games and features that resonate across the board.”

This laser focus on customer satisfaction could be taken to the next level with operators that have holistic loyalty and rewards programs which stitch together a unified player journey. A well-integrated loyalty program could form the connective tissue between channels, ensuring that a player’s activity is recognized and rewarded no matter where they play.

Such programs could also encourage cross-channel play and the demolition of barriers between online vs land-based casinos. For example, online slot play could lead to a free buffet, or a hotel stay at a physical casino.

“This is where we see operators have a huge opportunity. We’ve seen more game adoption success with operators who are able to leverage cross-channel player awards over those who haven’t, AGS’ Ebling explained.

“Moreover, an omnichannel loyalty platform gives operators a 360-degree view of player behavior, which is gold for personalization and retention.”

Impact on in-game turnover

The retention of satisfied, well-serviced customers directly leads to tangible benefits for operators and their suppliers. By deploying an omnichannel approach, operators can extend a game’s reach and longevity beyond that of a single channel. A title that thrives on the casino floor can also dominate online, essentially outpacing single-channel rivals by being present in both arenas.

Helping to lead this move towards the truly omnichannel approach are established suppliers such as AGS. The business is well positioned as it offers a comprehensive range of land-based casino and online products, including Class II and Class III slots, cabinets and table games. As well as producing some of the most fun and creative content in the industry for many years, AGS has become a trusted adviser to its operator partners as they seek to stay ahead of the competition.

In early 2024, AGS led the industry’s first-ever simultaneous omnichannel launch of a slot game across both land-based casinos and online platforms in New Jersey. The introduction of Rakin’ Bacon Odyssey, executed in partnership with Caesars Entertainment, marked a major milestone in cross-channel gaming. As well as being a notable technical achievement, it provided proof that an omnichannel launch would deliver strong results across revenue, player retention and other key performance indicators (KPIs). 

AGS and Caesars observed a double-digit growth percentage in in-game turnover attributable to the omnichannel approach during the Rakin’ Bacon Odyssey campaign, Ebling reveals. This kind of uplift, directly tied to offering a game on both online and land-based channels simultaneously, is a strong indicator that players responded positively to the unified experience.

In addition to revenue uplift, AGS identified strong retention indicators and high opt-in levels for the associated promotions, meaning players not only tried the game in both venues, but they kept playing and actively opted into the cross-channel experience. An increase in the number of players who play in both environments, versus just one, is another telling KPI, as it highlights that the omnichannel strategy is successfully driving crossover interest.

Specific campaign targets

The benefits of omnichannel for operators are wide-ranging, and leading suppliers such as AGS are able to customize campaigns with specific targets in mind.

If an operator’s aim is to boost on-property visitation via an online tournament, AGS will focus on metrics like visit lift on specific days. On the other hand, if the goal is to increase online play from existing loyalty club members, AGS will watch the online wagering activity of that segment specifically.

“The bottom line is that measuring omnichannel success isn’t one-size-fits-all, but it must capture how well the two channels are amplifying each other.”

“We’ve learned that flexibility in metrics is important, essentially, tailoring the success criteria to the goals of the initiative,” Ebling adds. “In our collaborations, we often sit down with the casino operator to agree on what metrics matter most, whether it’s new sign-ups, cross-play frequency, or incremental spend, and then design the campaign to hit those marks.

“The bottom line is that measuring omnichannel success isn’t one-size-fits-all, but it must capture how well the two channels are amplifying each other.”

New heights of creativity

The coming year promises to be one of sustained progress for those operators that embrace the omnichannel opportunity. It is also a significant period for AGS itself. Last year AGS, which has been listed on the NYSE since 2018, announced it had signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by private equity firm Brightstar Capital Partners in a deal worth approximately $1.1 billion (£812m), meaning the company will no longer be publicly traded.

AGS has strong partnerships established and further omnichannel collaborations in the pipeline for 2025 and beyond. Internally, the developer has been bolstered by recent senior appointments, while once separate land-based and online divisions are collaborating closer than ever as they embrace the omnichannel opportunity.

“I’m incredibly excited about the future of interactive gaming and the continued convergence of online and land-based experiences,” Ebling concludes.

“What excites me most is that every step toward convergence is a win for the player. It means more choice, more convenience, and more engagement.

“The lines between online and offline will continue to fade, and as they do, I believe the industry will reach new heights of creativity in delighting players wherever they choose to play.”

Zoe Ebling, vice president of interactive at AGS

Such star power is not an anomaly in football – and while few would dispute the old adage that “no one is bigger than the club”, the beautiful game’s biggest names often have a reach that is comparable to or even surpasses the clubs they represent.

Social media has supercharged such individual mega-brands by bringing fans closer to the personalities behind the goals, tackles, passes and saves. Owing to this, football enthusiasts are more in tune with their heroes than ever before – and are more interested in betting on their individual displays.

Star power

Wagering on athletes is, of course, not a new phenomenon. In sports like golf, boxing or tennis, in-play betting markets have always been associated with individual performances.

However, individual performances are being placed under the spotlight like never before in team sports. For example, both male and female NBA fans told a YouGov survey that the top reason for their interest in the North American basketball league was not the iconic teams, but the players.

This type of fandom is helping to drive a greater interest in wagering on individuals in team sports. Research by Deloitte of Generation Z sports fans found that nearly one in five of those aged 21 years or older had used a sports betting app due to following a professional athlete online.

As a result of these trends, there has been an acceleration in the growth of player props in recent years – particularly in North America, where the traditional major league sports of NFL American football, NBA basketball, NHL ice hockey and Major League Baseball continue to grow. As the world’s most popular sport, though, football’s reach through player props is potentially without parallel in the evolving sports betting landscape.

Shifting the focus

Rome-based WSF Odds launched three years ago to tap into this specific opportunity of football live betting by providing sportsbooks with live odds, driven by artificial intelligence, with the stated aim of shifting the focus of sports betting from team results to individual performances.

“Our vision is to turn every individual action in a game into a betting market,” said Giovanni Bertoli, chief executive officer and co-founder at WSF Odds. “We are able to calculate the probability and odds of any action that can be measured objectively – such as passes, fouls, shots and more – so that every minute of the match can be interesting for people who are watching and betting on it.”

As the late, great football manager Brian Clough once said: “It only takes a second to score a goal.”

However, such strikes are rare. In the recently completed Premier League season, there was an average of 2.93 goals per game – less than half the number of goals in an NHL game. Given the growth of football betting in-play, punters need more than one goal roughly every half an hour to satisfy their wagering appetites.

Diverse markets

With this in mind, WSF Odds supports a diverse range of props on a pre-match and live betting basis – although Bertoli acknowledged that in-play bets have been the enterprise’s primary focus since launching.

As the WSF Odds CEO explained in a video interview with iGamingBusiness.com earlier this year, the company strives to provide markets that cover every single statistic that is associated with an individual player’s performance – from completed passes to the foot with which a goal was scored.

“A goal is a low-frequency event, and these are long matches,” Bertoli said. “However, by moving to props, which are high-frequency events, every minute of a game becomes meaningful. If you are betting on a prop, you will watch every single piece of action with a higher level of attention.”

WSF Odds updates its prop markets on a quarterly basis after taking into consideration specific requests from clients. For instance, the offering was updated recently to give punters the chance to keep a bet alive if a player is taken off the pitch by automatically transferring the wager to the substitute.

“We already cover a lot of actions and I think we are reaching the point where you will be able to bet on literally every action in a game,” Bertoli said.

Built around the props

WSF Odds was established as a joint venture between sports technology start-up Wall Street Football and sportsbook trading service Tradinglab.

WSF algorithms are the basis to determine fixed-odds player, team or match over/under wagers, while a customisable trader dashboard empowers operators to tailor their offering.

“What sets us apart is the fact that we were born to specialise in this niche, and we have built everything around the props,” Bertoli added. “We have built a very user-friendly dashboard that allows our clients’ traders to customise the margins and personalise the offering however they want.

“We have invested a lot into algorithms based on artificial intelligence, but we still also work with expert traders, because we believe in their knowledge, know-how and ability to understand ‘sharp punters’. It is important both to intervene manually when needed, but also to train the algorithms to learn the way they think.”

The live football data is captured by Opta and the sports data provider’s parent company, Stats Perform, both of which are designated as WSF Odds pricing partners.

The data is processed within milliseconds and probabilities are calculated within the blink of an eye from across the footballing world, with WSF Odds covering dozens of competitions across more than 30 countries in Europe and the Americas.

Primary drivers

Indeed, Bertoli is confident that player props will continue to grow outside North America, where such markets have been increasingly popular in recent years.

“Prop bets originated from American sports, but in football they only arrived recently,” said Bertoli, who added that the increasing prominence of real-time performance data and game statistics in football coverage and conversations will accelerate change.

“It’s growing a lot, and there are more data points on player performances that give us the opportunity to build new bet types, which is something we are looking into.”

According to Bertoli, the key is to ensure a sound user journey which, he believes, is lacking in many other parts of the sector.

“Online sportsbooks are competing with other entertainment platforms, but they are much less well-designed in terms of the user experience,” he said. “For example, if you want to find a particular bet, you often have to search through a long list of events.

“Going forward, I think a good, AI-powered user interface will be increasingly important to provide customers with personalised content, ensuring a smooth experience for the end user.”

Global and local development

While it will doubtlessly remain committed to its football roots through Wall Street Football, WSF Odds also envisages future bet-in-play opportunities through an outlook that is simultaneously global and local.

“Now that our football product is mature, we will also start building for other sports, like tennis,” Bertoli said.

“That will be our next step, probably towards the end of the year, but it depends on the availability of good live data so odds and bets can be modified and settled effectively.

“We are also developing our algorithms so they and our traders can be as local as possible, and therefore perform well in smaller countries with particular types of bettors and competitions.”

Just as the market appears to be gradually shifting from team to individual bets, the focus for WSF Odds in the coming months will be to link up with the right type of partners.

“We are reaching a point where our football product is stable in terms of margin and performance, so this year is about distributing it to more clients,” Bertoli said. “We don’t just go for as many clients as possible though; we tend to pick the market leaders.”

Giovanni Bertoli, CEO and co-founder, WSF Odds

Last year, in Europe alone, gross revenue in the igaming industry topped €123.4 billion (£104 billion/$137 billion), while in the US, annual gaming revenue grew for a fourth consecutive year in 2024 to $71.92 billion – up 7.5% year-on-year.

While regulatory changes in countries such as Brazil are helping to drive the industry’s ongoing expansion, increasing online and mobile accessibility is also fuelling growth. More than two-thirds of the planet’s inhabitants now have access to the internet – up 144 million year-on-year – and there are now 5.81 billion unique mobile phone subscriptions worldwide, accounting for more than 70% of the world’s population.

However, such technological development is also driving fraud in igaming, as well as other industries – and the scale of the issue is mind-boggling.

In the UK, fraud accounts for more than 40% of all crime, according to the latest National Crime Agency figures.

The internet is the primary domain for such crimes. In the US, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center notes that it received around 2,000 complaints per month when it launched 25 years ago. Over the past five years, it has averaged more than 2,000 complaints every single day, with the acceleration of digital transformation through the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbating the challenge.

While many of these complaints relate to consumer-facing issues, online fraud is also on the rise for businesses – and fraud in igaming is becoming an increasingly acute challenge for operators.

Nearly half of European igaming platforms believe fraud cost them more than 10% of their revenue last year. A further 15% put the figure at more than 20% of their total revenues, with 83% of operators claiming the issue had grown year-on-year.

For these reasons, there is a recognition across the industry that igaming fraud prevention strategies need to move beyond standard anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) verification guidelines, for the good of the sector’s companies, as well as consumers.

Key igaming fraud issues

For operators in the industry, fraud has traditionally comprised a multi-pronged threat. However, the outlook has become increasingly complex, with tech-savvy individuals as well as organized criminals becoming increasingly adept at exploiting weaknesses in digital systems.

Bonus abuse is one of the most prevalent types of fraud – when users exploit promotional offers meant for others – while affiliate fraud involves referral programmes being manipulated to generate illegitimate earnings. Account takeovers, when bad actors gain unauthorised access to a user’s account, is another established problem, while internal fraud, payments fraud and SMS fraud are also issues that operators encounter.

Money laundering is also a common type of fraud. It involves depositing illicit funds into an igaming account before typically placing low-risk bets and withdrawing the winnings.

Moreover, the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology to circumvent verification processes are providing a new headache – and a new strand to an evolving issue.

In April, the UK’s Gambling Commission issued an update, warning of the prevalence of AI deepfakes connected to money laundering and organised crime. To illustrate the challenge, in the same month, an AI-generated video purporting to show technology presenters at UK broadcaster Sky News promoting illegal gambling apps was widely shared across social media.

The AI challenge – and opportunity

Against this backdrop, the advent of artificial intelligence is providing a challenge, but also an opportunity in the field of fraud detection and prevention.

Last year, the UK’s Joint Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce issued an amber alert on the use of AI to bypass customer due diligence checks.

However, AI is also being increasingly adopted to tackle the evolving problem, both inside and outside igaming.

For example, nearly three-quarters of financial institutions now use AI to tackle the growth of so-called Fraud-as-a-Service. Around seven in 10 top executives in the financial sector believe AI will drive more revenue through detection and prevention rather than losses due to AI-enabled fraud, despite the danger of the technology automating, augmenting and scaling up criminal activity volumes.

A proactive anti-fraud approach

Anti-fraud platform Frogo, which launched at ICE Barcelona in January, is one such service that combines advanced tools to address the issue in a proactive fashion.

The all-in-one platform features device fingerprinting to analyse and detect suspicious activity, a scoring engine that utilises static and dynamic triggers to assess risk in real time, an AI module to continuously learn from fraud patterns and adapt to emerging threats, and graph-based forensics that map out relationships between accounts to identify fraud rings and collusion.

Real-time fraud detection is essential for reducing losses and maintaining customer trust. With AI monitoring every transaction as it happens, operators and providers can act quickly to eliminate it and prevent further fraudulent activity.

Indeed, as Frogo outlines, the goal is to ‘detect and stop fraud before it even starts’

“The idea – staying one leap ahead of every threat – has shaped the way we think, plan, and build. It’s not just a phrase or slogan, it’s a habit we’ve developed,” says Volodymyr Todurov, chief executive officer of Frogo.

“The idea – staying one leap ahead of every threat – has shaped the way we think, plan, and build”

Through anomaly detection algorithms, AI can detect patterns like unusual deposit and withdrawal behaviour or a sudden geographical change from one account, for example. Powered by rich data and machine learning, over time the AI will refine techniques to tackle igaming fraud, and will play a vital role in a more holistic approach.

Layered fraud detection

An example of this more joined-up strategy is the implementation of layered detection methods, which are increasingly seen as vital tools in the fight against igaming fraud.

This layered detection can take the form of device intelligence, which identifies collusion and may correlate with further bonus abuse; IP fraud scoring, which flags up suspicious activity; digital footprint analysis, which analyses indicators to spot risky accounts; and behavioural biometrics and velocity checks to identify unusual patterns.

This means that those who do manage to bypass initial fraud monitoring checks will continue to undergo rigorous – but frictionless – analysis across the gambling experience to ensure illegal activity is detected and acted upon.

It should be noted that more than three-quarters of European igaming operators claim that fraud occurs after customer onboarding, with identity fraud, money laundering and bonus abuse cited as the biggest threats by around two-thirds of such businesses.

Verification should therefore be viewed as more than merely an initial hurdle to be cleared, with continuous monitoring not only enhancing security, but also maintaining compliance, helping to prevent account takeovers and fraudulent transactions.

Such an approach will also reduce operational strain, empowering operators to allocate resources towards high-risk threats rather than playing whack-a-mole with a multitude of low-value cases.

Fraud dangers in igaming

The dangers of ignoring the early warning signs of fraud can lead to irreversible damage – and not just from a short-term financial perspective. In a highly competitive industry, reputational harm can be challenging to shake off, while legal and regulatory sanctions due to anti-money laundering failures, for example, are a common occurrence.

While there is a broad realisation that conventional fraud-prevention strategies that involve manual work can prolong the reaction time by several days before damage becomes noticeable, platforms like Frogo acknowledge that many of their potential clients do not have established anti-fraud processes in place, and some are just beginning their journey.

“We believe the very nature of this field demands flexibility. That’s exactly why we’ve built our platform so its tools can be tailored to the unique needs of each business.”

For that reason, the platform provides training in the fundamentals of fraud prevention, as well as assistance in building risk management processes from scratch to ensure a joined-up approach from the outset.

Frogo focuses on identifying bonus and financial fraud, multi-accounting, internal fraud, affiliate programme abuse, financial fraud and SMS fraud. The platform is also customisable for specific requirements, recognising evolving challenges.

“We believe the very nature of this field demands flexibility. That’s exactly why we’ve built our platform so its tools can be tailored to the unique needs of each business.

“It is highly adaptable – empowering teams to create, customise, and update fraud detection rules in real time, helping them stay ahead of threats while meeting evolving operational demands” Todurov explains.

This adaptable approach will be crucial for addressing igaming fraud of the future.

Whereas operators have previously relied on a reactive approach, the financial, reputational and regulatory benefits of a proactive strategy through AI-driven technology will be essential if they are to stay one step ahead of the criminals.

The leading casino entertainment supplier announced in early May that it will never supply its portfolio of hundreds of games to sweepstakes casinos.

As state-by-state iGaming regulation moves slowly in the United States, some corners of the industry have hailed the rise of sweepstakes casinos as the next big thing, even as scrutiny of them from regulators and lawmakers picks up.

“Sweepstakes casinos do not operate inside a regulated framework and that’s not something we support,” said Johan Törnqvist, Play’n GO’s CEO and co-founder, at the start of May. “Our commitment to regulated markets is absolute. We will never supply our games to sweepstakes casinos.” 

Taking such a bold and deliberate approach has often been the way for Play’n GO over the last 20 years.

The studio behind Book of Dead has often found itself out of step with the rest of the industry, but on some of its biggest calls – such as deciding to build primarily for mobile and focus on regulated markets – vindication has come in multiple forms.

Still, the sweepstakes announcement was a move that once again sets Play’n GO apart in an industry wrestling with the tension between short-term gains and long-term, sustainable growth.

For Shawn Fluharty, the company’s Head of Government Affairs and a lawmaker himself, the implications are clear. This is both the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do.

“Sweepstakes casinos threaten the regulated market model that many of us in the industry have worked so hard to achieve, which protects players first and foremost, and delivers much-needed revenue to jurisdictions,” Fluharty said. 

“Regulators have long memories—anyone doing business with these operators today will find it very difficult to do business in a future regulated market.”

Leading by example, now and for the future

Play’n GO’s reputation for putting players above profits isn’t new.

Over the years, the company has consistently taken principled, and sometimes financially costly, stances. 

It was the first supplier to publicly refuse to build ‘bonus buy’ games, where players can buy directly into the bonus round.

Once again, it’s a position others are beginning to catch up on. The controversial game type has already been prohibited by some of the world’s leading regulators, including the KSA in the Netherlands and the UK Gambling Commission.

And interestingly, it seems the general public and even slot players themselves are supportive of such a ban.

In a survey Play’n GO conducted in Sweden last year with the pollster Opinium, it found that seven out of ten members of the general public supported a ban on ‘bonus buy’ games, while more than half of active slots players also wanted to see them prohibited.

“There’s this outdated idea in the industry that what’s profitable must be popular, but the data tells a different story,” says Fluharty. 

“Players don’t want to feel manipulated. They want fairness, transparency, and an experience that values their time. That’s why we said no to ‘bonus buys’. And it’s why others are now following our lead.”

And this shift is beginning to redefine the industry. 

In Germany, Play’n GO was recently named a priority partner by major operator Tipico as part of a programme to promote only those suppliers fully committed to the regulated space. 

The decision saw Tipico remove games from providers who continue to serve both licensed and black-market operators.

“We’ve never waited to be told what responsibility looks like. We’ve made those decisions ourselves, often at a cost, because we believe in building a sustainable future,” Fluharty says.

Direction of travel

For more than a decade, it has been more and more apparent that igaming’s future is increasingly regulated.

For Play’n GO, the contrast between mature European markets and newer, more fragmented territories like the US offers a valuable lesson: the path to long-term success runs through effective regulation.

In countries like the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands, regulatory expectations have sharpened in recent years, often in response to public concern over problem gambling and industry conduct.

Suppliers that embraced these standards early now find themselves better positioned as trusted partners to both operators and regulators.

“It’s time to decide what side of the line you’re on”

“Across the continent, the message is the same: regulation is no longer a threat to growth. It’s the prerequisite,” says Fluharty. “The future of igaming isn’t about avoiding scrutiny, it’s about showing your commitment to building something sustainable, for today and tomorrow.”

This same process is now well underway in the United States, even if only six states currently regulate online casino gaming.

“The conversation is changing, and it isn’t just about asking which state will pass legislation next, but rather what kind of industry they will be licensing when they do,” says Fluharty, who served as a legislator in West Virginia, one of the earliest states to embrace igaming.

“The popularity of sweepstakes casinos raises far more profound and fundamental questions about US gaming. We want to lead the discussion about the direction we take this sector in. We need to show we can do this responsibly and sustainably, and we need to show that right now.”

“More states will follow, but only if we give them a reason to trust us. That means putting player protections before commercial targets and short-term wins. The way we behave now will shape whether this industry expands or stalls.”

For Play’n GO, that’s about meeting US regulators not with minimum compliance, but with proactive leadership. The powerhouse studio is already live in all six regulated states and is working directly with lawmakers and regulators to help lay solid foundations for the future of the market.

“We want to be in every regulated jurisdiction that opens up,” Fluharty says. “But we’re not rushing in. We’re showing up as a partner that’s there to build something lasting. That’s what lawmakers want to see.”

Entertainment first

The company’s vision for a more sustainable igaming future goes beyond policy, and has an impact on the games it creates.

From day one, Play’n GO has approached slot development through the lens of entertainment, not gambling mechanics alone. 

This isn’t a marketing angle but rather a core philosophy that informs every aspect of its game design. That includes everything from the development of compelling characters and story arcs, to audio design and immersive, intuitive gameplay mechanics.

“When players enjoy the experience – win or lose – that’s when you’ve built something lasting. That’s not just good ethics but it’s good business,” Fluharty says.

At the heart of this philosophy is the understanding that long-term engagement is built on enjoyment, not volatility. In the same way someone might pay to see a film or attend a concert, Play’n GO wants players to feel they’ve received real entertainment value from the time they spend with its titles, regardless of the outcome.

To achieve this, the company has recruited talent from beyond the traditional gaming space. Its team includes artists, animators, musicians, screenwriters and mathematicians.

It runs Play’n GO Music, a label that works with artists around the world to create tracks for and about its games. And has recently signed an industry-first partnership with Dutch music label Spinnin’ Records. 

“We see ourselves as part of the broader entertainment space,” Fluharty explains. “And in entertainment, the quality of the experience matters more than the outcome. That’s the mindset that will carry this industry forward.”

Pick your side

As the global igaming landscape matures, the dividing line between those building for the future and those chasing short-term results is becoming more clearly defined.

Play’n GO has chosen its side, and it’s encouraging the rest of the industry to do the same.

In the eyes of the company, features like ‘bonus buys’ and the rise of sweepstakes casinos aren’t innovation, but rather loopholes. Tactics designed to circumvent regulation may deliver a quick boost to the bottom line, but they undermine the credibility of the entire ecosystem.

“Yes, there’s money to be made in the near future, but we’ve got to step back and ask: what kind of industry are we building?” says Fluharty. “The real value is in creating something sustainable, and something that earns trust, not just revenue.”

As with Play’n GO’s environmental commitments, the idea is to take the initiative. Fluharty argues that the industry shouldn’t be waiting to be told what’s acceptable.

“We can’t just be reactionary. We need to lead by example and set higher standards ourselves. Every decision you make now will be looked at later,” says Fluharty. “The opportunities of the future will go to those who’ve proven they can be trusted.”

But this isn’t about self-congratulation. For Play’n GO, it’s a rallying cry.

“We all want to see this industry thrive, but the only path forward is the regulated one. It’s time to decide what side of that line you’re on.”

Shawn Fluharty, Head of Government Affairs, Play’n GO

After all, logic dictates that LTV must exceed CPA ultimately to justify the initial outlay – otherwise the outlook captures the price of everything, and the value of nothing.

The trouble is that LTV calculations can be notoriously speculative. As Penn Entertainment CEO and president Jay Snowden once said: “People are calculating lifetime value as if that customer is going to be loyal to you forever.”

Truly understanding the all-important customer journey that underpins LTV is vital for any operator seeking to build a sustainable business, rather than merely measuring success through quick wins that may evaporate soon after onboarding.

What is a Customer Journey Map?

Encouraging operators to consider such mechanics was the driving force behind the launch of Uplatform’s Customer Journey Map (CJM) guide.

The strategic tool is designed to visualise a player’s full experience with an igaming brand – from their first encounter with the brand to years later.

“Our approach to CJM is grounded in the belief that optimising the user journey has a direct, long-term impact on LTV, and ultimately that’s what all mature operators strive for,” said Kiri, head of B2B projects at Uplatform.

“Today, the use of CJM is an indispensable part of addressing retention, influencing LTV, reducing the number of incoming requests due to improved user experience, and, of course, addressing the churn rate through an individual approach to the user.

“This approach is especially relevant for operators that actively scale and attract new audiences, work in a highly competitive environment, or seek to improve operational efficiency through automation and analytics.

“Understanding the customer journey is the foundation for strategic growth – and without CJM, managing the user experience is now simply impossible.”

Key touchpoints

The value of a CJM lies in its ability to uncover key touchpoints, pinpoint pain points, and identify opportunities to boost player engagement and retention.

A structured framework also improves player experience by tailoring communications and offers to player behaviours or preferences, as outlined by Uplatform’s recently published CJM report.

The goal is to help operators understand, optimise, and personalise every interaction across the player lifecycle, which comprises seven key stages: ‘Awareness’, ‘Acquisition’, ‘Onboarding’, ‘Engagement’, ‘Re-engagement’, ‘Retention’ and ‘Future-Proofing’ the player’s journey.

“Today, any modern product aiming to deliver accurate and effective user interaction relies heavily on Customer Journey Mapping,” Kiri added.

“This is not just a customer path – it is a tool that allows you to promptly pick up a client, minimise churn, and build logical, personalised communication at each stage of their interaction with the product.

“All operators are engaged in segmentation, with varying degrees of detail, but regardless of the depth, the approach to different segments should be fundamentally different, and it is CJMs that allows this to be implemented systematically.”

CJM benefits

The impact of CJMs are variable, and are contingent on when the mapping is implemented.

When integrated from the very beginning, the focus is typically on increasing engagement, reducing friction and boosting LTV. When introduced into an already operating product, the most conspicuous improvements are typically a reduction in churn and an increase in repeat activity.

The benefits are quantifiable. Uplatform’s interface, for example, shows how many users have entered the journey, how many are progressing, where drop-offs occur, and how many complete the path – and when.

Kiri cites an example of one project targeting an Asian market, where mobile-first behaviour is dominant. After Uplatform built a CJM that was focused on push notifications and aligned with user activity patterns, within a month, churn dropped by 6% and repeat deposit engagement rose by 12%.

In another case, Uplatform implemented CJM scenarios based on behavioural segmentation following the first deposit. This reduced customer support requests by 20% and accelerated the time to the second deposit by over 30%.

“For our partners, CJM is not just a visual flow – it’s a powerful growth tool that enables precise refinement of the user journey.”

“For our partners, CJM is not just a visual flow – it’s a powerful growth tool that enables precise refinement of the user journey, tailored to any region and applicable at any stage of project development,” Kiri said.

“We offer operators a flexible toolset that allows them to build not just linear scenarios but complex CJM workflows that account for geo, user behaviour, communication channels, and timing of interactions.

“Different approaches work best in different countries. For example, email may be more effective in some regions, while push notifications or in-app messages work better elsewhere. Our system makes it easy to account for these differences and tailor journeys to each audience.”

The value of strategic engagement

The process of developing a CJM encourages operators to build solid foundations with a customer so that long-term loyalty is the goal – rather than quick monetisation.

“More and more operators are beginning to recognise the value of a strategic engagement approach, where profit isn’t the starting point, but rather the result of earned trust and a deep understanding of user behaviour,” Kiri said.

“CJM enables the creation of this very path. Through branching scenarios and personalised touchpoints, we can gradually introduce users to the product, present content that’s genuinely relevant to them, offer timely bonuses or activities, and guide them seamlessly through the product ecosystem.”

This carefully considered approach, through which the customer is integrated naturally and logically, ensures that customer journey mapping is not just a conversion tool, but also the foundation for long-term loyalty. Central to this, of course, is truly understanding each user – beyond the demographic details to their location, behaviour, patterns, habits and preferences.

Segmentation challenges

However, challenges in such a process are inevitable.

“We often see that the biggest challenges arise right from the start, during the design phase of the CJM,” Kiri explained. “One of the most common issues is segmentation. When a product is new, or when the specifics of a geo and its user behaviour haven’t been thoroughly studied, it’s difficult to identify relevant user groups and create accurate scenarios for them.

“Another challenge is in building the journey itself and setting up analytical feedback loops. It’s not enough to simply map out a path – you need to understand which triggers are effective, which actions qualify as meaningful conversions, and how often they should be repeated. This requires a structured, iterative approach and ongoing refinement, because there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.”

“We often see that the biggest challenges arise right from the start, during the design phase of the CJM,”

An additional risk cited by Kiri is the danger of overcomplicating the CJM, while managing expectations can be difficult – especially when operators expect big results from the mapping with minimal investment.

However, the main barriers to CJM adoption are usually either a lack of in-house expertise at the outset, or the available tools being too rigid or inconvenient to support a flexible, customised journey, Kiri adds.

Uplatform counters this with a product that can create both simple and multi-stage user journeys, as well as intuitive reporting and analysis tools, allowing operators to monitor key metrics, track progress and adjust their CJM strategies accordingly.

“We continuously optimise our product to meet the evolving demands of different markets – expanding functionality, enhancing flexibility, and improving adaptability – ensuring operators have powerful tools without being overwhelmed,” Kiri said.

“In this way, we don’t just provide technology: we act as a true partner, helping operators implement CJM, grasp its strategic value, and use it as a growth driver at any stage of their project’s maturity.”

Brazil’s transition to a regulated gaming powerhouse has opened up unprecedented opportunities for operators worldwide that are keen to drive growth through the industry’s most exciting new frontier.

Even before regulated online gambling launched on 1 January 2025, Brazil’s grey market was estimated to be worth $3.4 billion (£2.6 billion/€3.0 billion).

By next year, the Brazil gambling market is projected to have 39 million active online betting and igaming accounts in a nation of approximately 150 million adults, while the country’s online betting market is expected to reach $10 billion in gross gaming revenue by 2029.

It is therefore easy to see why there has been such excitement around Brazil gambling legislation that has ushered in a new era.

However, operators and providers alike are well aware that they face a significant challenge, as well as an opportunity, in a fast-growing, newly regulated market like Brazil. For instance, many sports betting and igaming enterprises have burned through cash while attempting to build their businesses in the relatively nascent US market in recent years – and key players in the industry are keen to avoid a similar scenario.

Securing a foothold

Comtrade Gaming, which was founded nearly a quarter of a century ago, is one industry entity that is well placed to offer guidance on the complexities of Latin America’s biggest market.

The Slovenia-based software provider for the online and land-based gaming sectors has been certified in Brazil since mid-January, and has already secured a foothold by signing up two clients in a busy first half of 2025.

This is just the start, though. Having taken a leap to start producing its own games last year, further certification is expected to arrive imminently that will allow the company to bring its growing game portfolio to Brazil.

“It’s a very exciting market, and very different to the US, which I think everyone got extremely excited about before it really turned out to be a false dawn for most people,” Comtrade’s chief commercial officer Steven Valentine said.

“For many, there has been very heavy investment and not that much opportunity in the US, but I think Brazil is very different. There is a lot of opportunity for providers like ourselves.”

The five key hurdles in Brazil

1. Staffing

The first of five challenges outlined by Valentine for any gambling company hoping to fully leverage the Brazilian opportunity is staffing.

With only around 5% of Brazilians speaking English, it is essential to hire staff who can speak Portuguese – and are ideally Brazilian.

“We’ve recruited several Brazilians who are based in the country, including Brazilian project managers and account managers, and we’re going to expand that further. That’s an absolutely key step to take, so you can understand a client’s requirements in their native language.”

2. Localisation

Ensuring the product offering is highly relevant for the local market is vital for any business seeking to make an impact in online gambling in Brazil, Valentine added.

“It is important to streamline the process as much as possible for operators,” he says.

“There are a lot of different payment and game providers in Brazil, and you need to understand the KYC (Know Your Customer) process.”

3. Evangelisation and education

Valentine believes there is a level of evangelisation required so that clients can lean on the global experience of businesses like Comtrade to understand there may be alternative ways of operating.

“We’re not well known in Brazil, so it’s about going down there and educating people about who we are and how we are different to other companies that have been there for a few years,” he says.

“I think Brazilian operators are used to things being done very quickly and at a low cost. So, I think it’s about explaining to them that they can get a much better level of service if it just takes a little bit longer for the migration, or it costs slightly more – and the growth benefits will far outweigh the initial time and money.”

4. Regulation

While Brazil’s online gambling market launched in earnest at the start of the year, the expert legal perspective is that 2025 will be a year of consolidation for the sector in the country as regulations and expectations are interpreted and finalised.

Furthermore, many businesses in the sector are still grappling with the relatively complicated and convoluted regulatory frameworks that have been introduced.

“I’m talking about Brazil being the biggest single gaming market in the world”

“Regulation in Brazil is very different,” Valentine says. “With any material change, you are required to recertify the platform – and we are a business that releases new updates every three weeks or so for our clients.

“To ensure everything stays certified is quite complex and costly, but you just have to be aware of every update you are making.”

Valentine likens Brazil gambling regulation to a “a giant sieve at the moment, panning for gold” – with several companies having already halted their plans due to up-front licensing fees.

“I think over the next year, you will start to see more and more local providers either fall away or join together to share licensing fees, but I also think you will see more European entrants joining the market in 2026 – and we know large operators that are planning to do that.

“So, there will be probably be lots of M&A as well, with some wanting to grow quickly just by acquiring other existing operators in the market.”

5. Competition

On a related note, Valentine cites competition as the final key challenge, particularly given the presence of other providers with an established presence in the market.

When posed the question of how providers can differentiate themselves in order to appeal to Brazilian operators, Valentine ponders the long-term impact of increasingly intense levels of competition in the global gambling marketplace.

“A few years ago I could probably count the major platform suppliers with my fingers, but now I don’t know who half of them are. There seem to be another 10 that launch almost every month,” he says.

“So, it’s a challenge to differentiate in a market where everybody seems to be offering the same thing, so operators can see why our company stands apart as a reliable and quality service.

“The biggest challenge for us in the industry as a whole is that the market is now more price-driven because of that level of competition, and operators are able to squeeze vendors much more now because they have that choice.”

The future

For businesses like Comtrade – and others that enter the country with their eyes open rather than a complacent spring in their step – if the challenges can be overcome, then the Brazil gambling market is ripe for growth.

However, adopting a broader perspective, Valentine cautioned that increasing competition will lead to a “survival of the fittest” over the coming years. He added: “There are no quick exits for start-up gaming businesses anymore, so others will either have to become profit-making companies, which is not easy to do, or will probably have to close their doors.”

Encouragingly, with his eye on Brazil, Valentine spoke of his belief that there will be space for many different operators in the country, rather than merely a handful of dominant players – as is the case in the US, he adds.

“It’s very difficult for other people to get into the space in the US, but I think the Brazilian market is just going to be very different,” Valentine says.

While there has been an understandable focus on sports betting, given the country’s obsession with football and a number of other sports, Valentine expects the offering to become more expansive in due course.

“Over time I think we’ll see a transition to casino as the market matures – and I think it will grow and grow,” he said, before stressing how a more knowledgeable gambling audience will help to optimise the sector’s offering in Brazil.

“As players become more educated, and the market reacts to the products that are being put in front of them, I think it will help the market to grow further. I’m talking about it being the biggest single gaming market in the world, and I can certainly see it achieving that status.”

One promising area that has emerged recently as an opportunity to save serious money is bonus abuse. According to one report, bonus abuse constitutes 70% of all fraud in igaming. “Bonus abuse is by far the most overlooked cost in our industry, and it often goes unnoticed until the damage is done,” explains Stian Enger Pettersen, chief executive officer of casino at EveryMatrix and a veteran in the igaming space.

“In comparison, chargeback represents 5.6% of total fraud and has been on everyone’s lips since this industry’s infancy. The reason is that bonus abuse is a lot harder to spot, and also drives activity that an operator wants, such as sign-ups and deposits. However, the financial impact of bonus abuse can be massive if it’s not addressed proactively.”

Defining bonus abuse

To understand the implications of bonus abuse, we must first establish what exactly the term means.

For Pettersen, bonus abuse comprises a “range of different techniques, which all have in common that a player is more likely than not to end up with real money based on a promotion (most commonly, but not limited to, bonus cash).”

Such abuse ranges from singular, clever players that only play when there’s a bonus to exploit, to organised syndicates that abuse bonuses at an industrial scale.

Abuse can be perpetrated by both bad actors and legitimate, genuine customers, making prevention particularly difficult and sensitive.

“Multi accounting is a common practice to scale abuse, and particularly common for syndicates. What it boils down to is that operators are under constant pressure to deliver attractive promotions that drive acquisition and retention, all while trying to keep abuse under control.”

Professional bonus abusers and syndicates meticulously browse the market, targeting the most lucrative opportunities, and stay on top of new offers, casinos, and affiliate promotions, Pettersen says.

Abusive practices force operators to impose stricter promotional terms, creating a less attractive and unfair environment for genuine players.

For example, abusers will comb over the terms and conditions, looking for avenues for exploitation. This causes friction for genuine users, who must navigate strict and convoluted bonus T&Cs, or may not bother signing up due to conservative sign-up offers.

Effective solutions to bonus abuse

Is completely eliminating bonus abuse a realistic possibility? With cutting-edge technology, EveryMatrix thinks it is.

“The only truly effective way to detect organised bonus abuse is by both analysing player identity and behavioural patterns,” Pettersen continues.

“This includes monitoring of a wide range of indicators, starting with registration details (location and device data, email, phone, etc). On the bonus side, the system monitors and tracks the number and type of bonuses granted (deposit vs no-deposit), wagering progress, bonus-to-deposit ratios, bonus claims frequency, trigger types.”

Gameplay, he explains, can be closely analysed by monitoring the games and game types played, games’ volatility, changes between wallets (real and bonus), bet amounts and timing, and sequences of actions. He says abusers tend to favour games with exploitable features and use irregular play strategies, such as switching between high and low volatility games, to maximise bonus value.

These behavioural signals and irregular playing patterns open up opportunities to detect abuse as it happens, if the right tools are in place. But manually monitoring those signals is utterly unfeasible at scale. New advances in AI technology, however, provide an answer.

“The only way to truly approach bonus abuse in a proactive way is through automation and leveraging artificial intelligence”

“The only way to truly approach bonus abuse in a proactive way is through automation and leveraging artificial intelligence to analyse thousands of behavioural patterns,” Pettersen adds. “It helps operators pinpoint potential bonus abuse attempts and provide actionable insights on how to prevent those attempts from succeeding.

“For example, our Bonus Guardian tool detects bonus abuse through a combination of cutting-edge AI-driven analysis and behavioural modelling. It builds predictive models based on user activity and continuously adapts to new abuse techniques. By analysing thousands of behavioural patterns, it efficiently predicts potential abuse, ensuring that operators can act swiftly to prevent it.”

Bonus Guardian

EveryMatrix’s Bonus Guardian is a comprehensive tool in the fight against bonus abuse, leveraging cutting-edge AI algorithms and machine-learning technology to analyse thousands of user behavioural patterns.

Trained on massive amounts of data, EveryMatrix says Bonus Guardian can proactively predict and prevent bonus abuse in what represents a cost-effective approach to player rewarding. It automates the detection of potential bonus abusers – a process designed to save operators time, effort and expense.

Bonus Guardian works by analysing user activity, flagging potential bonus abuse and assigning a role to the user based on its findings. Operators can then define specific conditions and actions for each role. For instance, flagged users can have their bonus options paused, or a hold put on their withdrawals, or other restrictions which can be tailored to fit a defined business strategy.

“Working with Bonus Guardian is straightforward,” Pettersen claims. “Operators are immediately notified the moment bonus abuse is detected, with all flagged cases displayed in a dedicated widget inside the BonusEngine back office.

“Restrictions are applied automatically and are fully configurable – whether it’s blocking bonus usage, holding withdrawals, disabling logins, or even fully blocking the account.

Configurability is important in the context of bonus-abuse detection, as different operators may have different risk tolerances, or may be worried about the impact on KPIs such as sign-ups or deposit targets.

To cap it off, reinforcement learning means users of the tool benefit from the network effect – as more igaming sites use it, the better it becomes.

“Through the widget, operators not only review detected players but also provide direct feedback, which is used to continuously improve the model’s accuracy and adapt it to new abuse strategies,” Pettersen adds. In the gaming industry, new technology is often prematurely described as a silver bullet – but it is clear that in the fight against bonus abuse, AI-enabled technology holds promise for real and meaningful value in tackling bonus fraud in igaming.

Stian Enger Pettersen, chief executive officer of Casino at EveryMatrix

In today’s hyper-competitive sports betting landscape, understanding the player is everything. Yet delivering the kind of personalised, engaging user experiences that drive acquisition and retention isn’t possible without deep, continuous insight — and that insight starts with data.

As demand soars for complex markets like player props and bet builders, the need for vast, real-time data becomes even more critical. Yet for most operators, gathering and making sense of this data — let alone acting on it at scale — is out of reach.

Data-driven sportsbooks

In this context, there is an opportunity for sportsbooks to leverage an immense volume of data-gathering and analysis that would typically be beyond their capabilities.

Data-focused sportsbook supplier Kambi, for instance, generates a continuous stream of data from a geographically diverse network of approximately 50 partners across six continents and over 60 jurisdictions. Some €17 billion (£14.5 billion) in liquidity is processed through Kambi’s Turnkey Sportsbook product and more than a billion transactions are processed annually.

“This constant influx of information is the lifeblood of our operations, informing virtually every aspect of our offering.”

“This constant influx of information is the lifeblood of our operations, informing virtually every aspect of our offering,” said Sarah Robertson, Kambi’s chief commercial officer. “From making granular adjustments to individual odds for specific events to the overarching strategic decisions guiding our product development roadmap, the power of the network is crucial.”

Leveraging data for insights

The scale of Kambi’s network allows for comprehensive insights into bettor behaviours to be generated, all based on regional nuances.

According to Robertson, the granular and wide-ranging data that is generated via the global network is what gives Kambi’s partners a clear advantage when it comes to “understanding and catering to the diverse needs of the modern sports bettor”.

Furthermore, Robertson adds, the network provides benefits to all of the company’s operator partners, regardless of their scale, market maturity or brand recognition. This empowers each of Kambi’s partners with a sportsbook that allows them to compete with market leaders no matter their size.

“In practice, this means that even smaller or newer operators instantly gain access to a level of market intelligence that they would likely be unable to generate or afford to develop on their own,” she says.

“The more partners and players that are integrated into this ecosystem, the more valuable it becomes for each partner. This is a classic example of a network effect – as the network grows, the benefits for each member increase significantly.” 

Managing sportsbook risk using data

Through the network, sportsbooks can stay ahead of the curve and react fastest to the latest betting trends.

Kambi’s AI-powered pricing and trading division, Tzeract, instantly identifies subtle shifts in overall market sentiment, emerging betting patterns and potential risks associated with specific events or markets, with its algorithms automatically adjusting odds accordingly.

Additionally, the network data empowers operators to leverage the increasing popularity – particularly in high-growth markets – of in-play wagers, as well as the bet builders and player props that are driving growth markets.

However, while these types of bets are increasingly popular, they present complex challenges for providers. Not only are they difficult to price accurately and trade efficiently, but they are also challenging to manage from a risk perspective, due to the numerous, interrelated outcomes.

Robertson says the network effect comes in clutch here once again. “The sheer volume and diversity of data flowing through Kambi’s global network significantly enhances the accuracy of risk management for our operators.”

“By continuously observing and analysing betting patterns across a vast and diverse global player base, we gain a much broader and more comprehensive perspective than most individual operators working in isolation could achieve. This allows us to identify anomalies, outliers, and potential risks much earlier and more effectively.”

“We gain a much broader and more comprehensive perspective than most individual operators working in isolation could achieve.”

Kambi’s analysis of global betting patterns also means it can optimise trading strategies for each individual partner within the network, in line with their needs.

“We are able to tailor how we manage individual accounts and event limits in line with their brand and business strategy in any given market,” Robertson adds.

“Operators may want to focus on aggressive acquisition of customers, with more attractive pricing and limits. However, others may want a more conservative approach to running their sportsbook business. The value we derive from the Kambi network allows us to successfully enact any given strategy.”

AI-driven automation

As sportsbooks expand, the combination of network data and AI-driven automated technology can be leveraged to improve the quality and quantity of the offering through refined odds and improved margins.

“The impact of AI on our partners’ performance is substantial and demonstrably growing,” Robertson explains.

So far this year, over 30% of gross gaming revenue across Kambi’s operator network has been powered by AI-enabled pricing and trading – up from 21% in 2024 and 10% in 2023.

“By leveraging our vast dataset and our proprietary, cutting-edge AI technology, we can continuously and automatically adjust to evolving market conditions, ensuring more accurate odds creation and management,” Robertson says.

“This ultimately translates into significant advantages for our operators, including improved margins due to optimised pricing and a more competitive and attractive offering for their players through enhanced bet combinability.”

Innovation is key

In the evolving sports betting landscape, finding innovative solutions to stay on the front foot and avoid complacency is vital – including for top operators that have in-house technology but may be looking to outsource elements of their sportsbook.

From optimising the front-end user experience and designing promotional strategies, to ensuring seamless bet placements and managing the intricacies of risk modelling, Kambi’s network provides “the backbone” for a growing suite of modular services, according to Robertson, who highlights Kambi’s Odds Feed+ service as an example.

Odds Feed+ was unveiled as an addition to Kambi’s expanded portfolio of modular services in October, designed to integrate into any sportsbook via a single API, whether an operator is looking to expand its market offerings or simply improve the accuracy of the odds provided.

Meeting sportsbook compliance challenges

There are also crucial compliance challenges that can be addressed with the support of network-based insights delivered through Kambi’s flexible automated filtering technology.

“Our extensive global network provides us with a broad and in-depth understanding of the diverse, and often complex, regulatory requirements across numerous jurisdictions around the world,” Robertson says.

The globalisation of sports betting – and the well-documented, rapid growth of the vertical in key markets – means compliance is just one of the hurdles sportsbooks have to navigate if they are to be sustainable.

However, from a data perspective at least, across their range of in-house operational areas, they can find strength in numbers through a global network.

“Every single player interaction within our network, whether it’s a bet placed, or a selection added to a bet slip, contributes to a vast pool of data that benefits all Kambi partners,” Robertson says. “The Kambi network is greater than the sum of its individual parts.”

Sarah Robertson, chief commercial officer at Kambi

It is the ultimate pain point that can prove terminal for ambitious operators – an igaming software provider that is not up to the job.

Too often, operators feel “locked in” as they seek to scale their business, add new games or enter new markets. Their aspirations are clipped by igaming software providers’ inflexible products that are unable to meet their needs.

It is essential, therefore, that operators pick a running mate that can propel them forward, not hold them back. Unfortunately, a bad selection usually only becomes apparent when it seems too late, and growth is already being impacted.

Five key features

Ideally, a good decision will be made at the outset but switching from one supplier to another need not be an insurmountable challenge. Whether at the pre-launch stage or looking to make a change, operators should approach any deliberations with a checklist of essentials in mind.

Having assisted many brands from launch to success at leading igaming software development provider NuxGame, chief operating officer Denis Kosinsky believes these are the five key features that should be demanded of any prospective vendor:

1. Modular infrastructure
2. Business intelligence built in
3. Player progression that drives loyalty
4. Payment freedom with no complications
5. True support, not auto-replies

Kosinsky warned: “Everything looks great in a demo. But when it’s time to change bonus logic for a local promo or integrate a new payment method, many operators hit a brick wall.

“If I could change one thing in the igaming industry it would be the tendency to overpromise. Operators need reliability, transparency, and platforms that can grow with them, not just vague claims. Many providers make broad statements that don’t align with their actual delivery.”

Flexible expansion

Expanding on the requirement for ’modular infrastructure’, Kosinsky cited one NuxGame partner that started with slots and loyalty tools but was later able to expand to crypto betting without altering their basic systems. He explained: “Modularity allows for flexible expansion. Operators shouldn’t have to rebuild everything from scratch when changing strategy.”

‘Business intelligence built in’ is essential because operators rely on tracking data to measure the success of campaigns or monitor VIP drop-offs. According to Kosinsky, operators should look out for vendors who offer built-in dashboards, such as those provided by NuxGame, which allow for comparing bonus ROI across countries and time zones. These help to understand campaign effectiveness and VIP churn.

Kosinsky said that when considering ‘player progression that drives loyalty’, operators should pick platforms that enable building ecosystems, as opposed to those who offer only basic promotions. Kosinsky highlighted a NuxGame partner in the MENA region that saw a 51% increase in first-time depositors after integrating achievements with a refer-a-friend programme. Further, tier-based incentives led to a 22% lift in 30-day retention.

Looking to payments and support, Kosinsky added: “Players want to use familiar and trusted payment methods, whether it’s Solana or Skrill. NuxGame allows operators to align with regional trends without additional coding. An operator shouldn’t lose users just because they didn’t support M-Pesa.

“In terms of support, operators need to feel heard. NuxGame offers onboarding workshops, launch-day support, and regular success calls. We don’t disappear after deployment – we stay in the trenches.”

Making the switch

Of course, identifying a supplier’s deficiencies and doing something about it are very different matters. The prospect of switching vendor is appealing, but businesses will have concerns about complexity, impact on service, data migration, time constraints and costs.

They will also fret about making a decision that leaves them worse off.

“Operators don’t need one platform that does everything the same. They need one that does everything right.”

The switch need not be so daunting, as the best igaming software providers have the experience to simplify the process. Kosinsky gave the example of a sportsbook operator that moved over to NuxGame in Q4, which is traditionally the worst time of the year to switch. Not only did they not miss any major events, but player time-on-site increased by 15% by January.

Industry-leading providers such as NuxGame treat a switch like a product launch, considering the operator’s business goals beyond just data migration. The process will include UX improvements, faster onboarding and gamification implementation. . With its culture built around operation honesty, NuxGame is one supplier that is committed to showing clients a live platform before signing.

“We scope the entire project with the operator’s business goals in mind,” Kosinsky added.

Building a relationship

Once the switch has been made, an operator should now benefit from their new supplier’s expertise and pre-eminent products and services. Top-tier igaming software providers such as NuxGame do not just build platforms but help to solve real business problems for operators. These leaders will strive to listen, adapt, and create technologies that meet the everyday needs of operators, rather than rely upon vendor assumptions.

NuxGame stands out due to its operator-centric focus, offering products like the pioneering Telegram Casino, a sweepstakes platform, and loyalty and gamification tools powered by real-time analytics. Partnerships with Fast Track and ProntoPaga demonstrate the company’s commitment to addressing operator pain points across various markets.

NuxGame’s flexible, modular framework also means it can offer a premier service across verticals. Sports betting platforms require dynamic odds and fast settlements, casino needs game aggregation and loyalty tools, while crypto platforms focus on wallet compatibility and fast transaction speeds.

“Importantly, NuxGame aims to be a true partner for operators, not just a supplier,” Kosinsky added.

“Operators don’t need one platform that does everything the same. They need one that does everything right. For example, a brand we work with that started as a crypto sportsbook added crash games, PvP battles, and instant-win titles while retaining their original wallet and player data.”

NuxGame’s premier service and focus on delivering the best to customers is paying dividends. Tellingly, nearly 35% of NuxGame’s new clients in 2024 came via referrals, often from operators burned by broken promises before.

Enhancing the service

Despite its success, NuxGame’s goal for the rest of 2025 is to further enhance its service to assist existing, new and potential clients. The vendor recently partnered with live casino specialist Winfinity in a bid to make it easier than ever for its partners to access premium live content. This collaboration will allow casinos to diversify their live game offerings with a more premium segment.

Moving into the middle of 2025, NuxGame is at the forefront of trends that are changing how consumers play. One notable focus is the shift towards personalised and dynamic player interaction, similar to streaming services. NuxGame also utilises AI for behaviour modelling and offers context-aware recommendations and missions.

The supplier’s constant striving for improvement results in tangible differences. One operator reduced onboarding issues by 30% thanks to NuxGame’s optimised processes.

Kosinsky added: “As COO, I want to keep operators in the driver’s seat. The main goal is to remove everyday obstacles that prevent operators from moving quickly, including reducing onboarding time, simplifying payment setups, and accelerating the time between idea and action.

“We also aim to keep the platform lean and focused on features that genuinely help operators progress. We don’t add features for fun. We build what helps operators move – and leave out what gets in the way.”

According to Demandsage, global adults now average six hours 40 minutes of screen exposure per day. Modern life is shaped by fragmented screen habits. A quick glance at your messages can easily turn into a 30-minute session scrolling through content. Within this shifting digital rhythm, it is imperative to craft experiences designed for everything from quick one-minute check-ins to hour-long immersive sessions.

Igaming solutions provider Soft2Bet says it closely tracks these habits in order to create platforms that suit both casual users and those who spend more extended periods online. The company believes it is vital to focus on user well-being by tailoring features to match how different groups of people actually use their screens.

Average screen time stats 2025

In 2025, the average person spends six hours and 40 minutes on their screens each day. But this isn’t one long, uninterrupted stretch. Instead, that time is broken into countless micro-moments and the occasional longer session.

Much of this fragmentation stems from the intense competition among content giants. In the US, Netflix is used for around 60 minutes daily per person, TikTok draws 48 minutes, and YouTube follows closely with 47 minutes.

These platforms have reshaped attention spans, especially for Gen Z, who now spend an average of 7.2 hours daily on video consumption. They move between apps fluidly, switching formats and devices without hesitation. Since the pandemic, their phone usage has surged by 60-80% above pre-pandemic levels, according to SlickText – highlighting how screens now dominate daily life.

Yoel Zuckerberg, chief product officer (CPO) at Soft2Bet, says the company monitors these patterns carefully when approaching product design. With most people checking their phones several times every hour, even a quick glance can lead to a short gaming session.

“These interactions may seem minor, but they often add up to hundreds of screen touches each day. Soft2Bet designs its experiences to be easy to access, enjoyable to use, and instantly rewarding, whether someone has a full minute or just a few seconds to spare,” Zuckerberg says.

“For those setting aside longer play periods, built-in tools promote balance. Timed reminders and spending prompts help keep everything in check. In a world where attention is constantly shifting and time feels segmented, Soft2Bet delivers flexible options that fit naturally into everyday habits, without becoming intrusive or overwhelming.”

Fewer long blocks, more minute bursts

One of the most significant shifts in screen use is how those six hours or more are actually spread out. People are no longer spending it all in long, continuous sessions. Instead, most of their screen time is made up of short, often under-a-minute bursts. The “fragmented day” is now the norm.

A significant reason for this shift is the rise of mobile-first behaviour. Someone might pick up their phone to reply to a message, only to get pulled into a news headline or an entertainment app for a few unexpected minutes. These minor diversions add up. By the end of the day, what started as moments here and there can easily turn into hours.

Zuckerberg says Soft2Bet directly addresses this trend by prioritising instant access through highly localised mobile platforms. “Every Soft2Bet brand features a streamlined, responsive mobile experience tailored specifically to meet local player preferences and expectations.

“Soft2Bet brands consistently rank within the top positions, frequently appearing in the top 10 or top 15 in local ‘Games Casino’ categories”

“As a result, Soft2Bet brands consistently rank within the top positions, frequently appearing in the top 10 or top 15 in local ‘Games Casino’ categories. By ensuring minimal loading times, intuitive navigation, and effortless sign-in processes, Soft2Bet ensures players can enjoy seamless gaming exactly when and where they choose.”

Of course, not every interaction is brief. Some users block out an hour in the evening on their devices, dividing it between messaging, watching videos, playing games and other content. For these longer sessions, Soft2Bet aims to ensure the experience remains just as intuitive and enjoyable. At the same time, built-in reality checks and usage tools help keep things balanced.

Regional differences in screen time

Screen use varies significantly from one country to another. While the global average sits at six hours and 40 minutes per day, many nations exceed this by a wide margin.

Taking regional differences into account can be vital when planning engagement strategies, scheduling promotional windows, and tailoring content to specific audiences in igaming.

South Africa tops the global screen time charts with over nine hours per day, per Statista, followed closely by Brazil. Other countries show similar patterns, with high engagement spread across short interactions and longer sessions. These habits align well with Soft2Bet’s model, Zuckerberg adds, which features quick access and short play sessions across all platforms.

“By tracking regional habits and fine-tuning its approach, Soft2Bet creates localised experiences that adapt to how people actually use their screens, whether it’s for a minute or an hour, ensuring engagement feels seamless, relevant and never disruptive.”

Generational patterns in screen time

Age plays a major role in how many hours we spend on screens each day and how we divide that time across countless minutes. Studying these generational patterns closely to ensure entertainment options fit comfortably into the habits of users of all ages is vital, Zuckerberg explains.

Per Demandsage, Generation Z regularly spends over seven hours of daily screen time, often divided into hundreds of one or two-minute bursts. They move quickly between apps, multitask across devices, and rarely stay focused on a single platform for long.

“It is important to meet this style head-on, with lightweight game interfaces that load in seconds and deliver fast, engaging moments that match the pace Gen Z prefers,” Zuckerberg says.

Meanwhile, the average for Millennials is closely aligned with the global average at 6 hours and 40 minutes. Millennials balance short sessions with longer stretches, such as watching a show or playing casually for 30 minutes. Soft2Bet is built to match this range, offering experiences that can begin with just a minute of play but naturally expand into longer, more immersive sessions when time allows, Zuckerberg adds.

Generation X users typically spend around six hours and 25 minutes each day on screens, often saving a focused hour in the evening for personal time. Here, Soft2Bet caters to usage habits via tournament features offering gentle reality-check prompts to help keep screen time and spending in check.

Finally, Boomers come in slightly lower at about five hours and 17 minutes daily, remaining an active group – but one that may be more receptive to simplified layouts and intuitive navigation, Zuckerberg concludes.

Different screen usage trends amongst various age cohorts mean overall engagement can be increased by optimisng UI and UX according to the age of the user.

“By tuning into how each generation uses its daily screen time, Soft2Bet creates a flexible, age-aware environment,” according to Zuckerberg. “It’s not about encouraging more hours, but about making sure the minutes spent feel effortless and well-used.”

Future of screen engagement

By 2025, the sheer amount of time people spend on screens has made digital devices a fixture in everyday life. With daily screen exposure reaching staggering levels, the benefits of digital access do need to be tempered with a delicate balance. Deposit limits, loss limits and session limits play their part in helping players responsibly manage both time and spend.

Soft2Bet is confident that its tools, which support everything from a quick minute-long spin to an extended tournament, are well balanced with features like reminders and spend tracking.

“With real-time usage tracking, adjustable stake settings, and a clear, accessible design, our platform offers entertainment that fits naturally into daily life,” Zuckerberg says. “Every interaction is created to feel seamless and satisfying without becoming overwhelming, setting a standard for responsible, minute-by-minute play in a highly connected world.

“This approach makes Soft2Bet more than just an igaming site – it is a digital environment designed with user well-being in mind.”

OKTO was founded in 2019 with a clear vision: to be the leading payment service provider for eCommerce merchants in highly regulated sectors, with a core focus on the igaming industry. Our unified payment platform and advanced payment solutions are designed to empower merchants to thrive through innovation, resilience, compliance, and trust—driven by our talented team.

With over 200 skilled professionals, OKTO has quickly become a leading next-gen payment service provider, helping operators optimise financial and payment operations, enhance user experiences and achieve high acceptance rates. By transforming payments into a strategic advantage, we enable our partners to drive sustainable growth.

Where are your clients primarily based? Which major operators do you supply in the igaming industry? What sort of volume do you handle yearly?

We have built a strong presence in major global markets within five years, with particularly significant traction in Latin America and Europe. The company’s strategic expansion into numerous key markets showcases its ability to adapt to diverse regulatory landscapes and meet local market demands. With more than 100 merchants already onboard internationally, we are expanding our reach, delivering tangible value to a growing base of operators and players worldwide.

OKTO partners with both international and local operators, including industry leaders such as Betsson, Entain, Kaizen, Novibet, Superbet, Betboom, Betsul, Brazino, Gallerabet, Maxbet, Mozzart, and many more. Through these collaborations, we offer innovative payment solutions that address the evolving needs of the igaming industry.

Processing more than €15 billion (£12.8 billion) through its platform, OKTO handles an impressive volume of transactions across various igaming platforms. Its solutions are designed to provide seamless, secure and fast pay-ins and payouts, creating a reliable payment ecosystem that scales with operators’ growth. Beyond facilitating transactions, OKTO supports its partners with performance optimisation services, ensuring payments are both efficient and strategic, helping operators maximise their potential.

You’re a particularly dominant force in Brazil. How long have you had a presence in the market? How did you come to occupy a central place in what is now such a highly competitive location?

Brazil represents one of our strongest and most strategic operations in Latin America, and we’re proud to have established a solid presence in the country over the past four years. We entered the Brazilian market with a clear vision: to deeply understand local nuances – regulatory, behavioral, and technological – and deliver payment solutions that truly make sense for the igaming and digital entertainment ecosystem.

“From day one, we adopted a ‘local-first’ approach, building partnerships with leading operators and integrating widely adopted payment methods like PIX natively and intelligently into our platform”

From day one, we adopted a ‘local-first’ approach, building partnerships with leading operators and integrating widely adopted payment methods like PIX natively and intelligently into our platform. This strategic mindset enabled us not only to grow but to lead. We successfully migrated our entire Brazilian customer base to a fully regulated and locally operated infrastructure through OKTO BANK, further strengthening trust and compliance in the country.

Today, we hold a leading position not just because we were fast – but because we were relevant. We offer solutions such as OKTO MAIS, Biometric PIX, Pay And Play 2.0, and a complete ecosystem of banking services that address key industry pain points while delivering operational efficiency, security, and a next-generation user experience. Our goal has never been to simply compete, but to build – to build a payment ecosystem tailored for Brazil, powered by the strength of a global platform. We’re here for the long haul.

As a newly regulated market with a large population and a distinct culture, operating in Brazil comes with unique demands. What are some of the challenges distinct to navigating payments in the market and how have you gone about solving them?

One of the most pressing challenges is navigating the regulatory landscape. With regulations still very much taking shape, it’s essential to stay compliant while remaining agile enough to adjust as new rules are introduced. To address this, we created OKTO BANK, a licensed local financial institution, granting us full operational control. This ensures compliance with local laws, including data localization and AML/KYC standards, while providing the flexibility to adapt to changing requirements.

Another significant hurdle is the diversity in user behavior. Brazil is a highly varied market, where, despite the high rate of digital adoption, many users still rely on less secure financial apps, experience slow onboarding, and face expensive or inaccessible financial services. Recognising this, we developed OKTO MAIS, our wallet solution that offers direct access via WhatsApp – free, highly secure, and already used by over 94% of Brazilians. This solution accommodates all types of user profiles, from fully digital natives to those still transitioning from traditional banking services.

Acceptance rates, particularly for deposits, have been a key pain point for many operators, especially following recent regulatory changes. To support our partners, OKTO has prioritised performance optimisation services, offering tailored guidelines to help operators achieve higher acceptance rates. We understand how vital it is to ensure smooth transactions, especially for deposits, where issues can have a direct impact on player satisfaction and retention.

To this end, we’ve invested in innovative solutions like biometric Pix, which leverages cutting-edge security features to enhance approval rates, and Pay and Play 2.0, a solution that streamlines the deposit process, increasing efficiency and reducing friction in the user journey. These solutions, powered by smart routing and real-time payment capabilities, are specifically designed to help operators navigate and overcome the challenges of declining transaction approvals.

Additionally, localisation, which is a concern for operators, has been at the core of our strategy. Rather than merely translating our services, we rebuilt them to fit the unique needs of Brazilian users. From UX design to settlement preferences and local customer support, every aspect of our offering is customised to the local market.

LatAm more broadly is one of your top priority areas as a company. What strategy have you adopted to get ahead in LatAm? How is this helping operators improve their offering in the region?

Across Latin America, local payment methods play a crucial role in ensuring that operators meet their customers where they are, especially in a region where credit card penetration is still low and alternative payment methods like e-wallets, bank transfers and cash-based solutions are more commonly used.

In LatAm, operators face constant pressure to maintain high transaction acceptance rates, as payment failures can result in lost revenue and poor customer experiences. These issues are compounded by the fact that many markets have local regulations and consumer behavior that differ significantly from one country to another. Operators need solutions that not only support a wide array of payment methods but also adapt to the regional nuances to minimise transaction declines and maximize approval rates.

A solution that addresses these challenges effectively requires more than just an aggregation of local payment options – it needs to be driven by technology that can intelligently route transactions based on real-time factors such as payment method availability, local regulations and user preferences. Smart routing, combined with tailored payment methods, ensures that payments are processed through the most optimal channels, improving efficiency and reducing failure rates.

In this context, the ability to integrate a variety of local payment methods through a single interface becomes invaluable. Operators are not only able to cater to regional payment preferences but also ensure their systems remain agile, scalable and adaptable to new market demands as they expand.

This is where our unified payment platform stands out. By offering a comprehensive gateway with a diverse range of payment options tailored to LatAm’s unique demands, we enable operators to improve their transaction acceptance rates. Our platform’s advanced paytech powered by payment orchestration and easy-to-integrate system unlocks an efficient payment ecosystem across multiple LatAm countries with a single integration, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Colombia, but also across Europe. Through this solution, operators can deliver a seamless, reliable payment experience, helping them overcome common regional challenges while optimising performance across their operations.

OKTO’s founder Filippos Antonopoulos recently transitioned from CEO to the role of executive chairman, with high-profile payments veteran Edward Chandler stepping into the CEO role. Why now for this move and what does it say about your ambitions, in LatAm and more broadly, moving forward?

OKTO’s recent appointment of Edward Chandler as Group CEO represents a pivotal moment in the company’s ongoing evolution and its commitment to delivering value to igaming operators worldwide. Chandler’s appointment, following the transition of founder Filippos Antonopoulos to the role of Executive Chairman, brings fresh leadership with over 30 years of experience scaling fintech and payments businesses. This leadership shift comes at a critical time, as the company continues to solidify its position as a leader in the global digital payments space, particularly within the igaming sector in LatAm, Europe and beyond.

Chandler’s deep expertise in scaling high-growth companies and driving innovation in the payment’s ecosystem will be instrumental in accelerating our strategic expansion and strengthening our payment solutions for igaming operators and beyond. His leadership will focus on refining OKTO’s core offerings, ensuring that operators continue to benefit from secure, seamless and scalable payment solutions that are increasingly essential in today’s competitive market. As igaming continues to evolve, Chandler’s experience in leading companies through complex digital transformations will help OKTO stay ahead of market demands and regulatory changes.

While Chandler takes the reins, Filippos Antonopoulos, who founded OKTO and has driven its vision since day one, will continue to play a central role in shaping the company’s strategic direction as Executive Chairman. Antonopoulos’ long-standing commitment to the company ensures that OKTO remains anchored in its core values of innovation, resilience, and customer-centricity, while also embracing new opportunities in the fast-moving digital payments landscape.

For igaming operators, this leadership transition signals a continued focus on advancing the payment experience and expanding global reach. OKTO’s evolving leadership will bring further refinement to its solutions, helping operators optimise payment performance, increase transaction acceptance rates, and expand into new markets with confidence.

In private – and, occasionally, in public – exasperated sportsbook executives across the globe have bemoaned bloodbath quarters where customer-friendly sporting results have squeezed initially impressive-looking handle to vanishingly small income.

Even the major operators are not immune to the issue.

Flutter cited the “most customer friendly NFL results in 20 years” for adversely impacting 2024 fourth-quarter net revenue margin by 150 basis points year-on-year. Translated into bottom-line dollars, the figures were significant. Just one NFL game – the Detroit Lions’ 40-34 win against the San Francisco 49ers in December – cost the operator an astonishing $74m in punter-favourable wagers.

Until now, online sportsbook and casino operators – especially in growth markets – have relied on higher-margin verticals like online casino to mitigate possible financial headwinds in the unpredictable world of online sports betting. Many who haven’t have seen their business dwindle.

Changing perceptions

Whether the favourites or underdogs prevail in cricket’s Indian Super League or a Springboks rugby contest in South Africa, betting operators are exploring ways to navigate the fickle fortunes of sport and optimise revenues.

GR8 Tech, a B2B high-performance sportsbook and igaming platform provider, is keen to support this mission and change perceptions more broadly about sports betting’s margin possibilities.

“The very fact that I, formerly a casino guy, now advocate for long-term sportsbook profitability, says a lot,” says Sergey Ghazaryan, who served as GR8 Tech’s head of casino business before becoming the company’s chief revenue officer six months ago. “Believe me, I do it because I see the value of our solutions for the operators and know what they are capable of.

“In casino, things are predictable and upfront… It’s not very hard to do it right. In sportsbooks, you need expertise to succeed – an understanding of the nuances of sports betting operations and all the things that may impact the results and minimise volatility from some underdogs winning a match and one lucky bettor going away with half your monthly revenue.”

Maximising margins

In response to the need for sportsbooks solutions that deliver more predictable results, GR8 Tech has released its new ULTIM8 Sportsbook iFrame. The ULTIM8 iFrame has been created to maximise margins and optimise revenue for experienced operators.

The ‘ultimate’ branding is not just a buzzword, the company claims – it’s a practical, operator-relevant promise that a cutting-edge iFrame alone really can make the difference.

The sportsbook solution covers more than 25,000 daily events spanning over 50 sports, and offers multi-bet features, customer relationship management, real-time fraud protection and – crucially – artificial intelligence-driven personalisation, which is increasingly seen as a decisive tool in a highly competitive vertical.

Its recommendation engine suggests events, parlays, tournaments, bet amount and presets, as well as bet builders – all tailored to betting segments based on individual users’ preferences and behaviors, providing opportunities to nudge up margins.

Flexibility is the name of the game here. Tiny tweaks that aren’t important for some user segments, but highly sought after by others, can be delivered to the exact set of users that’ll be most receptive to the changes.

“Most sportsbooks already segment users for risk management – flagging bonus abuse, and minimising exposure on low-tier events,” Ghazaryan says, referring to the opportunity presented by odds personalisation. “But we take that logic further, ultimately letting operators fine-tune margins for specific player segments – right down to an individual level if needed.

“Some users are not sensitive to a 1–2% odds shift, but care deeply about the experience: team branding, user experience, fast payouts. You can make subtle, data-driven adjustments that improve margin without hurting retention – and we have seen this strategy repeatedly deliver significant uplifts in GGR.”

“You can make subtle, data-driven adjustments that improve margin without hurting retention”

User experience

While small shifts in odds may not make or break the appeal of a sportsbook, especially for experienced operators, the user experience may well be a deciding factor in whether a punter stays loyal to an established brand or starts looking elsewhere.

GR8 Tech has acknowledged this by introducing a variety of features that are designed to keep users engaged. Live video integrations, statistical widget integrations, and current form analytics are available alongside a variety of wagering options – from bet builders to cashouts – that accommodate pre-game and live in-play betting.

“As a provider with an ambitious but well-substantiated strategic goal to become the first choice for the sportsbook-driven platform by 2028, GR8 Tech is very intentional about building tools that not only improve user experience but also drive measurable revenue – in ways no other sportsbooks in the market do,” Ghazaryan says.

Indeed, one way of driving measurable results for operators is to facilitate a wide range of wagers, Ghazaryan adds. It should be remembered, for example, that some sportsbooks have reported holding up to 20-30% of the amount wagered on parlays, which have rocketed in popularity over the past three years in key growth markets – significantly higher margins than typical standalone bets.

With this in mind, GR8 Tech offers Parlay Boost and Bet Insurance features to encourage punters to place such wagers, as well as cashout, which is more than merely a “player perk”, Ghazaryan says.

“In our solutions, it is a strategic lever,” he adds. “With dynamic payout models and real-time analytics, operators can influence when and how users cash out, maximising margins while giving players a sense of control. It is subtle, but incredibly effective when scaled across a large user base.”

Overcoming tech bottlenecks

Built for the modern age with existing pain points in mind, GR8 Tech’s ULTIM8 Sportsbook iFrame is “the perfect fit in many scenarios,” including for mature operators looking to overcome bottlenecks as they update their tech stacks, Ghazaryan says. The key message from the sportsbook veteran is that the iFrame combines speed, flexibility and monetisation tools into a single, high-performance product.

With built-in odds personalisation driving up to a 40% increase in gross gaming revenue (GGR), multi-bet features adding another 3-5% and flexible cashout tools delivering an additional 2-5%, operators have seen GGR uplifts of up to 50%, he adds.

A key selling point, though, is that integrations can be completed within a week through a carefully structured onboarding process that is supported by comprehensive documentation and expert support from the outset. An initial project manager steers each integration before a dedicated account manager provides a long-term point of contact, with GR8 Tech handling monitoring, updates, change requests and AI-powered fraud prevention.

“We have streamlined every step to remove friction and keep things moving,” Ghazaryan says. “Of course, there’s also a factor of how deeply the operator understands the niche and how quickly they can share company details necessary for the set-up. But pretty much every business process is a two-way street, isn’t it?

“If the synergy is there, operators get to start generating revenue almost immediately, without getting bogged down in development cycles or technical backlogs. The operator’s team stays focused on marketing and player engagement while we take care of operational integrity.”

Dispelling quality concerns

While some operators understandably fear a quality trade-off when promised with a rapid integration, Ghazaryan describes such an assumption as outdated.

“The ULTIM8 Sportsbook iFrame is not just a quick fix – it is a performance upgrade that delivers better retention and higher revenue, especially when internal teams are focused elsewhere,” Ghazaryan adds.

“Even in multi-brand environments, it offers a low-effort way to maintain a competitive sportsbook presence without draining resources. It is not about choosing between speed and scale. It is about having the right tool to match your growth strategy.”

For sportsbooks, such growth is largely untapped, Ghazaryan says, leaving plenty of headroom for revenue and margin optimisation in the future.

“As long as people follow teams, place bets with friends, or check scores obsessively, this vertical will remain in high demand,” he adds.

“What will evolve is how operators stay competitive: through better user experiences, smarter segmentation, geo-specific set-ups and tools that turn engagement into real revenue.”

Sergey Ghazaryan, chief revenue officer at GR8 Tech

While the days of legends being passed down from generation to generation by the campfire may have gone, storytelling is more prominent than ever. It is behind the era of Netflix binge-watching, Instagram reels seen by millions, and the emotive or inspirational adverts that marketing gurus hope will coax us to buy particular cars, phones and soft drinks.

Ironically, most of the oft-repeated ‘facts’ that are supposed to prove the impact of storytelling appear to be tall tales. However, there is empirical evidence among the urban myths. For instance, an experiment carried out with students at Stanford University for the 2007 book Made to Stick found that stories are at least 12 times more memorable than statistics alone.

Fast-forward nearly two decades to the saturated marketplace of 2025, and narratives are increasingly used to cut through the clutter – and the right story behind a product or service can be the difference between a blockbuster success or an epic fail. If that is true for cheeseburgers and detergent, it is also true for slot releases.

Slots that stand out

In the mid-2020s, game studios must work harder than ever to ensure their new releases stand out from the crowd.

Slot players have countless titles to choose from each time they head to their favourite sites. Indeed, according to the latest figures, slots make up 80% of nearly 47,000 online casino games produced by about 3,500 studios worldwide.

So, there is an onus upon studios to create games that will enhance an operator’s site by immediately catching the player’s imagination and encouraging them to keep on turning the page and coming back for more.

Those titles that are to be successful have to offer attractive gameplay, striking visuals and innovative features, but there also has to be an overarching and compelling narrative that brings the package together.

Entering Wonderland

With its new Alice WonderLuck game, BGaming has turned to Lewis Carroll’s timeless classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as a source of storytelling inspiration.

It is a smart choice; taking players down the rabbit-hole into a world with which they are familiar and featuring characters they already know. The look and sound of the game is built on that familiarity, while players acquainted with BGaming know they can expect generous and unique features.

BGaming’s team was immediately struck by the gameplay opportunities afforded by this famous tale. The novel, first published in 1865, is filled with vibrant characters, such as Alice herself, the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat. There are also unexpected twists and a dreamlike atmosphere, which makes it a perfect foundation for an immersive slot experience.

“The world of Alice is inherently playful and unpredictable, much like gambling itself,” says Julia Alekseeva, BGaming’s chief product officer. “We believe that many players, regardless of age, are familiar with Alice’s journey. By modernising the characters, while preserving their essence, we’ve created an experience that resonates with both nostalgic fans and new audiences alike.”

Immersive visuals

With smiles as wide as the Cheshire Cat’s as they realised they had struck storytelling gold, the BGaming team enthusiastically embraced the Alice WonderLuck idea.

Everyone contributed concepts, engaged in brainstorming sessions, and debated every detail, from Alice’s personality to the perfect depiction of the White Rabbit. The result is a game infused with the studio’s collective creativity, making every spin feel like stepping into an adventure.

From Alice’s animations to the mysterious keyhole symbols, the details are all designed to enhance the game’s magical atmosphere.

“Visually, we aimed to highlight the surreal essence of Alice’s world,” Alekseeva says. “The Rabbit exudes an air of delightful oddity, while the Cheshire Cat appears and vanishes mysteriously, just as he does in the original story. Every design choice was made to immerse players in a slightly mad, yet utterly enchanting adventure.”

“Visually, we aimed to highlight the surreal essence of Alice’s world”

The design is not just about aesthetics, however. It also supports gameplay by making features intuitive and rewarding. “For example, the Cheshire Cat acts as a trickster, adding unpredictability, while the Rabbit’s eccentric look reinforces the game’s whimsical nature,” Alekseeva adds.

Special features

Beyond visuals, Alice WonderLuck introduces unique gameplay elements like the SpinUP mechanic, mystery symbols and the coin collection feature. Just like a good story, the features ensure an unpredictable and exciting experience. They also create a distinctive rhythm, making every spin feel dynamic and engaging while offering players a new way to explore Wonderland.

Mystery symbols play a crucial role in the game, appearing both in the base game and during free spins. Once a spin concludes, these symbols transform into identical low, high, wild or golden mystery equivalents. The Mystery SpinUP mode, patented by BGaming, offers players guaranteed or significantly increased chances of landing special features. In Alice WonderLuck, activating SpinUP ensures that every spin includes mystery symbols, which means more surprises and stronger engagement.

Meanwhile, the coin collection feature, activated by golden mystery symbols, fuses the fairytale atmosphere with the thrill of the game. These symbols can transform into different types of coins, each carrying their own value, ranging from bronze and silver to gold and ultimately the rare ruby coin, which offers the highest rewards. Once the re-spins come to an end, all the revealed coin values are totted up and applied to the total bet, creating a rewarding experience that keeps players engaged.

Player choice

As with other BGaming titles, player choice is important in Alice WonderLuck. The game isdesigned to offer something for every type of player. Perhaps, like Alice, they have a calm demeanour and enjoy a steady and familiar rhythm. Others, like the March Hare, crave the constant thrill of unexpected events.

For those who appreciate a more traditional gameplay experience, the base mode provides a balanced flow with exciting surprises naturally unfolding. On the other hand, thrill-seekers who yearn for a more dynamic and fast-paced experience can turn on the SpinUP mode, ensuring a continuous stream of mystery symbols and additional features.

For those who prefer immediate access to bonuses, the game includes two different ‘buy’ options that allow players to instantly trigger free spins. The first option provides at least three initial special card choices, while the second grants five choices, allowing for an even more rewarding round of free spins.

Streaming success

Thanks to its fusion of strong storytelling, exciting features and opportunities to win, Alice WonderLuck has made an immediate impact. It quickly caught the attention of streamers – a strong indicator of potential popularity – and was soon the subject of hundreds of online mentions, reaching 100,000s of people, according to Brands24 analytics. Furthermore, 35 videos on YouTube and TikTok highlight big wins, with CasinoLytics reporting a total streamer reach of almost 350,000 views.

To market the game effectively, BGaming is leveraging partnerships with streamers and influencers who thrive on showcasing high-volatility gameplay. Social media campaigns, direct collaborations with casino operators, and targeted promotions will help to engage both new and experienced players.

BGaming designed the game to appeal to a global audience but believes it will be most popular in Western and Eastern Europe and Latin America, and within the crypto gaming community. This is because these regions have shown a strong preference for high-volatility cluster slots, making them a natural fit for the game’s mechanics.

Mass-market reach

While catering towards regular gamers with refined tastes who enjoy feature buy options and flexible betting, Alekseeva believes Alice WonderLuck also has a mass-market reach.

“It serves as a great entry point for casual players, offering an enticing combination of a high hit-rate and high volatility, ensuring that every session feels dynamic and rewarding,” Alekseeva says.

Despite its immediate success, BGaming is closely analysing player feedback and in-game statistics to understand which features and mechanics resonate the most. While the Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland theme will remain its core, some elements could be enhanced and expanded to meet customer demand.

As Alekseeva explained: “If players particularly enjoy the coin collection mechanic or free spins variability, we may enhance these elements in future updates – or even explore a spin-off featuring other Wonderland characters. This ongoing dialogue ensures we continue delivering exciting and engaging content.”

Julia Alekseeva, chief product officer at BGaming

In the ever-changing betting and gaming landscape, online casino has become a beacon of consistency.

On average, in the 12 months through to the end of September 2024, a new online casino launched nearly every three days. There are now over 3,500 such platforms worldwide – and they are expanding, fast.

Fuelled by a rapid expansion in game providers and portfolios, at the latest count, online casinos operated more than 40,000 URLs – up from just over 26,000 a year earlier.

The vertical’s market value, estimated at $19.11bn last year, is projected to increase by a compound annual growth rate of 12.2% from 2025 to 2030.

Online casino is booming – and increasing mobile adoption worldwide is only accelerating demand, resulting in more entrepreneurs than ever starting an online casino business. There are half a billion more mobile phone users than there were just three years ago, with 87% of the current total owning smartphones. The opportunity for would-be operators wondering how to start an online casino is unparalleled.

Growing momentum

TrueLabel, an online casino platform provider with white-label and turnkey clients, is well positioned to provide an inside perspective of this growing momentum.

“The igaming industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, making it an ideal time to launch an online casino,” CEO Maxim Vinnikov says.

“The increasing legalisation of online gambling in various markets, technological advancements, and shifting player preferences toward digital gaming all contribute to this momentum. With more players engaging in online gaming than ever before, operators have a unique opportunity to enter a thriving industry, capitalise on emerging markets, and establish a strong foothold before competition intensifies further.

“Additionally, the rise of mobile gaming, innovative payment solutions such as cryptocurrency, and enhanced security measures have made online casinos more accessible and appealing to a broader audience.”

While launching an online casino is an increasingly compelling proposition for igaming entrepreneurs and investors, Vinnikov stresses that such a project requires “careful planning and execution”. This, he says, should begin with detailed market research and business planning, with target markets identified, competitors analysed, and a unique value proposition defined.

White label or turnkey?

Deciding between a white-label or turnkey solution is the next step, with the former being favoured for a quick launch and a reduced regulatory burden, while the latter typically offers greater control and flexibility, but with direct licensing and operational management required.

Then the task is to select a flexible and scalable igaming platform provider.

“For white-label operators, it’s important to verify if a platform provider offers a broad portfolio of integrated game content and payment solutions with commercially attractive terms,” Vinnikov says. “That significantly accelerates time to market and reduces operational costs.”

After creating an engaging and user-friendly casino website optimised for desktop and mobile users, and undergoing thorough testing to ensure functionality, security and compliance before officially launching, attention turns to customer engagement techniques to attract and retain players. On a related note, it is important to establish a strong support team and responsible gaming policies to enhance player trust and satisfaction.

Tackling the challenges

However, complacency is fatal – and potential pitfalls and headwinds have to be navigated if a brand is to secure market share in an increasingly cluttered space.

More than 1,000 closed online casinos are listed on the AskGamblers affiliate website – just some of the brands that have succumbed to market or regulatory pressures over the years.

According to Vinnikov, there are several specific challenges that first-time operators commonly encounter. As a starting point, he says, some simply underestimate the operational scope.

“Many assume that picking a platform is the biggest hurdle,” he explains. “In reality, success also depends on licensing, payments, retention tools, marketing and customer support – all needing close coordination from day one.”

Overcomplicating the product at the outset and also launching without a clear retention strategy are two other issues that often scupper hopes of growth.

“Ambitious ideas are great, but trying to implement too many features, markets or custom integrations early on can delay time-to-market and distract from core user experience,” Vinnikov adds. “Also, operators may focus entirely on acquisition and neglect player engagement. A generic experience without loyalty mechanisms or personalisation won’t perform in today’s competitive landscape.”

With this in mind, TrueLabel offers a platform that features customer relationship management, as well as gamification, loyalty and support tools. There is also a deliberate focus on providing strategic advice early on in the process, as well as practical guidance on the requirements for both white-label and turnkey models.

Regulatory landscapes

The provider is also on hand to share insights from multiple jurisdictions and regulatory landscapes. An online casino can live or die on the market selection – and some operators simply opt for the wrong one.

“Some markets seem attractive but have complex or slow-moving regulatory environments,” Vinnikov says. “Without proper guidance, operators can waste months or invest heavily in the wrong set-up.”

In the increasingly global marketplace, each online casino territory has its own regulatory regime, player preferences and operational challenges.

In Europe, for example, Vinnikov highlights that players often prefer high-quality graphics, live dealer games, sports betting and seamless mobile experiences. From a regulatory perspective, while licences from jurisdictions like Malta or Gibraltar were previously sufficient for operating across multiple countries, many nations now require operators to obtain local licences to offer their services. Furthermore, compliance with stringent anti-money laundering (AML) and responsible gaming policies – such as Know Your Customer (KYC) – is essential.

Contrastingly, Latin America’s rapidly growing market has emerging regulations, with countries like Brazil and Colombia appealing to operators due to high player engagement and evolving licensing frameworks.

Meanwhile, regulatory complexities in Asia means operators must navigate jurisdiction-specific laws and ensure secure payment processing for local players, with popular gaming options including live casino games and esports betting.

Critical compliance

Indeed, regulatory compliance is one of the most critical – and often underestimated – aspects of launching and running an online casino, Vinnikov adds.

It is not only essential for operators to stay informed about the specific requirements of each target market, but also work with legal professionals who specialise in igaming compliance. Building on this, selecting a platform that incorporates compliance into the product will make the process easier, with integrated responsible gaming tools, secure data handling, and automated KYC and AML checks.

“At TrueLabel, we’ve built up years of experience supporting operators in a wide range of jurisdictions,” Vinnikov says. “Our platform includes a deep repository of regulatory best practices, which we apply directly in our white-label projects making compliance smoother and faster for new brands.

“For turnkey clients, we’re always ready to share market-specific insights and help navigate the regulatory landscape based on real-world cases. Our goal is to make sure operators don’t just meet requirements but understand the broader context, and stay ahead of future changes.”

Timeline factors

Launch timelines vary depending on the chosen operation model and the complexity of the project.

For instance, with TrueLabel’s white-label solution, the timeline largely depends on whether the operator chooses a standard design template or a custom look and feel. Whether the platform needs additional functionality development is also a factor, according to Vinnikov. If the set-up is straightforward, a white-label casino can go live in between one and two months, with more customised projects extending the timeline up to six months.

With the turnkey model, operators take on licensing, payment and game provider integrations, and the full legal and financial infrastructure set-up. Depending on the jurisdiction and the complexity of the project, an online casino will typically take at least three months to launch, and possibly up to a year in some cases.

The main challenge with any brand launch, of course, is to get the right balance of speed, compliance, and crucially, customisation.

With increasing competition in the marketplace, differentiation is key. Given this, Vinnikov adds, operators should focus on unique game portfolios that offer diverse selections and exclusive content, as well as player engagement through gamification and loyalty programmes.

A seamless user experience that is mobile-friendly is essential, along with advanced fraud prevention and fair gaming policies to build player trust.

Power of personalisation

Personalised marketing strategies that leverage AI-driven insights for targeted promotions and retention are also increasingly viewed as vital for driving loyalty and customer lifetime value.

Across all sectors, more than three-quarters of all consumers get frustrated with companies fail to deliver personalised interactions. In an activity as personal as online casino, such demands will be amplified.

“TrueLabel empowers operators with all these tools, providing a cutting-edge platform that not only meets industry standards but also helps businesses establish a strong brand presence and gain a competitive edge in the igaming space,” Vinnikov adds. “By leveraging our expertise and technology, operators can create a sustainable and successful online casino that adapts to industry trends and player demands.”

While it is inevitable that the complexities and challenges of an online casino launch project will demand a forensic short-term focus, a vision that stretches into the future is also necessary to provide a platform for sustainable success.

“Our business model is built around long-term partnerships – not one-time set-ups,” Vinnikov explains. “We’re directly invested in the profitability and growth of the operators we support. When our clients succeed, we succeed, which is why we put such a strong focus on helping them build sustainable operations – not just launch quickly.”

Personalisation in particular has emerged as a lucrative area where online casinos are leveraging AI, with operators using the technology to intelligently tailor the gameplay experience to their customers.

Given its digital nature and the wealth of data touchpoints associated with online gambling, it is understandable that industry decision-makers have so far focused on igaming, rather than land-based gaming, as a more natural home for AI-driven technologies.

However, despite a relative lack of discussion on the topic, AI presents opportunities to improve gameplay, personalisation and ultimately margin for land-based operators too, says Craig Stapleton, the Product Director for Advantech’s Gaming Solutions division.

This is particularly important in the context of shifting demographics on the casino floor, with the average age of casino players trending younger.  The Twilio 2024 State of Customer Engagement Report found that younger customers in particular spend more money with brands that personalise engagement, peaking with two-thirds of Gen Z consumers who adopt such an approach, followed by millennials in second place.

The American Gaming Association revealed last year that the average age of casino visitors had nosedived from 50 to 42 in the space of just five years.

Future-proofing retail gaming

It is therefore beyond doubt that AI technologies will disrupt retail gaming substantially in the years to come – and bricks-and-mortar establishments need to embrace the opportunity before it is too late.

Despite the sharp growth of online gambling, land-based gaming still accounted for the bulk of the US gambling market last year. Commercial and tribal casinos represented 56% of the total $172 billion (£131 billion/€155 billion) in gambling spend in the US in 2024 and 61% of gross gaming revenue, according to a report by Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.

However, given the trajectories of the different gambling verticals, the status quo will not last. While the mobile betting, icasino and ilottery verticals experienced double-digit expansions in the US from 2023 to 2024, growth in the commercial and tribal casino space has stagnated, with the segment expanding by just over 1% year-on-year.

New approaches and experiences, underpinned by new technologies, are required by the sector’s proactive operators to accelerate growth and ensure future financial sustainability – and it is inevitable that AI and data-driven personalisation will be vital.

AI in land-based gaming

Advantech, which is based in Taiwan and supplies gaming hardware companies globally, is one technology provider that is forging a path forward for AI in land-based gaming. As a supplier of embedded computing solutions, Advantech’s dedicated Gaming Solutions division designs and manufactures hardware and software for gaming devices.

“We believe that, like most other vertical markets, AI has the potential to add significant value to the land-based gaming sector,” Stapleton says.

“It’s more about discovering how best to apply the technology. In the context of land-based gaming, which primarily focuses on delivering player experiences, AI can – and is – being used to enhance that experience by observing and monitoring player behaviours to optimise operations and improve security measures.”

“Like most other vertical markets, AI has the potential to add significant value to the land-based gaming sector”

AI leverages vast amounts of data, helping to make the retail gaming experience more relevant and engaging for the customer.

By analysing gameplay data and studying the behaviour of individual players, AI can provide customers with specific game recommendations tailored to their preferences to optimise retention and enhance the player experience. These customised offerings could be based on factors ranging from game themes to in-game features and amounts wagered – and much more.

“AI can be used to mine behavioural data and gain a deeper understanding of what content resonates with players and how they engage or respond to it,” Stapleton adds. “This data can also assist operators in promoting responsible gaming by analysing player behaviours, identifying patterns or signs of problematic behaviour and prompting timely intervention from onsite teams.

“AI toolkits can also streamline and monitor machine maintenance by automating routine tasks and identifying suspicious behaviour, reducing both labour costs and mitigating operational risks.”

Built-for-AI gaming hardware

Advantech says it is already leveraging AI in its hardware and software solutions for the gaming industry.

The business’ primary offering to the gaming market is its DPX series of platforms, which are designed to meet the requirements of gaming applications including slot machines, sports betting, lottery kiosks and terminals.

But because artificial intelligence is a rapidly evolving field, and AI in a land-based context is still nascent, products also need to be built with future use cases in mind.

“Our DPX platforms are designed with future-proof architectures that allow seamless integration of AI applications, ensuring that operators can leverage AI without requiring major hardware overhauls,” Stapleton adds.

“Advantech’s DPX products are designed to support both current and future gaming requirements. We work closely with our technology partners, staying aligned with their developments and roadmaps to ensure that our offerings meet the evolving needs of operators and customers in the field. Our platforms provide the necessary infrastructure to support AI and other advanced applications, allowing us to serve as a gateway or facilitator of innovation.”

Advantech’s product features provide the entire hardware CPU platform for a typical slot machine application in a single product, Stapleton says.The company also offers a range of graphics cards that can be added to the scalable DPX-S series of platforms, enabling almost any level of GPU (graphics processing unit) and AI computing power to be introduced to the platform.

Challenges to AI in land-based gaming

One of the biggest challenges to implementing AI effectively in the land-based sector is the long lifecycle of operational gaming machines. Established machines often use legacy technology that is not compatible with AI-enabled solutions, requiring a significant investment for upgrades.

Additionally, integrating AI into existing systems can be complex and resource-intensive, Stapleton explained. This has slowed down adoption in the sector dramatically.

“Advantech recognises these challenges, which is why all our solutions undergo rigorous testing and are compliant with GLI, BMM, and other industry certifications.

“We ensure that our platforms maintain forward and backward compatibility within product families, allowing for scalability. This approach empowers operators to focus on content delivery and reduce their time to market.”

Regulatory compliance

Slow uptake of AI in land-based gaming products isn’t just driven by technological restraints or the technology’s novelty, however. Stapleton highlighted that regulatory compliance is one of several factors contributing towards relatively sluggish adoption of AI in the sector.

Land-based gaming in many jurisdictions is saddled with a heavy and often highly complex regulatory burden, meaning some stakeholders are hesitant about how new technology – AI included – may affect their compliance.

“Land-based operators operate under stringent regulations, and AI adoption is still being explored and evaluated within these frameworks,” he explains.

However, AI is already being widely used by licensed igaming operators to streamline KYC processes and enforce legal requirements such as game fairness, betting limits, advertising standards and bonus terms and conditions. Potential learnings can be applied from the way the igaming sector has legally and profitably implemented the technology.

With regulator-approved physical gaming products, land-based operators can enjoy similar benefits without worrying about compliance.

One of the key benefits of Advantech’s solutions, according to Stapleton, is that they are designed to comply with jurisdictional regulations and security protocols across a range of territories.

In a rapidly changing space, solutions such as those provided by Advantech are primed to kick-start AI adoption in retail gaming settings, benefiting operators, technology providers and, ultimately, customers.

“As AI technologies continue to evolve and mature, we anticipate wider adoption within various industries, with land-based gaming being no exception,” Stapleton says. “We’re confident that as this growth continues, it will introduce new challenges but also offer many exciting benefits.

Craig Stapleton, Product Director for Advantech’s Gaming Solutions division

The year 2024 was very successful for Promatic, with dynamic development, introducing new products to and expanding further into foreign markets. How do you assess the first quarter of 2025?  

The past year was good for us, we managed to complete many projects and achieve the goals set in the company’s strategy. This always brings great satisfaction. We are continuously developing our online product and receiving further certifications, and we would like to keep that trend. In the coming months, we plan to expand to new markets and grow the team of experts. We are also focusing on the development of new technologies and diversifying our product offer, which is much wider this year. We started 2025 by participating at ICE 2025 in Barcelona. A few weeks later we presented our offer in Lagos, Nigeria, and at the beginning of March we took part in the Irish Gaming Show in Dublin. These events are extremely important to us, because we want to create the image of our brand and build the trust of our business partners and other representatives in the industry.

You returned to ICE in Barcelona after some absence as an exhibitor. How do you assess Promatic’s participation at one of the most important events in the gaming industry?

ICE is undoubtedly the most important industry event for entities operating most actively in this part of the world. Participation in such events is essential to follow trends and constantly develop. Current technologies, the use of AI, gamification – all of these dynamically influence the direction of product development. Events such as ICE and the accompanying conferences provide much inspiration and set trends that dominate the entertainment industry. That’s why we couldn’t miss it. First of all, we wanted to show off our latest offer, but also follow the trends, check how the market is developing, and what its needs and expectations are. Additionally, ICE creates an excellent platform for meetings with our partners, but also for establishing new business relations.

ICE is enjoying increasing interest each year, with more exhibitors and visitors. It has also moved to Spain. What do you think of the change of the event’s location from London to Barcelona?

A lot changed with this year’s edition, compared to previous years. A new city, a new place for exhibitors – we see these changes very positively. Additionally, ICE 2025 took place at the very beginning of January, for us it was also a positive change – with ambitious plans for this year, we were able to start it with such a strong entry! This year’s edition was in many respects, also for us, record-breaking. The fair was visited by over 56,000 participants – for comparison during the last edition in London it was 40,000. The organisers also took care of the appropriate space, which creates opportunities for proper professional presentation, especially for our land-based operational activity. This year, Promatic was also represented by a larger team than in previous years. We have more and more to show. Our clients and those interested in our products are also growing – all this confirms the good direction of our company’s development.

You mentioned that one of your goals was to present yourself at the fair with a new offer. What exactly did you showcase at ICE this year?

We had several goals: sales, relations, marketing – image, know-how, building relationships and education. Yet, I can proudly say that we managed to achieve all of them, in line with expectations, and even exceed them in several aspects. Of course, the most important one is sales – we showed up at ICE with our entire offer and a full range of Promatic Group solutions: Land-based and iGaming. At the fair, we presented our latest solutions in both business lines, and we see interest in our offer, the undoubted advantage of which is our flexibility, which is an excellent competitive advantage and excellent value for money.

As mentioned, you followed ICE by attending the Africa Gaming Expo in February and the Irish Gaming Show in March. How did you find those?

Our plans for the whole of 2025 are very ambitious. And we are not slowing down. Industry events are an important platform for us to talk and meet. We want to follow trends, develop know-how and new technologies in gaming and exchange experiences with industry experts, which certainly contributes to our development. In February, we took part for a second time in the Africa Gaming Expo in Lagos, Nigeria. This market is very important to us on the map of our global activities. It’s a place where representatives of all entities related to the industry meet and we are the largest operator in Nigeria, so we could not miss it. In turn, at the beginning of March, we presented our offer at the Irish Gaming Show in Dublin, where our products have been popular for some time. Currently, this market offers us slightly wider opportunities. At the end of March, we also participated in the iGaming Tech Summit conference in Prague, so the first quarter of this year was extremely intense for us. I always emphasize that we want to be an active participant in such events – we are consistently implementing our strategic corporate goals for 2025, both for land-based and iGaming. We want to strengthen our position on the domestic market and at the same time continue our global expansion.

And your plans for the rest of the year?

The next months of this year are also going to be very active. At Promatic, we focus on continuous technology development, we introduce innovative solutions for our products, and we want to continue expanding into new markets, both in the terrestrial network and online. We want to be an important and active participant in industry events, and participation in fairs, exhibitions, conferences and discussion panels is consistent with that. We will certainly participate in the SBC Summit in Lisbon, we will go to Rome for the next edition of SIGMA Europe, perhaps presenting the latest offer at our own stand, and in the second half of the year we will probably plan our next participation in ICE 2026.

It was a bold blueprint – and in keeping with its disruptive approach, it should come as no surprise that two of Live88’s major releases in the first half of 2025 are characterised by offering new variations on the tried-and-tested traditional game of roulette.

Immersing players

First up, Motion Roulette – shot in 4K ultra-high-definition. Building on the classic gameplay, entertaining live dealers and customisation features already available, Motion Roulette will focus on immersing players even more deeply into the action.

The key will be when the ball drops into place, triggering a real-time result and a subtle but captivating live slow-motion element in between game rounds. Dubbed a ‘slo-mo-ment’, this will give players a chance to revel in their big wins while adding to the spectacle of the game.

Meanwhile, the biggest of the collection of games being added to Live88 in H1 2025 is Triton Multiplier Roulette. Based on the roster of Live88 roulette tables, this is an underwater adventure where up to four win-multipliers can be applied to straight-up win bets. At least two multipliers appear in every game round, with multipliers starting at 50x and extending up to a massive 1,000x win.

The concept built into this deep-sea environment is to cater to a variety of players, from those who place small, outside bets to others who wager big on red or black.

Multiplier impact

The multiplier element encapsulates Live88’s pledge to bring a fresh perspective to already-popular games, engaging long-time players by adding an extra layer of excitement, as well as younger adults who crave a more immersive gaming experience.

“One of the key attractions of these variants is the opportunity for significantly boosted winnings without requiring major changes in strategy,” says Andreea Matei, Live88’s head of commercial for live casino. “Traditional roulette players appreciate the familiar betting structure, but the added possibility of landing a massive multiplier win keeps them engaged and returning for more.

“For players who enjoy the strategic depth of roulette but seek higher volatility and bigger potential rewards, games like Live88 Triton Multiplier Roulette and Motion Roulette offer the perfect balance. By preserving the essence of roulette while introducing thrilling enhancements, these games successfully capture the attention of both traditionalists and players looking for more exhilarating gameplay.”

By preserving the essence of roulette while introducing enhancements, these games successfully capture the attention of both traditionalists and players looking for more exhilarating gameplay”

Fusing tradition and innovation

This fusion of tradition with innovation has already allowed Live88 to stand out from the crowd and establish a solid foothold in a highly competitive space, Matei explains.

“Despite our relative youth compared to other key live casino players in our market, we’ve reached a point of maturation and embracing the ‘delight’ commercial stage we find ourselves in,” she says. “We’re beginning to now focus on building loyalty among users and fortifying our relationship by introducing more choice and variety to our stable of games.”

With this in mind, the variety of the offering on Live88 is certainly not limited to roulette.

The coming months will see the release of Asian Baccarat, comprising side bet content such as Mystic5 – a unique feature that offers multipliers up to 888x – as well as an improved user interface tailored for the Asian market.

An RNG blackjack multiplayer title will also follow later in the year, demonstrating Live88’s desire to diversify across the entire spectrum of its product offering.

Tournaments feature

Alongside these new games will be an engaging new tournaments feature, set to be rolled out across several live games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat and Dragon Tiger. This will allow operators to create and manage customisable gaming competitions for different audiences, including VIPs, who can be given exclusive access through their user IDs and offered targeted rewards.

Some of the flexible options on offer via tournaments will include leaderboards and a ‘mystery bounty’, with players earning rewards for completing certain gameplay triggers a set number of times. Again, these triggers are customisable, depending on the game type, and cover everything from consecutive wins in roulette to perfect 21-scoring hands in blackjack.

Marbles ‘coup’

Arguably one of the most intriguing developments is the integration of live marble-racing after Hub88 was selected as the first aggregation partner of Marbles.io – described as a “huge coup” by Matei.

Throughout 2025, more than 20 purpose-built and imaginative tracks will be launched, with races featuring eight marbles of identical weights shown live. With players simply picking their favourite marble and then watching the action unfold from multiple cameras that are triggered by track sensors, the races – which will typically last between 20 and 60 seconds – offer a simple yet captivating proposition.

“It’s an incredibly exciting addition to our already pretty deep and engaging content line-up which now enables us to cater to an emerging market of mobile-first players that seek fast and fun experiences, with social features set to create a community of racers worldwide,” Matei says.

Interactive experiences

More broadly, Live88’s combination ofcompelling, live-streamed gameplay, entertaining hosts and real-time results has created social and interactive experiences that are similar to in-person gaming, according to Matei.

“Streaming platforms such as Discord, Tiktok and Twitch have done a world of good in enhancing the social experience by encouraging shared excitement and engagement,” she says. “Watching slots or marble races unfold in real time or seeing a Plinko ball drop creates moments of anticipation that players can experience together.”

Advanced graphics and engaging animations, underpinned by seamless mobile compatibility, further contribute to a visually appealing and smooth player experience.

“The goal for us is that we will revitalise the live casino experience by incorporating interactive and community-driven features that enhance social engagement,” she says.

“One way we do this already is through real-time live dealer interactions. Instead of playing against a computer, players engage with charismatic, professionally trained hosts who create an entertaining and immersive atmosphere. These dealers actively communicate with players, respond to chat messages and bring a sense of Live88 personality to each game, making the experience feel more real.”

Appealing to Gen Z

Fostering a sense of community through integrated chat features and multiplayer elements is particularly important for younger demographics who are accustomed to interactive digital experiences through console gaming and social media, Matei says.

“Keep in mind this is a tech-savvy generation, which craves simplicity, instant gratification and entertainment-driven gameplay,” Matei says. “New live casino games, such as marble racing and Plinko, effectively capture Gen Z’s attention by combining easy-to-understand mechanics with high-energy, visually appealing formats.

“One of the key reasons these games appeal to Gen Z is their low barrier to entry. Unlike traditional card games that require strategic knowledge, marble racing and Plinko are intuitive and require little to no prior experience. Players can instantly participate without feeling intimidated, making these games accessible to casual gamblers and entertainment-seekers alike.”

With influencer-type hosts, chat features and dynamic, colourful games mirroring the short-form content consumed on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, Live88 is focusing on retaining the attention of players through interactivity and live engagement.

“This social aspect makes the experience feel more immersive and community-driven, aligning with Gen Z’s preference for shared digital experiences”

“This social aspect makes the experience feel more immersive and community-driven, aligning with Gen Z’s preference for shared digital experiences,” Matei says.

“Ultimately, modern live games succeed in bridging gambling and entertainment, making them ideal for a generation that values fun, simplicity and visually gripping content. By offering easy-to-play, fast-moving and ultimately stimulating experiences, operators can effectively draw in and retain the elusive Gen Z audience.”

Adding value by bridging the gap

The challenge, of course, is to maintain momentum by building on a rapidly earned reputation as a home of innovative and entertaining live casino experiences.

Live88 engages with players through surveys, focus groups and in-game feedback forms to gather valuable insights while additionally keeping tabs on competitors’ releases and industry trends.

This is complemented by analysis of player data – from session durations and bet sizes to retention rates – to ensure a customer-focused, data-driven and trend-aware process underpins any new Live88 games and features.

The end result, Matei adds, is for Live88 to add value by helping operators to bridge the gap between online gaming and real-world social casino experiences.

“Keeping an eye on innovations in gamification, augmented reality or influencer-led gaming can inspire new features,” says Matei, who stresses the importance of “staying true to our roots” by offering flexible features, such as personalised game settings, adjustable bet limits and tailored bonus mechanics.

“By centring decisions around player preferences, engagement data and industry trends, Live88 can create compelling, innovative games that truly resonate with online casino players.”

But while viewership of esports competitions grew modestly, a different sector of esports was surging in bedrooms, living rooms and gaming cafes the world over. 2024, it turns out, was a hallmark year for betting on esports. That’s according to a new report by esports betting ecosystem provider Oddin.gg, which found that betting volume had more than doubled year-on-year (YoY) in 2024.

The remarkable growth of esports betting isn’t just propelled by dedicated fans betting in bigger volumes. Oddin.gg’s data offers vital clues as to what drove 2024 to be such a big year for esports betting and the trends that are changing the vertical – forming key takeaways for operators that want to get more out of their esports betting offering.

Esports betting in 2024

In many ways, growth in esports betting is unsurprising. Interest in esports has been rising for years, boosted particularly by the Covid-19 pandemic. Online livestream views have doubled since 2019, with 2.89 billion hours of esports competitions watched in 2024, according to a Stream Hatchet report.

Now, as more of its predominantly Gen Z audience reaches legal betting age, and as operators’ marketing campaigns mature, the vertical is poised for further growth.

The ways in which that growth is playing out is laid out in detail in Oddin.gg’s Esports 2024: A Review of Betting Growth and Milestones report, which is based on first-party data from operators that Oddin.gg supplies with its esports betting iFrame and other products.

Overall, Oddin.gg found that betting volume was up 106% YoY, a remarkable rate that reflects the growing opportunity in the vertical. Average bet count increased 83% YoY, while the average bet was €29 (£24), dwarfing football’s €5. The LPL Spring 2024 in League of Legends set a record high for a tournament’s average stake, at €70 (£59).

“[Esports betting’s] growth in 2024 came from bettors becoming more invested in esports, both as fans and as participants in the betting experience,” Suchar says. “Across all key metrics, esports betting experienced remarkable growth.

“Total wagered amounts, bet counts and average stakes climbed across major tournaments compared to 2023 – stream viewership also saw notable increases.”

Key esports betting trends

Esports betting volume has long been driven by a few standout esports titles, the most popular competitive games globally: League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and to a lesser extent Valorant.

The betting growth identified by Oddin.gg in its report was driven by across-the-board jumps in all four, signalling healthy growth in the highest volume titles. Counter-Strike 2 saw a 99% YoY hike, Dota 2 a 90% jump, League of Legends a 61% uplift – and Valorant had a standout 175% increase in volume over 2023.

Bet count also shot upward. Counter-Strike 2’s bet count grew by 80% YoY, Dota 2’s by 56%, League of Legends’ by 65% and Valorant by 131%.

Suchar chalks this growth up to the fact each title had something compelling to offer in 2024. “Counter-Strike 2 brought a fresh wave of interest with its [update], League of Legends revamped its regional structures to drive local rivalries, Dota 2 expanded with third-party tournaments after the Dota Pro Circuit ended, and Valorant took major steps forward with its regional leagues and platform expansion.

“On top of that, the betting experience itself improved across the board. More live markets, better risk management and features like player prop bets made wagering on these titles more engaging. It wasn’t just about watching a favourite team anymore – bettors had more ways to get involved.”

Explore the full findings of Oddin.gg’s esports betting report here.

Valorant becoming a betting favourite

Valorant led the pack with standout growth figures in 2024. Part of its monumental growth is likely a result of the game’s relative youth compared to the other big titles, having only been released in 2020, meaning more room for maturity.

But Valorant’s betting traction wasn’t just down to its age. Game developer Riot Games has ushered in a major expansion to the esports’ regional leagues in the past year, in turn creating higher-stakes games with more local rivalries.

Valorant Champions 2024, the game’s biggest esports event, recorded 9.1 million peak concurrent viewers for its final, according to Riot Games, surpassing the previous year’s record five-fold. More eyeballs on the sport is creating more bettors.

Riot Games has also moved to loosen its restrictions on gambling sponsorships for esports teams in its leagues. The game developer, which runs most of Valorant’s esports events, previously barred teams from promoting betting sponsors but is relaxing those rules this year, opening up a new way for operators to target Valorant fans.

Suchar adds that innovations in Valorant-specific betting offerings also had a big impact. “Esports betting offerings are constantly improving, with growing emphasis on live betting and tailored experiences for fans.

“According to our data for 2024, live betting volumes on Valorant alone grew by 368% year-on-year. That tells us that fans aren’t just watching; they’re actively engaging with the action in real time.”

Player-focused betting takes off

One of the most interesting trends identified in the report – and arguably one with the biggest takeaways for operators – is the rise of player-based markets, particularly in Counter-Strike 2.

Perhaps a result of the relative novelty of esports betting, simple pre-match ‘map winner’ or ‘game winner’ markets have long driven the highest volume. But that’s beginning to change, Oddin.gg’s data shows.

As professional gamers take on celebrity-like status within their game communities, interest is growing in betting on individuals’ performances – long a feature in established sports like football. Standout star performances from the likes of Counter-Strike professionals Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets and Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut in 2024 have ignited major interest in player-specific wagers.

“Personalities like donk or ZywOo attract massive attention, and we’re seeing that reflected in betting behaviour,” Suchar says. “Bettors want more ways to engage with their favourite players, not just teams or match outcomes.

“The rise in player-focused markets has been driven by two things: better data and growing demand for more personalised betting experiences. Until recently, it was difficult to offer reliable, real-time markets centred on individual performances. But that’s starting to change.

“Our always-improving models and trading allows us to expand into deeper player prop markets. And this trend towards more personalised, granular betting experiences is only going to accelerate. As esports continues to evolve into a major entertainment vertical, we expect these kinds of markets to become standard – giving bettors more control and more ways to connect with the action.”

How operators can leverage esports betting growth

Esports forms an ever-more important vertical for igaming operators. Its growth last year reinforces the narrative that it isn’t a niche anymore and shouldn’t be treated as such, Suchar says. We’re past the early-adopter stage and entering territory where it is becoming a core entertainment and betting product.

“Triple-digit increases tell us there’s still plenty of room to grow, particularly as technology and betting options evolve,” Suchar argues. “And with more regulation and operator investment, the sector is stabilising in ways that weren’t possible just a few years ago.

“Growth at this rate won’t last forever, but we don’t see a slowdown yet. The fundamentals are strong – the audience is growing, engagement is deepening and product offerings are getting better.”

So far in 2025, viewership and betting figures show esports is maintaining the levels of engagement seen in 2024. The real test will come later in the year, when most of esports’ major tournaments take place.

However, the growth of esports betting underscores the importance for operators of properly and purposefully catering to fans. Esports fans’ demographic differences from traditional sports fans and bettors offers a lucrative opportunity, but those same differences make it vital to cater to the audience’s unique demands and preferences.

Without tailored products that speak directly to esports’ unique audience, the momentum currently being enjoyed may be missed.

“Operators need to act now to capture this opportunity,” Suchar warns. “But esports bettors aren’t interested in a copy-paste of traditional sports betting – they want fast, mobile-first personalised experiences.

“Operators who treat esports as a core vertical, and invest in products that reflect what this audience wants, will be in the best position long-term. Those who hesitate, though, risk losing an audience that’s already making clear demands about what they expect.”

Want to explore the full findings in more detail? Download the complete Oddin.gg report here.

However, the transition has not been straightforward, and ambitions have largely outstripped technological and commercial realities over the years.

Some big names in media and entertainment have been financially burned. For Meta, which famously staked its name on the growth of its ‘metaverse’, its Reality Labs VR unit posted an eye-watering $17.74bn operating loss last year. No wonder Meta’s chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth reportedly said in an internal memo that this year “likely determines whether this entire effort will go down as the work of visionaries or a legendary misadventure”.

Brighter outlook

However, in igaming at least, the outlook would appear to be a little brighter – and few disagree that the underlying concept of AR or VR in online gaming is exciting when the possibility of emulating the sights and sounds of a real-life casino in a digital setting is considered.

Breaking down the definitions, virtual reality technology puts users in a digital environment, usually through headsets, to provide a simulated 3D experience.

Augmented reality technology, meanwhile, adds digital items to real surroundings using devices like smartphones or specially-designed glasses.

These innovations therefore create unique conditions for engaging interactions, and several factors appear to be driving momentum towards the adoption of AR and VR in online gaming in the second half of the 2020s.

Growth factors

As a starting point, the increasing appetite for such technologies among younger adults in the video game sector is an obvious cause for optimism.

Some 36% of millennials worldwide own a VR device – more than any other age demographic and nearly double the 19% of Gen X who do the same, according to a 2024 study by Kantar. Nearly three-quarters of such individuals use their VR devices for gaming.

Meanwhile, 43% of millennials have used AR technology – again, more than any other age category. Of consumers who have heard of AR, 75% consider it ‘innovative’ and 78% describe it as ‘engaging’.

Furthermore, live casino – the natural home for VR – is growing in popularity. Research by online reviews platform LiveCasinoRank found that global live casino revenue rocketed by 34% from 2023 to 2024, while the average session increased from 35 to 47 minutes year-on-year.

This growth is accelerating investment. Research published last year by sportsbook provider Altenar found that the size of the VR and AR gambling market was likely to reach nearly $1bn in 2025 – a near eightfold increase in five years.

Tellingly, the research also found that around 35% of VR headset owners had engaged in gambling-related activities, underlying the significant potential in the sector.

Transformational potential

Businesses in igaming that lay the right foundations for AR and VR development are well positioned to benefit in the coming years – and EvenBet Gaming is one enterprise that is determined to have a head start.

With a focus on online poker software development, EvenBet is keen to address the roadblocks that have hamstrung the growth of VR and AR in the gaming industry so far.

According to Starostenkov, the main barriers to the mass adoption of such technologies in igaming are related to technical issues, such as imperfect sensors and interfaces that can undermine otherwise good VR games or AR presentations.

“We are actively working on improving interfaces and interaction with content by using data analysis and machine learning to enhance the efficiency and engagement of players,” Starostenkov says.

“We see that technologies still need to be refined, but we are ready to implement solutions that will allow players to have a more personalised and convenient experience when interacting with games.”

Starostenkov adds that neurotechnology companies like Neuralink, which are developing implantable brain-computer interfaces, will open up the prospect of deeper integration into VR, which “in the future could solve many problems with interfaces and sensors”.

Blurring realities

EvenBet is already integrating innovative technologies into its multiplayer slots and mobile games, providing the building blocks for an anticipated increase in interest among players in the years to come.

“The metaverse and igaming may continue to develop, but we still need several years of technological progress,” says Starostenkov, who adds that personalised, artificial intelligence-driven bonuses and offers delivered in real time will become increasingly integrated into gaming mechanics and marketing strategies. “With the development of AI and neurotechnology, we will be able to make virtual worlds truly captivating.”

“We are confident that AR and VR will continue to develop in the coming years, but for mass adoption, the sensors and interfaces will need to be improved”

Starostenkov makes the point that while physical and online gaming have previously been considered to be separate spaces with different audiences, the boundaries between the two are becoming increasingly blurred.

This is creating new marketing channels and inventory, as well as the possibility for more immersive, engaging and personalised player experiences.

“To create more interactive and personalised offers, the company uses real-time data analysis technology to match content and bonuses based on player preferences,” Starostenkov says.

“We have also developed a solution to create interactive poker tables, which, in the future, will allow the use of VR elements to simulate a more realistic experience.

“This not only opens up new opportunities for the operator but also enables players to interact with other participants and game elements in a more natural and engaging environment.”

AI-driven tech advancements

Driven by AI advancement, there is an expectation that the development of AR and VR in igaming will accelerate.

In this context, EvenBet has adopted a carefully considered strategy that tallies with a wider belief across the industry that incremental changes are a more sensible approach than rapid, full-scale transformations.

“In the future, we plan to further integrate AR and VR into our games to provide a more immersive and realistic experience,” Starostenkov says.

“We are confident that AR and VR will continue to develop in the coming years, but for mass adoption, the sensors and interfaces will need to be improved.

“However, artificial intelligence, already used to create personalised offers and adapt content, will be one of the catalysts allowing for the effective integration of AR and VR into igaming.”

Looking to the future

After several false dawns over the years, is the future of VR and AR looking brighter than ever before?

Starostenkov believes the social aspect of gaming – considered to be increasingly important in optimising the player experience – is another factor that can drive adoption in the future, building on recent VR games and AR innovations.

With VR technology, for instance, there is the possibility of friends and family members playing poker together at the same table, wherever they are.

“We are confident that VR and AR will continue to evolve, and we are actively implementing these technologies into our platforms,” Starostenkov says.

“In particular, we are already developing new multiplayer games and VR experiences that will allow players to interact in more realistic and immersive virtual spaces. “We are confident that in the coming years, AR and VR will become more accessible and of higher quality, and EvenBet will effectively integrate these technologies into its processes, leading the industry.”

In the never-ending battle for attention in igaming, the rewards sector has grown from simple deposit bonuses and free spins to become much more engaging and varied. An array of suppliers has blossomed to cater to the demand for more tailored and diversified tools, with a myriad of solutions now available catering to sportsbooks and online casinos.

However, as technological innovation in the sector has advanced, vast differences have emerged between suppliers – any old reward solution won’t do anymore.

One of the core challenges encountered by operators choosing loyalty solutions is finding gamification tools that work well together, according to Petterson. Many operators use different tools for various forms of engagement.

However, systems that don’t work together lead to fragmented player journeys that fail to maximise retention and engagement amongst players. If a player is only ever offered free spins, for example, the experience will become mundane. Incentivising players to stay in your gaming ecosystem and try out other products is one of the best ways to boost retention. But doing so effectively requires a synchronised, intelligently planned rewards system that builds towards a specific player journey.

Building engaged and compliant customer journeys

EveryMatrix’s EngageSuite is an example of an all-in-one engagement solution that solves for this challenge, according to Petterson.

The solution offers a comprehensive suite of loyalty and gamification tools that interlink rewards across a variety of touchpoints, ensuring players are incentivised to try the full array of gaming verticals across an igaming site.

With EngageSuite, customers are exposed to a unified, pre-defined, customisable journey that EveryMatrix assures can unlock opportunities to enhance acquisition and retention, optimise marketing costs and ensure players enjoy a secure gaming environment.

This works particularly well in markets with restrictive bonusing regulations, Petterson claims.

“At EveryMatrix, our focus is on regulated markets, and our 17 years of experience has led us to become the first igaming supplier to be awarded World Lottery Association (WLA) Safer Gambling certification.

“We developed our solutions with regulated markets in mind, therefore designing them to be viable for restrictive regulated markets, such as European ones.”

“Players today seek a unified, seamless experience that transcends individual games, providers and even igaming verticals”

In these markets, bonusing can be restricted by regulations such as bet amount caps, but restrictions can also impact game mechanics, such as not allowing Buy Features.

That’s where gamification and loyalty solutions really shine, offering alternatives to traditional bonus cash and other restricted rewards. By leveraging solutions that strengthen the bond between players and operators’ brands, gamification is made easy, and customers can be retained.

Petterson gave the example of EngageSuite’s JackpotEngine, which adds an extra layer of excitement on top of casino games. “Available across an operator’s entire portfolio of providers and games, this solution offers the possibility to create operator funded jackpots that will not tap into player wagers, or let the player pay for a chance to win fully customisable jackpots, or a mix of the two.”

The jackpot solution can be connected to other engagement features to create seamless player journeys, such as challenges, tournament participations, mini-games, and a tiered loyalty system with a built-in shop for non-monetary prizes.

Loyalty levels and shop purchases can be tied to personalisation, unlocking different games, avatars, nicknames, UI changes, and non-monetary achievements such as trophies or badges.

Such features mean gamification across a player’s journey is viable even for operators in highly regulated markets – when done right and with the proper tools.

Features of EngageSuite

In order to cater to all aspects of loyalty and gamification, EveryMatrix’s EngageSuite includes six distinct tools in its ecosystem. BonusEngine is the cross-vertical bonus system which offers functionality for a variety of bonuses such as bonus money, free spins, free bets, cashbacks, odds boost and more.

LoyaltyEngine is a cross-vertical loyalty tool where players earn experience points and coins, while levelling up through any number of fully configurable levels. The coins can be used to purchase bonuses, challenges, perks and special access, and more in a configurable shop.

JackpotEngine is a jackpot management tool allowing operators to create, configure and control jackpots across their entire gaming portfolio, regardless of gaming content provider or player segment, with precise control over probabilities, contributions and seed behaviour.

PrizeEngine is a minigame tool with engaging minigames like LuckyWheel, MysteryChest and Dice, with options for monetary and non-monetary prizes.

Tournaments offer competitions for any selection of sports events or casino games, complete with real-time leaderboards for maximum excitement. Meanwhile, Challenges gives players tasks to complete which boost engagement, ranging from single objective quests to multi-level lifetime loyalty journeys.

The concept, Petterson says, is simple yet transformative. Each tool integrates seamlessly with the others, creating a fully interconnected ecosystem. Once you configure the desired framework for your journey, the player takes the reigns, personalising the experience by selecting the benefits they value most, and using them to enhance their user experience.

“Players today seek a unified, seamless experience that transcends individual games, providers and even igaming verticals. An ecosystem keeps players engaged by providing continuity and familiarity, whether they are sports fans or casino players.

“Cross-vertical achievements become a universal currency which can be achieved through gamification solutions such as challenges, tournaments, a unified bonusing system or a loyalty program, and that consistency enhances retention.”

Such ecosystems enable more complete insights, helping operators better understand their players and optimising their journeys for enhanced experiences, Petterson explains.

“Lacking a unified loyalty and gamification ecosystem creates blind spots in predicting player behaviors. When data is fragmented across different platforms, operators miss valuable insights into player journeys, preferences, and pain points.”

He adds that the most critical business goal is maximising lifetime value (LTV). While acquiring new players is essential, LTV ultimately drives profitability. The key driver of LTV is retention; that thrives when loyalty and gamification elements are interconnected.

Making an informed choice

With so many loyalty and gamification tools on the market, it can be difficult to settle on a choice. According to Petterson, the key is to opt for one ecosystem of complete loyalty and gamification tools that operators can mix to fit their business objectives.

“It all boils down to the markets the operator is present in. In markets where bonusing is restricted due to regulations, building loyalty requires innovative, non-monetary strategies.

By aligning loyalty strategies with local regulations and emphasising non-monetary rewards, operators can build sustainable player engagement and maximise LTV, even in markets with restrictive bonusing rules, Petterson concludes.

When the right tools work together seamlessly, operators can benefit from a truly synchronised loyalty system which rewards players for their allegiance, keeping them engaged and active across an operator’s entire portfolio – making the challenge of a lack of unified loyalty and gamification options across content providers a thing of the past.

As operators build increasingly expansive game libraries to drive engagement, monetisation and loyalty, there is growing evidence that, in igaming at least, variety is the spice of life. From September 2023 to September 2024, the number of unique games available across online casinos worldwide leapt by 45%. Indeed, by the end of Q3 last year, operators offered games from 58 studios on average, with one in five showcasing games from more than 100 studios. About 25 new igaming studios launch every single quarter, while existing producers are ramping up their output to stay front of mind.

It is an increasingly congested space – and integration issues are an inevitable consequence.

Integration challenges

The challenges have been exacerbated by the surging popularity of crash games, succinctly described by one studio’s CEO as “deceptively complicated” underneath their simple concept.

With crash games supercharging engagement among younger adults – and particularly in emerging regions like Africa, Latin America (LatAm) and CIS – the importance of integrations that are effective, as well as speedy, is amplified.

While delays due to sluggish, disconnected integrations of game content and payment solutions can be frustratingly time-consuming, the impact of an ineffective or hurried integration is even greater from a reputational standpoint.

A crash game is not meant to literally crash at the cashout stage, for example.

However, while the adverse impact of imperfect integrations is clear, successful ones can provide game-changing benefits for operators, including greater margins, reduced levels of fraud and an array of tools and content.

Revolutionising integrations

As operators grapple with the perennial challenge of getting games in front of players as quickly and efficiently as possible, GamingSoft believes its GS Connect and GS Connect+ API aggregators can revolutionise igaming integrations.

“From the very start, our goal with GS Connect and GS Connect+ was simple – to make life easier for operators,” GamingSoft Co-founder and CEO Henry Goh says.

“We’ve seen first-hand how frustrating and time-consuming it can be to integrate game content and payment solutions separately. With a single API integration, we wanted to give operators instant access to over 8,000 games from 200-plus top providers while also streamlining payments. The idea was to create a solution that gets them up and running without the usual headaches, allowing them to focus on growing their business rather than dealing with technical roadblocks.”

GS Connect’s vast Super Lobby interface automatically adds live casino games, sportsbooks, slots, poker, fishing games, virtual sports and more, whenever there are new releases.

While players enjoy minimal latency and smooth transactions, operators are equipped with a multi-lingual backend, multi-tier agent system, unlimited agent commissions and straightforward balance adjustments at their fingertips.

Meanwhile, GS Connect+ offers a range of gamification tools, allowing operators to set up automated tournaments – such as customisable leaderboards – as well as tailored achievements and promotions to drive player engagement and retention.

Making a difference

The solutions, which have been designed under the company’s ‘one API to connect them all’ mantra, appear to be making a real difference.

Goh credits the Super Lobby’s streamlined interface with delivering, over the past six months, a 38% increase in the player count for GamingSoft’s operators that have integrated the provider’s API solutions.

Operators have also reported a noticeable uptick in player retention, with an average increase in gameplay per session of one minute and four seconds.

Meanwhile, the feedback from operators for GS Connect+ has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Goh says.

“One of our recent Asian partners shared how GS Connect+ streamlined their market entry, allowing them to go live with a rich portfolio and fully-integrated payment gateways from day one,” Goh adds. “They were able to launch their platform swiftly, without the typical delays and integration hurdles that can slow down a business.”

Overcoming roadblocks

Typical integration blockers can range from compatibility issues to slow response times and data synchronisation problems.

To navigate such a variety of potential challenges, the API solutions were built to be as adaptable as possible.

Multiple programming languages and frameworks are supported, allowing developers to work within their preferred tech stack. Additionally, security and stability are enabled through encrypted data transfers, protection against DDoS cyberattacks, and a “fail-safe system that keeps everything running even during high-traffic periods,” Goh says.

GS Connect offers auto-scaling capabilities, load balancing, and real-time monitoring to enable platforms to handle high traffic loads and avoid performance bottlenecks.

“The demand for API solutions is higher than ever, and we knew we had to offer something beyond what’s currently available,” he added. “We built GS Connect and GS Connect+ with flexibility and long-term growth in mind, giving operators not just a tool but a complete solution that evolves with their needs. At the end of the day, it’s about providing operators with the right support to stay competitive while keeping things simple and scalable.”

Growth opportunities

Having the tools to scale quickly and efficiently has become increasingly important for operators with an eye on emerging markets. While Africa and LatAm only accounted for 3.4% and 4.7% of igaming global gross win late last year, substantial growth is anticipated in both regions due to regulatory changes and greater mobile technology adoption.

“As we expand our reach into LatAm, we’ve prioritised partnerships with providers offering localised content that caters specifically to the region’s player preferences,” Goh adds. “This ensures that operators entering LatAm have access to the right content and payment solutions tailored to the market.

“The same strategy applies to Africa, where we’re strengthening connections with key providers to support seamless expansion. With our strong presence in Asia already well established, GS Connect provides operators with the foundation they need to penetrate emerging markets confidently, tapping into new player bases while maintaining a high-performance gaming environment.”

“Operators can focus on their growth while we handle the complexities in the background”

Crash games

The rocketing popularity of crash games in emerging markets and worldwide is expected to be a key driver of igaming growth. However, from an integration perspective, Goh explains that the vertical comes with a unique set of challenges.

Unlike traditional slots or table games, crash games rely on real-time mechanics that require stable, low-latency connections for smooth gameplay. However, operators often face technical hurdles when trying to synchronise game servers with their platforms, especially when it comes to handling live wagers and instant cashouts. Accordingly, many face issues like lag, delayed payouts, or mismatched bet settlements.

Additionally, operators often struggle to handle traffic spikes in crash games without compromising performance. It is also common for platforms to struggle with integrating responsible gambling features and retention tools to enhance player engagement while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, Goh adds.

Optimising APIs

It is clear that the stakes are high as operators seek to establish a sustainable foothold with crash games, particularly in emerging markets – and the margin for error is small.

The good news is that surging demand for crash games has encouraged providers to refine their technology, making integration smoother for operators, Goh says.

“We’re seeing more providers investing in optimised APIs, ensuring that crash games run seamlessly with existing platforms,” he adds. “Many providers are also improving game stability, incorporating smart risk management tools, and enhancing user interfaces to make the experience more engaging for players.

“For operators, a more integrated and seamless solution means they can meet the growing demand without technical roadblocks. With advanced retention tools like real-time leaderboards, bonuses, and automated marketing features, they can keep players engaged while maintaining a stable, high-performance gaming environment.

“Ultimately, as crash games continue to evolve, so do the solutions that make them easier to integrate and manage, benefiting both operators and players alike.”

Technical support

The GamingSoft technical support team is on hand to address any issues and assist developers and operators with the guidance they need.

“The goal is simple – make integration effortless so operators can focus on their growth while we handle the complexities in the background,” Goh says.

Whereas straightforward problems can be resolved “on the spot”, Goh explains how GamingSoft undertakes thorough investigations into more complex cases – such as integration conflicts or technical limitations – by running tests and reviewing logs.

“Once we’ve identified the root cause, we don’t just offer a quick fix – we tailor a solution that aligns with the operator’s platform,” he adds. “Whether it’s a custom API configuration or enhanced flexibility, we adapt to their needs. Throughout the process, we keep operators informed, so they always know what’s happening and when.

“Even after the issue is resolved, our commitment doesn’t end there. We remain available for follow-ups, further optimisations and any additional integrations they may require. For us, it’s not just about solving problems – it’s about delivering lasting solutions and empowering operators with the tools and support they need to thrive.”

With GamingSoft’s API aggregators, though, Goh stresses that there is neither a need for repeated integrations nor manual updates.

“Everything is as seamless as an iOS or Android update,” he says.

New features

Looking to the coming months, GamingSoft is working on various new GS Connect and GS Connect+ features based on feedback from partners.

These include an automated credit system in the agent backend that will simplify agent management and operations, and commission-based promotional activities, allowing agents to fund their own promotions to attract more players.

Agents will be able to purchase free spins for players directly from the backend, while a new GSC+ Jackpot will also fund initiatives that optimise player engagement and maximise retention while easing the financial burden on operators.

“These upgrades are all designed to provide operators with better tools for growth, retention and profitability,” says Goh, who underlines the benefits for operators who can offload the heavy lifting of essential integrations.

“The beauty of GS Connect and GS Connect+ is that they keep operators ahead of industry trends without extra effort at their end.”

Coinciding with the rise of igaming in regulated markets around the world, cryptocurrencies have also become a very popular way to pay and play in online casinos and sports betting.

A report by Techreport found that the crypto gambling market size was roughly $250 million in 2021, and that interest in Bitcoin casinos quadrupled between 2019 and 2021.

The rapid rise and popularity of cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket – which took in billions of dollars in volume in 2024 – proves there’s large public enthusiasm for wagering with crypto.

All signs point to future growth as crypto sees wider adoption as a payment method. Lifshits, however, goes even further. “Offering crypto deposits is no longer an optional feature for igaming operators – it’s a competitive necessity,” she said.

“Crypto payments [open up access to] high-value players who prefer fast secure transactions, players in regions with limited access to traditional banking, and users who prioritise privacy and want to deposit without sharing sensitive financial information.”

How cryptocurrency deposits work in igaming

While the benefits are clear, few understand how cryptocurrency payments and deposits actually work in practice, holding operators back from adoption.

Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that combine cryptography with blockchain technology – a type of decentralised database that stores transactions across a network of computers. Cryptocurrencies facilitate peer-to-peer transactions without the need for an intermediary, with transfers verified by the network and publicly stored in the blockchain. The use of anonymous wallet addresses in place of personally identifiable information also hides the identity of the sender.

Their digital nature makes crypto payments instantaneous, and cryptographic algorithms render them secure and reliable despite being peer-to-peer; only the rightful owner can authorise transactions with a private key. Once recorded on the blockchain, transactions are immutable and cannot be altered.

Lifshits described how this functions in the context of deposits in igaming. She said the payment process is structured into three main stages, each comprising specific steps.

The first is dynamic address generation. A transaction is initiated when a customer opts to deposit with cryptocurrency. NOWPayments will generate a unique deposit address for the specific transaction for tracking and security purposes. The system will then provide the customer with the unique address and payment details to proceed with the transaction.

Next, the payment will actually be processed. The customer will transfer the specified cryptocurrency amount to the unique address provided. NOWPayments then monitors the blockchain network for the incoming transaction to that unique address. Upon detection, the system waits for a predefined number of confirmations in order to validate the transaction’s authenticity and prevent double-spending.

The final step is settlement to the merchant. After sufficient confirmations, the received funds are processed by NOWPayments. If the operator has opted for auto-conversion, the cryptocurrency is converted into their preferred currency at this stage (such as into fiat currencies or stablecoins). The final amount is then transferred to the operator’s designated wallet or bank account.

What’s stopping crypto payment adoption in igaming?

Cryptocurrencies’ unique characteristics are all major pros when it comes to igaming deposits, where speed, privacy and reliability are paramount.

“Cryptocurrency has evolved from a niche digital asset into a global financial instrument, with growing adoption across industries, including igaming,” Lifshits said.

“Igaming operators have been early adopters of crypto payments due to their borderless nature, security, and ability to provide fast payouts. In 2025, we are seeing an increased number of igaming platforms integrating cryptocurrencies as they look to tap into a global audience that values privacy, instant transactions and financial autonomy.”

There is, however, one problem with using cryptocurrencies for payments: fees. Cryptocurrency fees represent one of the biggest challenges businesses in igaming and elsewhere face in offering cryptocurrencies as a payment method – turning what would be a no-brainer into a burden that can affect margins.

During cryptocurrency boom cycles, bitcoin was notorious for its exorbitant transaction fees during times of heavy congestion. A single transfer of bitcoin from one wallet to another cost as much $60 in 2017 – a fixed fee no matter how much value was being transferred. While fees are much more modest in times of low congestion – currently averaging roughly $1 at the time of writing – this still represents an obstacle for players looking to deposit small amounts to play with in igaming casinos.

NOWPayments has ways of mitigating high transaction fees, however, in order to make crypto deposits affordable and scalable even for small transactions. These mitigation tactics mean that NOWPayments is able to offer market leading fees of just 0.5% for facilitating crypto payments.

Lifshits said the company works around this challenge through facilitating so-called ‘Layer-2’ solutions – such as the Lighting Network, which processes bitcoin transactions off-chain before batching payments together for settlement on the main blockchain.

In addition, she added, autoconversion means operators can choose to receive payments in stablecoins or lower-fee cryptocurrencies, minimising costs.

“Funds received in crypto are aggregated and routed to liquidity partners (e.g., Binance, Kraken) via APIs for market-rate conversion. With a 0.5% service fee, NOWPayments ensures that both players and operators benefit from cost-effective, seamless transactions without worrying about excessive blockchain fees.”

How NOWPayments solves igaming’s crypto challenges

According to NOWPayments, implementing an option for customers to pay via cryptocurrency is easier than it may sound. Little to no technical work is needed on the part of operators; setup involves integrating a crypto ‘gateway’ via an API, a website plugin, or a simple payment widget, Lifshits said.

“The setup is minimal, requiring only an account, a payout wallet, and an API key activation. NOWPayments supports 300+ cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, USDT, and other high-liquidity assets. Operators can also choose to auto-convert volatile assets into stablecoins, reducing exposure to market fluctuations while still benefiting from crypto adoption.”

Customisation has emerged as a key igaming trend in the past few years as operators attempt to stand out and differentiate their offerings in a highly competitive industry. According to Lifshits, this informed NOWPayments’ decision to put customisation front and centre.

Key customisation options include a highly flexible auto-conversion feature, mass payouts (automated withdrawals to multiple winners or affiliates in one batch), and casino-specific enhancements.

“NOWPayments is recognised as one of the fastest and most secure crypto payment gateways on the market. However, unlike many competitors, NOWPayments is fully customisable to meet the specific needs of operators.

“Recently, one of our partners approached us with a request to accelerate deposit processing for their players. In response, we increased transaction speed by 80%, achieving an average deposit processing time of just ~30 seconds.”

Navigating regulatory concerns

With low-fee crypto payment options bringing the benefits of crypto payments to igaming sites without the barriers, what’s stopping wider adoption in the industry?

Lack of education on the available options plays a big part, Lifshits said, hence NOWPayments’ focus on educating the industry.

Another major concern is regulation. The somewhat murky reputation of cryptocurrency and disparate worldwide approaches to regulating it creates uncertainty for operators.

Regulations in the US differ from state to state, while crypto payments aren’t legal in Brazil, meaning tailored regional approaches are paramount. However, regulation around cryptocurrency is becoming clearer. The European Union, for example, implemented the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation in 2024 to standardise the bloc’s regulatory approach to cryptocurrency.

The Gambling Commission in the UK has released specific guidance for operators on dealing with cryptocurrency, which states that operators must pay particular attention to anti-money laundering regulation and ensuring that the source of funds is clear if choosing to accept cryptocurrency payments.

With ambiguous regulations around the world, maintaining transparency and documentation and adhering to licensing rules is vital. Lifshits said NOWPayments helps operators stay compliant by offering transaction monitoring, anti-money-laundering (AML) compliant tools, and fiat conversion features where needed.

As cryptocurrency continues to cement itself as a legitimate, safe and realistic payment method, the growth of gaming with crypto is inevitable.

As a result, the value for operators who do choose to allow cryptocurrency payments for their igaming sites is evident – and, when done right, highly lucrative.

“3 Oaks Gaming was founded in 2021 by passionate professionals with a vision to become a leading distributor of high-quality igaming content, bringing engaging and innovative gaming experiences to players worldwide.

“Since our inception, we have focused on delivering premium slot games and promotional tools to regulated markets, working closely with operators to enhance their offerings.

“We are currently licensed and regulated by the Gambling Supervision Commission in the Isle of Man, the Gambling Commission in Great Britain, the National Gambling Office in Romania, and recently the Hellenic Gaming Commission in Greece.

“Additionally, our games are tested and certified for the United Kingdom, Italy, Colombia, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, Brazil and Portugal. We are actively pursuing certifications in Greece, Peru, Netherlands and Spain to further broaden our market presence.”

 Your primary business is game distribution. Why should operators partner with 3 Oaks for their casino game needs? What are your USPs in the market that differentiate you from other distributors?

“3 Oaks Gaming offers more than just game distribution – we provide a comprehensive solution for operators. Our key USPs include high-quality content, seamless integration and promo tools.

“We partner with top-tier studios that create engaging, innovative, and high-performing games that are adapted for specific markets, ensuring compliance with regulations and meeting regional player preferences.

“We provide operators with different promo tools such as Tournaments, Flip to Win, Jackpots, Lucky Drops that help boost player retention. Our platform supports a single API integration, giving operators instant access to a diverse portfolio.”

“Since our inception, we have focused on delivering premium slot games and promotional tools to regulated markets, working closely with operators to enhance their offerings.”

Walk us through the process of how you choose studios to work with. What goes into deciding to partner with a new game development studio? What do you look for in a studio? When working with third party studios, how do you decide which games to onboard?

“When evaluating potential partners, we consider a lot of criteria, but game quality and uniqueness are 3 Oaks’ main uncompromisable requirements.

“The studio must offer games with high production value, strong mechanics, and engaging gameplay and bring fresh ideas and unique features that enhance the player experience.

“We assess whether a studio’s content aligns with player preferences and operator needs in key regulated markets. The studio’s games need to be built using modern technologies and easily integrate with our platform.

“Of course, the studios should also meet all regulatory requirements for different jurisdictions.

“We onboard games that align with our market strategy, operator demands, and player trends. Every game goes through performance, cross, board testing before being added to our portfolio.”

Looking now at your internal game development, it would be valuable to receive insight into your creative process. Where do you start in a process like creating a new game? What does that journey look like end to end?

“Our game development process follows a structured end-to-end workflow. First of all, we analyse trends, player behaviour, and competitor games. We put a lot of effort into understanding market sentiment in order to craft games that resonate with different demographics.

“Then, we define the game theme, mechanics, and core features – and test it, test it and test it! Rigorous testing ensures that the game meets technical, regulatory, and UX standards. Our designers craft high-quality visuals, animations, and immersive sound effects to enhance player experience.

“Meanwhile, our engineers bring the game to life, ensuring smooth performance across all devices. After release, we monitor performance and player feedback to make continuous improvements.

“All of our unique features, gamification elements, and bonus mechanics are analysed and provided in accordance with the preferences of players on the different markets.”

It is imperative to keep the player in mind when developing igaming content. How do you anticipate player needs, wants and preferences when designing games?

“We use a data-driven approach to anticipate player expectations through the tracking player engagement patterns, session durations, and feature interactions to understand preferences.

“At 3 Oaks Gaming we keep an eye on emerging industry trends to introduce fresh and relevant game mechanics developing content suited to specific player segments, from casual players to high rollers.”

You have hundreds of games available in your portfolio. How do you decide the makeup of this library to ensure operators with different preferences can all be catered to? Do you tailor your available portfolio based on who you are working with?

“3 Oaks Gaming provides a mix of classic slots, high-volatility games, and innovative mechanics to cater to different audiences. We tailor our selection based on regional market demands and regulatory requirements.

“We also track game performance across operators and adjust our offerings to ensure optimal engagement. We’re obsessed with portfolio optimisation; we love all of our games, but to maintain high performance and player engagement, we periodically review and optimise our selection, saying goodbye to titles that no longer meet our expectations.”

“3 Oaks Gaming provides a mix of classic slots, high-volatility games, and innovative mechanics to cater to different audiences.”

Yurii Muratov, Chief commercial officer at 3 Oaks Gaming

Creating a platform that engages players enough to foster loyalty is no easy feat, but advances in AI and automation tools have brought operators success in personalising players’ gaming experiences. Through the collection and analysis of player data, operators have been able to present tailored playing experiences that drastically improve retention.

So far, promotional offers haven’t had the same level of success. Tailoring promotional offers to players based on their preferences and behaviour represents an opportunity to connect with and retain customers – but technological and workload limitations render this difficult. They have become a particular pain point as personalisation options in this area have not kept pace with innovations in other parts of the business.

Instilling player loyalty

“It comes down to loyalty, and that’s why personalisation and being very relevant and personal to the player is something that is a huge trend in industry.” 

Lidzén and his team identified early on that technological barriers were creating challenges that held operators back from improving loyalty.

“When we started off Fast Track, we were all from the igaming industry,” Lidzén explained. “We were working with operators beforehand, and in the process, we noticed how painfully bad the operational tooling and platforms were. “This was really what we identified as the core problem. But then when we started getting into it a little bit more closely, we really managed to put the focus on the fact that every operator needs to win the loyalty of their players, because it’s a very competitive landscape, and that every single casino player plays at multiple casinos.”

Player-focused promotional offers  

There is nowhere where this problem is more prominent than promotional offers. As a key retention tool and one of the first touchpoints new players have with a brand, promotional offers represent a valuable opportunity to hook and engage when done right. 

However, all too often platforms still provide welcome offers in the form of generic deposit matches or free spins, with equally generic promotions and bonuses available to existing customers. It is easy to see how this can lead to player complacency, a lack of enthusiasm and ultimately turnover. As Lidzén noted, “The problem is when everyone has the same offer.”

But tailoring offers to meet the preferences, tendencies and behaviour of players is a lot of work. Accurately profiling players and creating tailored campaigns to give them appropriate welcome offers, or ongoing bonuses, requires an unsustainable amount of manpower to do manually as businesses scale up.

“Every time you segment your players in a new dimension, you have to create new campaigns. You get to a stage where the amount of work it takes to introduce new segments in the process requires so much workload, because you’re exponentially growing.”

Introducing Fast Track Rewards

“If you look at most operators in the market and most platforms, one thing that is typically highly limiting for the operator is their promotional capabilities.” 

This challenge directly inspired the creation of Fast Track’s new offering: Rewards. Leveraging the company’s existing cutting-edge AI behavioural modelling systems, Fast Track Rewards aims to solve this problem by applying its existing industry-leading machine learning and player profiling to promotional offers.

Dubbed the “industry’s first” AI-driven promotional ecosystem, Rewards goes beyond the outdated bonus engines of old by offering personalised bonuses and rewards at scale. “Most [operators] can do free spins, they can do deposit bonuses, but they can’t really navigate outside of that to make more exciting incentives for the players,” Lidzén reflected.

The product plugs into Fast Track’s existing Singularity Model, which allows it to analyse player behaviour using AI and real-time data. The platform lets you build content banks of campaigns, from which the model can pick what offer to give at what time and to whom.

“When we were developing all of these AI capabilities that we have in the core platform [Singularity], the technology started getting more advanced than we could make use of,” Lidzén said.

“We had all of this data being processed, and we had all of these AI models predicting various things, but we didn’t have other systems you could pass on these instructions into. What we decided to do was build a promotional ecosystem and complement our current AI offerings.” 

Rewarding valuable players

Rewards is designed to create promotions that can be truly interesting for players to engage with, which open capabilities for a brand to build on. For example, Rewards features a levelling system, an experience point system and promotional coins that operators can set up to bring various dynamics to the table. It also comes complete with challenges, which are essentially ways of setting up different qualification criteria – say, logging in multiple days in a row or playing a certain game or spinning a certain slot. It’s designed to give players a full experience of the brand, in return for which they get rewarded with experience points or other incentives.

But where it really comes together in a way that makes Fast Track unique in the market is the Singularity Model, Lidzén said. “There are other platforms in the market doing gamification, but where we really differentiate ourselves is with the Singularity Model because you can tell the platform to tailor the levels to the player, so that the difficulty of the level would be personal.

“You can tailor the kind of challenges that you have on the rewards. If you’re a player that typically plays three days in a week, the system may recommend that you play four before you release a bonus. If you’re a player that gets a bonus that is based on wagering, it will be able to identify how much that player needs to increase their wagering in order to release that bonus.

“The model is able to hand pick what offer, what time, and the system automates a super tailored and personal experience for the player.”

These deeply personalised bonuses and rewards are possible thanks to the integration with Fast Track’s core underlying CRM. The CRM platform receives real-time data on player behaviour and conducts advanced behavioural modelling to understand when people want to be contacted, what they want their communications to look like, what offers are most relevant, and how much they need to play in order to release certain offers. Rewards then builds on that to create tangible personalised experiences to make the most of data already held about the player.

Balancing Risk vs Reward

With great rewards, however, come great risks – or so the conventional logic goes. Promotional offers have long caused headaches for operators as they battle bonus abuse and fraud. Automatically releasing personalised offers based on behaviour risks opening up opportunities for players looking to abuse the system.

That’s where Greco comes in. Fast Track entered a joint venture with risk management platform Greco in 2021 and together the two companies have developed what they call the industry’s first gameplay risk engine.

By building a comprehensive database of casino games, they’ve taught their AI models to look at how players play slots in order to identify whether they’re legitimate or non-legitimate players. By combining with the Fast Track’s Singularity Model, Greco is able to take anonymised data and – within seconds of watching player behaviour – understand which players are worth investing in and which aren’t.

“What makes it so exciting is when you combine Rewards into it, you also get the bonus data, so you understand how much you’re bonusing the players and how much you’re paying for it, and then they can complete what we call the true value model. When you understand both how people are playing your games, and the value that you’re giving to the player, you can get the best measure of true value.”

The model can predict how a player is optimising their stakes, and how they are playing bonuses, to be able to see if that is someone that is a legitimate player or if that is someone that is trying to cheat the system.

This partnership doesn’t just identify when a player abuses bonuses after it’s happened – it’s even better than that, Lidzén said. “Even more proactively, if you already have the integration, Greco would probably have avoided you even sending that bonus to that player in the first place.”

This proactive approach is crucial because, as Lidzén explains, bonus abuse is often not caught until after the problem has already occurred. “You always catch it too late, and that’s why this platform is so important,” he added.

“Our clients, people that are working with both Greco and Fast Track right now, they’re telling us that their favourite activity is logging in in the morning and essentially checking before they’re processing all of the pending withdrawals, to see if anyone is trying to cheat the system. They get satisfaction in finding the thieves before they’re taking it.”

Leading AI-driven Rewards technology for the future

As a company at the forefront of integrating large language models into its product offering, Fast Track is leading the way in using AI technology to innovate in igaming.

Lidzén concluded, “I’m really excited about our ability to bring the three products together and really starting to play on the capabilities that they possess as a joint proposition. 

“This year, Rewards is quite fresh out. And while it’s a new product, it’s very comprehensive already. But this year is truly about integrating every single piece of Singularity into Rewards. And the same goes for Greco, making sure that every piece of Greco and Rewards is kind of benefitting from each other, in a perfect symbiosis.”

“Finera is a next-generation payment orchestration platform designed to empower businesses with a streamlined and efficient payment process. We are launching at a pivotal moment as the demand for a reliable payment hub has never been greater. The global business environment is changing quickly, with organisations increasingly seeking to optimise their transaction processes to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

“At Finera, we are prepared to provide the technology needed to simplify operations and enhance user experiences. As organisations deal with the complexities of payment processing, they require solutions that not only facilitate transactions but also offer insights into performance and security.

“The industry is already taking notice because we are committed to innovation and delivering an ecosystem that effectively addresses the challenges businesses face in managing payments.”

The payments sector is fiercely competitive. What does your product offering look like? What will your USPs be in the market that’ll make you stand out?

“Our wide range of products is centred on providing high-performance, scalable, and secure solutions. We offer card acquiring, fast multi-currency payouts, and a range of alternative payment methods that cater to diverse customer preferences.

“What distinguishes us in the industry are our key capabilities.

“First, our intelligent transaction routing improves approval rates by directing payments to the most effective acquirers. Second, we provide advanced fraud protection that protects transactions and minimises chargebacks. Third, our real-time analytics empower businesses to make informed decisions by offering actionable insights into payment performance.

“Additionally, we are proud to provide 24/7 dedicated support to ensure our clients receive assistance whenever they need it. These features combine to create a powerful orchestration platform that enhances operational efficiency and drives revenue growth for our clients.”

You mentioned that Finera is a payment orchestration platform, not just a payment solutions provider. What does this mean in practical terms for operators?

“Being a payment orchestration platform means that Finera provides a single, integrated solution for managing all aspects of payment processing. This payment hub eliminates the need for businesses to juggle multiple providers, reducing complexity and enhancing efficiency.

“Practically, this means operators can connect to various payment service providers (PSPs) and acquirers through one platform, streamlining their payment workflows. It allows for quick onboarding and seamless integration with existing systems, enabling businesses to respond to their customers’ demands without unnecessary delays. By centralising payment operations, we help clients focus on their core activities while ensuring a smooth payment experience for their customers.”

“Being a payment orchestration platform means that Finera provides a single, integrated solution for managing all aspects of payment processing.”

Finera is a bold new brand – clean, sleek, professional. What does this branding tell us about your direction and how you’ll position yourselves in the market? What does it signal to new customers?

“Our branding reflects our commitment to delivering quality and reliability in payment technology. The clean and sleek design of Finera conveys professionalism and innovation, emphasising our forward-thinking approach and modern aesthetic. This branding positions us as a company that not only understands the complexities of payment processing but also embraces the future of fintech. We are dedicated to providing advanced solutions that are not just effective but also intuitive and user-friendly.

“For customers, this means they can expect a seamless experience that simplifies their payment operations. Our platform is designed with the user in mind, offering easy navigation and accessibility. Alongside this, clients benefit from expert guidance and support at every stage, ensuring they have the tools they need to succeed. Our commitment to continuous improvement in our technology further reinforces our promise to adapt and grow with our customers’ evolving needs.”

The payments sector is far from static. Is adaptation necessary to survive? How can companies do that while staying true to their core founding principles? 

“Our priority is to continually enhance our platform to meet the evolving needs of our clients. We are committed to integrating the latest technological advancements and responding proactively to industry trends. This means not only refining our existing features but also exploring innovative solutions that can further streamline payment processes and improve the user experience.

“We understand that the payment environment is dynamic, and our dedication to adaptability ensures that we remain a reliable partner for businesses looking to thrive in this environment. By focusing on our clients’ feedback and leveraging data-driven insights, we aim to provide solutions that empower them to achieve their goals more efficiently.”

“Finera will continue to evolve, ensuring our clients have the payment technology they need to grow. Future developments will focus on expanding integrations, continuing to refine fraud prevention measures, and optimising transaction speed.

“A key priority is listening to clients and adapting the platform based on their needs. Every update—from supporting emerging payment methods to enhancing automation—will be designed to improve efficiency and usability. Businesses shouldn’t have to adapt to their payment provider—Finera ensures the technology adapts to them.

“By prioritising innovation, adaptability, and customer-driven improvements, Finera will continue to set new standards in payment orchestration. The goal is simple – empower businesses with a smarter, more efficient way to manage payments, so they can focus on growth and success.”

Israel Waks, Chief operating officer at Finera

What can you tell us about your new platform, Odds88, which is being dubbed the ‘next gen toolkit’?

“Odds88 is ex-TradeArt, and we’re super excited about launching here at ICE. It’s going to be a very innovative touch on the sports legacy industry, adding a lot of new features, social elements, and then obviously some secrets that I will save for later. We’ll see how it goes.”

In such a saturated market, what makes Odds88 stand out and makes it such a must have for operators?

“In terms of innovation, we’re trying to build it as customised as possible. Every partner that we work with, they have special needs and wants, and we’re building a product suited to their needs. So if you’re asking me to launch a sportsbook, we will do it for you and maybe fifty others, and then utilise the ecosystem of having an aggregation platform.”

What are some of the key features of Odds88 and how does that lead to a better experience?

“With Odds88, we’ve built an aggregation platform that gives us a lot of different providers that we work with. With that incoming data, we will be able to switch between the different feeds and providers that we work with to make sure that our downtime is almost zero, 99.8% uptime, give or take.”

How do you differentiate yourself from the competition?

“We look at competition as a potential partnership. So the ones that we work with are our competitors, but they’re also a very integral part of how we operate as an aggregator.

“What I think specialises us from the rest of the offering out there is that we can really customise and take feedback and needs and wants from the partners that we have and build a customised journey for them. So we put a lot of resources into perfecting sort of a tailored solution so that sports really becomes relevant for the player demographic. Players should always be first.”

Automation is such a key focus in the industry. What role does automation play for Odds88?

“Scalable processes. We want to save as much time and energy from our partners and ourselves to focus on what we do best, so to have a company built on automated processes is just safe, no human error. That’s a very key thing for us. We can trust the AI driven algorithms that we have. Players feel confident that we give them the best fair odds in the market. So there’s many positives.”

It is therefore increasingly clear that igaming operators can ill afford to ignore the danger of losing the social factor in an ultra-competitive space in which it is vital to stand out from the crowd.

“The loss of the social experience in igaming can significantly impact the player experience,” Adolfsson explained. “In land-based casinos, the social interactions, the atmosphere and the camaraderie among players contribute to the overall enjoyment and excitement. When gaming moves online, these elements often get lost, leading to a more solitary experience.

“The social experience is important because it fosters a sense of community, enhances engagement, and provides emotional rewards through interactions with other players. We do not believe this is unique to gaming. Similar patterns of social interactions that enhance user retention exists in many industries.”

It is also noteworthy that social tools such as those offered by KIPEM+ can also play a crucial role in facilitating safer gambling by promoting responsible gaming practices and providing real-time support.

“KIPEM+ can help by integrating features that allow players to set limits, receive notifications about their gaming behaviour, and access resources for responsible gambling,” Adolfsson pointed out. “By fostering a supportive community, social tools can encourage players to gamble responsibly.”

Differentiators

Across various consumer-facing sectors, social channels are becoming vital differentiators in the digital landscape. This is helping to drive a sharp rise in so-called social commerce, when revenues are driven directly through social media – an approach that is expected to yield nearly $80bn (£62bn/€74bn) in sales this year in the US alone, up from $37bn just four years ago.

In the betting and gaming landscape, the scenario appears to be no different. Furthermore, given the rise of streaming and content services in betting and gaming – and the well-documented convergence of gambling and media platforms in recent years, igaming operators need to evolve beyond their established offering to ensure a comprehensive entertainment experience is available.

Adolfsson said: “As humans, we are social beings, and that is clear when you celebrate a win at a land-based casino, or a sports bet at the pub. With KIPEM+ you can create this atmosphere in your environment.”

Creating a ‘vibrant community’

KIPEM+ was developed after many years of experience in the igaming industry, recognizing the need for new products that could improve retention numbers and help drive down acquisition costs. The solution is a cutting-edge suite of social tools designed to integrate with existing online platforms using client-based APIs.

KIPEM+ offers features like personalised feeds, social profiles, posts, comments and chats that facilitate real-time interactions and provide channels for community-driven text, image and video-based content.

The feeds engage users via a dynamic content stream, presenting a continuous flow of relevant posts related to their interests and preferences, while the profiles serve as a central hub for customers to access customised content. Meanwhile the tailored social posts are designed to encourage users to share bets, casino games, predictions and other discussions with others.

According to Adolfsson, these features help to “create a vibrant community of users, fostering interaction, loyalty and extended play time” through a “cohesive social experience”.

Significant impact

In the experience economy, the impact of such a solution can help solve one of the operator’s biggest challenges – retention. On a basic level, such social tools reduce the likelihood of the user leaving for a social experience on another platform, boosting short-term engagement and gambling expenditure as a result.

Over time, such interactions can also drive customer loyalty and sustainable revenues in a space in which more than three-quarters of bettors would leave their current app of choice for an enhanced experience elsewhere, according to research.

“Social tools not only boost profitability for operators but also significantly improve the player’s experience,” Adolfsson said. “By providing a platform for social interactions, personalised content, and real-time feedback, social tools enhance the overall enjoyment and satisfaction of players.

“This leads to a more engaging and rewarding gaming experience. We help create a voice for the user, and together with other users they can share content and create a feeling of belonging.”

Creating a sense of belonging for player retention

This sense of belonging ultimately brings direct and quantifiable bottom-line benefits.

“Social tools like KIPEM+ can boost key operator metrics such as user engagement, retention rates and lifetime value,” Adolfsson added.

“By fostering a sense of community and encouraging real-time interactions, social tools can reduce the cost of acquisition through social sharing, enhance user engagement, and increase retention rates by offering something else for the user to do other than just placing another bet.”

The stakes are especially high among generation Z players, who are typically more fluid with their loyalty and, as is widely recognised, use more gambling apps than their older counterparts, as well as being more digitally savvy.

Adolfsson said: “The target demographic for a more social gaming experience typically includes younger adults who are accustomed to social interactions in their digital experiences.

“This demographic values community, real-time interactions and personalised content. By offering a social gaming experience, operators can attract and retain a larger part of the Generation Z market segment who are often harder to acquire.”

Taking gamification and personalisation further

KIPEM+ works alongside gamification and personalisation tools to enhance the overall user experience.

For instance, gamification elements like badges, leaderboards and achievements can be integrated with social features to create a more engaging and interactive platform. Meanwhile, the personalisation aspect works in tandem with the social offering, tailoring content to optimise engagement and interactive opportunities in line with the preferences and behaviours of individual users.

This customised offering is increasingly important across all sectors. According to a 2024 study of American consumers, for example, 84% said they prefer companies that offer a personalised experience. Additionally, previous research has identified a direct link between personalisation and monetisation, with a customisation strategy generating a typical revenue uplift of up to 25% for online direct-to-consumer brands.

The challenge, as always, is to scale such effective personalisation.

“We use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to both display the right content to the right user at the right time in search and feed as well as to moderate the content and community content to ensure the experience can stay in line with the operator’s view of communications,” Adolfsson said.

Furthermore, KIPEM+ advanced AI models are making relevant content discoverable via the suite’s search ranking algorithms, helping to remove the heavy lifting of a personalised approach for operators.

Making integration easy

Meanwhile, the integration process leaves the client firmly in control of their brand, as well as the customer experience and data. Operators can customise the user interface, use their icons, reactions and animated emoticons, and can also integrate promotions within social posts to boost engagement.

“KIPEM+ integrates seamlessly with existing platforms using web-friendly APIs,” Adolfsson said. “It is highly customisable, allowing operators to tailor the social experience to their specific needs.

“The data is stored in the cloud but belongs to the operator. Content is also available in our back-office system where the moderation is controlled.”

For users who embrace fully the social aspect of the KIPEM+ offering, it is clear that a community can be created to support users, as well as engage them, bringing a fruitful new dimension to the igaming experience.

VP of product, Marcus Adolfsson

A robust reporting system should offer reporting capabilities that allow operators to customise reports from the outset. These reports can be tailored based on various criteria, such as game type, content provider, country, and user activity. For Enger, this level of customisation ensures operators gain different perspectives of their data, making it easier to analyse and optimise performance.

He adds, “At the core of these reports should be a data warehouse that pre-aggregates various dimensions, allowing operators to generate reports in multiple configurations.

“Additionally, reporting tools should offer the ability to activate and define input conditions, apply filters, and enable or disable specific output fields.”

Comprehensive reporting solutions

For Enger, EveryMatrix has the solution that delivers on high level customisation.  “Our casino solution enables operators to generate reports in 1,350 different combinations, aligning with multiple business needs. This extensive customisation is made possible by its ability to drill down into granular data, such as content provider, game, and user activity levels.”

Real-time data monitoring and customisation

Operators require real-time insights to manage their business efficiently. In the back-office management dashboard, users should be able to personalise their interface using widgets.

Personalisation is key because different roles within the organisation have different priorities. Customer support teams need certain quick-access widgets relevant to their function, while marketing teams have their own specific insights. A casino manager looks at high-level performance, while a campaign manager might specifically want to track new sign-ups over a set period to measure the success of an acquisition campaign. Meanwhile, a content provider manager might focus on the growth of a newly integrated provider.

These widgets should provide near real-time data, including game rounds, gross gaming revenue (GGR), payouts, and other key metrics.

Leading casino platforms should provide two types of reports: ‘transactional’ and ‘aggregated’. Most reports fall into the transactional category, with data updating every few seconds for near-instant freshness.

For reports with aggregated data, the update frequency depends on how often data is processed. Aggregations can be performed daily or even in near real-time if you use a pre-aggregation to keep KPIs up to date – ultimately depending on how the operator has configured their dashboard.

Enger explains how EveryMatrix’s Transaction Monitor feature ticks all the right boxes for operations. “In the case of our Transaction Monitor feature, real-time monitoring can be set to auto-refresh as frequently as every five seconds to ensure data updates as events occur. It also includes 40 customisable columns that can be reordered based on the operator’s preferences.”

Operators should also be able to access information at game round level through integrations with content providers, offering complete transparency into individual game game rounds, including all events and outcomes that took place. This feature simplifies data retrieval by centralising information in one place.

Enger continues, “For example, an Open Rounds Monitor tool is particularly useful in highly regulated markets as it tracks open (incomplete) game rounds, allowing operators to identify and resolve issues.

“With such a tool, operators can monitor game transactions using any of +40 data types as filter (vendor, game, player, etc.) and customise columns and timeframes to match their reporting needs.”

Report templates for efficiency

An igaming software supplier should address a template-based approach to reporting, allowing you to filter reports by any column header, export reports in CSV format for further analysis, and save report templates for easy sharing and reuse.

“These templates help operators save valuable time and resources while also ensuring data management efficiency. Report types should include Product, Player, Jackpot and Failed Transactions. Each one should offer the possibility to be filtered, named, saved, and exported.”

DataHub

Through a DataHub, casino software providers should stream all data directly into the operator’s data warehouse, giving them full control to build their own reports.

A key use case is compliance, like free spins reports or data required for specific market regulations. Since the data should be streamed live, operators should always have the freshest data and reports, just as fresh as their software provider.

“Within our own solution, for example, we have developed a DataHub that allows clients and partners to stream data in real-time, whether for data warehouse and reporting tailored to their specific analytical needs.

“We also supply data to third-party CRMs and AI providers, enabling real-time correlation between player segments and bonusing, thus ensuring the right bonus reaches the right player instantly. Based on the specific needs of each DataHub integration, the appropriate and relevant topics are streamed.”

Mobile-friendly reporting for ‘on-the-go’ access

Finally, a mobile-optimised reporting system is a crucial advantage for operators today. A well-designed mobile interface ensures quick and easy access to reports on any device, options for both overview and detailed views in the management dashboard, and optimised filters and settings for seamless mobile navigation.

By leveraging customisable reports, real-time monitoring, template-based efficiency, and mobile accessibility, operators can optimise their performance. Choosing a software solution with these advanced reporting capabilities ensures that operators can manage their business with precision, flexibility, and efficiency.

“Celebrating our 5-year anniversary makes me very proud of what we have achieved during these years with these two fantastic sites, and it is a great satisfaction to see people returning to these sites and getting entertainment and value from them.”

5 years of success in an ever-evolving industry is no mean feat. What key learnings have you taken over the past 5 years that are going to help you see another 5 years of success?

“The key learnings have been understanding what the visitors are looking for and how to present this in the best way possible. It has also been incredibly important to build a strong brand in this competitive environment, so people remember you and connect to the sites in a different way.”

Igaming is an ever-changing industry with constantly evolving player demands and regulations to keep on top of. How have these two sites continuously evolved since going live to stay up to date with these challenges in particular?

“SlotJava has its focus in free to play slot machines and obviously the amount of slot machine providers and slots produced has increased significantly during the last 5 years. Visitors also expect the latest slot machines available within a very short time of their release date and this is something that has been very important for us to fulfil and a big part of the site’s success.

“That is the demand aspect for the visitors. The compliance requirements have increased steadily over these 5 years, and it has been a constant balance game in relation to always ensuring compliance with the regulator but also not to interfere too much with the user experience. I really think we have succeeded in that regard.”

With competition fiercer than ever, what makes SlotJava and NuoviCasino stand out from other affiliate sites? How do you continuously measure them against the competition?

“That is a good and very important question. Firstly, I would say that I’m very proud of the loading times on our sites especially SlotJava that has a more demanding base with free to play slot machines. I’m also very proud of our team that work hard to review and release the latest slot machines and casinos. Another very important aspect is the brands we operate.

“We put a rigorous amount of work into researching and creating our brands. I don’t think the competition has put the same amount of time into creating something that feels genuine. A lot of our competitors have just found something related to the industry and created something fast around it which I feel can fall a bit flat and seem cheap.”

What strategies have you implemented over the past 5 years to ensure their continued growth? Can you tell us those that have been successful and not so successful?

“One of my personal favourites was that we shared close contact with the people responsible and working at the online casinos we review. We reached out to these people, asked them to go through all the content we had written about their casino in detail. Then sign off on the content and put their name next to the content as a “stamp of trust”.

“Showing to visitors that this content has been verified by the casino and showing to Google that we had made a lot of effort to ensure that everything here is correct. We also released the SlotJava awards which awarded slot machines and slot machine providers based on the actual popularity they had on SlotJava.it over a yearly period. We then presented all the data in a very user-friendly way. This one was very well liked by both visitors and slot machine providers. 

“I don’t think there has been any major projects that have been a big failure. Overall, I think it is important to try out new things with A/B testing to reach what the visitors truly like from a statistical standpoint. I think the biggest mistake we did a few years ago, which we quickly corrected was a comment section without moderation.”

What would you say has been your biggest challenge in keeping these sites popular over the past 5 years?

“Staying on top of competition in a very competitive landscape over such a long period has been very hard. I think the main reason for our success is that our team has a passion and genuine interest in the product we deliver to our visitors. It is very easy to lose the edge and stop challenging yourself and get too comfortable when you have performed very good over a couple of years.”

Looking ahead to the future of these sites and what we can expect to see, how will you keep them relevant for their 10-year anniversary?

“I think now with artificial intelligence (AI) in relation to product development, the sites will manage to stay on top in terms of cutting-edge technology and our team think it is interesting to enter a new era of products and possibilities. We have a full roadmap of things we want to release and which we deem to bring great usage to our visitors so we very much look forward to seeing where the sites will be at when the 10-year anniversary arrives.”

We see a vast amount of short-term and long-term trends that come and go in the igaming industry and not all of them are big revenue-drivers for suppliers and operators. Can you tell us what key trends you believe we will see in gambling and affiliate marketing that could shape the evolution of these sites?

“The AI revolution that has been going on the past year has the possibility to create huge benefits for affiliates as you can create solutions that potentially can make your sites more unique and visitors to engage even further. You can create tools which recommends a slot machine, or a casino based on previous choices and preferences.

“This is just one example, but as fast as AI development is going currently, I expect this will be what creates the next level of affiliate marketing and the next generation online casinos.”

Raketech Chief operating officer Christian Lowe

As one of the most important technology decisions for any customer-facing igaming business, PAM platform choice is vital to get right from the get-go. Figuring out exactly what those limitations look like for your business, and what to do about it, is a pressing question for operators.

Pragmatic Solutions leads the way

Teeming with insights gleaned from conversations with operators of all sizes on their challenges and pain points, Pragmatic Solutions’ 2024 whitepaper tackled these challenges by presenting advice for navigating common dangers and pitfalls when choosing a PAM platform – one of the most important decisions for any customer-facing igaming business.

Central to the whitepaper is the concept of what Pragmatic Solutions terms a ‘forced ecosystem model’, where – through a mix of technological limitations and contractual restrictions – operators are forced into using secondary products from their primary platform suppliers. Often, those solutions simply aren’t the right fit for an operator’s business goals, either they don’t offer the flexibility and innovation required, or they don’t allow operators to differentiate themselves to consumers.

Operators encumbered by the limitations of their PAM platform will ultimately lose their market edge over time – after which it becomes more costly to switch. “A lot of operators find out that the platform provider they’re with is going to be a constraint on them reaching their business objectives very late,” Lang explained.

By contrast, Lang preaches a distinctively more pragmatic approach: the CPU model. Leveraging the analogy of a central processing unit (CPU) as the operational centre for computing tasks, he describes Pragmatic’s core PAM platform as a CPU that does the basics brilliantly while allowing operators to choose best-in-market vendors for third-party services that can seamlessly operate on top.

There’s a convenience in the operational ease of the forced ecosystem model, Lang said – but it’s less and less fit for purpose as the industry matures. “Successful operators should prioritise and demand more control and more flexibility over being able to curate a suite of technologies that create a distinctive customer experience facing out to the market in terms of what they can offer their customers, and powerful operating tools in the back end for their operations teams to run the business they want to run it in the most efficient way.”

Changing demands from operators

Seven months on from the publication of the whitepaper, Lang says the message is increasingly getting through and is aiding Pragmatic Solutions in their 2025 expansion plan.

“It’s done exactly what we intended it to do. We’re articulating our business model [in a way] that’s intentional to the market. In a way that differentiates us from other platforms in the market. In a way that appeals to the cerebral management team that is approaching this sensibly and is decisive in where they want to drive their business.

“That’s the type of customer we want, and this approach suits them, and it’s well articulated, so it’s brought us more of the customers of the profile that we were targeting.”

As the message gets through, demand is growing among operators for ‘CPU-like’ PAM platforms that can be built on top of using third-party services. This trend is being pushed partly by Pragmatic Solution’s advocacy on the issue and its messaging, but also by the sheer number of service providers catering to the igaming industry as it continues to grow rapidly.

The global igaming industry is worth north of $60 billion and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.7% between 2023 and 2030. To serve that growth, more and more services are springing up across sectors to cater to niches, advance new innovations and respond to evolving market demands.

There’s more choice than ever for operators to streamline their business, increase operational efficiency, improve their engagement with players and make themselves truly stand out. But freely choosing the most effective mix of those services to fit your business goals means adopting a modular, flexible core PAM platform that is interoperable with those services – hence growing demand for the type of platform Pragmatic Solutions provides.

“The more companies that are successful in the market, that provide a niche service, the more important it is for the operator to have a platform model that allows them the flexibility to integrate any one of these vendors that they want,” Lang explained. “Not just allow in terms of policy, but the technical API capabilities and the availability of real-time data from the platform.

“In a way, it’s not only us that’s driving the CPU model. It’s a response to the desire of the operators to take advantage of these companies that are offering really niche but really valuable services. And to do that, you need a model like ours to allow you that flexibility.”

Flexibility to define platforms is particularly important in newly regulated markets, where fierce competition demands individuality in order to stand out and cater to local market needs. According to Lang, savvy operators are realising that a flexible core PAM platform is the best way to build a unique offering that stands out in emerging markets.

Lingering mistakes

Many operators are noticing the drawbacks of an inflexible PAM platform, yet plenty are still falling into familiar traps. Lang attributes this to short-term thinking, often a desire to get off the ground quickly – an understandable goal, but one that can come at the expense of future needs.

“We talk to operators at all different stages of their business, whether it’s a startup or well-established business or a land-based [business] moving online. I think some operators could benefit from doing more to think about what their requirements are before going out to market, and having a distinct requirements list in mind to evaluate the platform vendors against.”

He likened it to buying a car. If you enter the lot without set criteria in mind, you risk being swept up by the fleeting allure of the latest offering. “The smart buyer will say before they go out shopping: this is what’s important to me, this is what my business objectives are, these are the capabilities I’m looking for. If there’s a mistake that operators may make, [this is it]” Lang said.

A successful PAM platform

As a result of its clearly defined offering, Pragmatic Solutions celebrated successes in 2024 and is already enjoying a strong start to 2025.

The company has invested internally in improving how it deploys its technology to allow operators to go live more quickly, and recently marked its entry into Brazil as it successfully moved EstrelaBet into a leading position in the newly-regulated Brazilian market.

Lang said the company has a wave of new business currently being onboarded, but, just as importantly, lots of existing operators expanding their businesses through Pragmatic Solutions after a strong 2024 and ambitious plans for the coming year.

Lang added, “You’re always expecting someone to have new business development objectives that they prioritise first. But a lot of our biggest opportunity for growth comes from supporting our existing customers, proven operators on our platform that are doing well [and] that want to do more.

“A lot of our attention is going into how to support them to achieve their business objectives, but there’s no doubt we’re also addressing a lot of demand in the market for what we offer.”

Ashley Lang, CEO of Pragmatic Solutions

You’ve recently stepped into the role of head of direct sales, alongside your title as deputy director of global sales, can you tell us about this and how you’ve worked your way to these positions at Novomatic?

“I’ve worked for Novomatic since 2011 when I first started as an apprentice and went on to spend time in numerous departments across the business. I now have the pleasure to act as deputy director of global sales, and since a couple of months ago, I also took over the role of head of direct sales.”

As a sales leader, events like ICE Barcelona 2025 are very important to showcasing Novomatic’s ever-expanding portfolio. What can you tell us about this?

“We’ve got a full new lineup of game content including multi feature games, that we are showcasing on various platforms to everyone here at ICE.

“We are also highlighting, for example, the Impera PROLINK. We have new versions already known in some markets, like XTENSION Link.

“We’ve also brought a full new version of our advanced ETG system called NOVO Unity Pro.”

As we look ahead in 2025, what is your vision for the future? Where do you see Novomatic sitting within the industry?

“We must celebrate this year because it’s the 45th anniversary of Novomatic! We have a legacy, and I think what makes us very special is that we, as a business, can easily adapt to any market regulations.

“We have a huge R&D team which is very capable and we’re going to keep pushing forward, keep going into new markets. The Asian market, for example, is very, very interesting for us. But the core markets in Europe are still important to us and we will continue to try to cater to each and every market as we have in the past.”

How much more of a factor is ESG for gaming companies than it used to be?

“From a core business perspective, it is becoming increasingly important, and for Novomatic in particular, player protection and responsible entertainment is one of the cornerstones of our success. This is why we built a framework, a comprehensive one, not only for environment, but also for social and governmental issues.”

How do you measure your ESG indicators, and are you already preparing for the upcoming European Sustainability Regulations?

“Yes, we have annual reporting which includes ESG reporting and have done for several years now. In the last few years, we enlarged that reporting and said, ‘We need to focus on not only the environment, social and government pillars, but we have to conclude and include responsible entertainment business issues as well’.

“So, it’s not easy, but I think we are on a good path, and we’re eager to fulfill the legal regulations all over the world.”

Can you tell us about your latest initiatives in the field of environment or responsible entertainment perspective?

“For environmental issues, we built up photovoltaic solar systems in several core markets, not only in our headquarters, but we want to produce green and clean energy in several markets to use it for our production sites and for our venues.

“For responsible entertainment, I’m very happy to announce that we got recertified by G4, the Global Gambling Guidance Group. That’s an internationally recognised standard which feeds into our core value of always winning responsibly.”

“SPRIBE was founded with a clear vision—to bring something entirely new to the igaming industry. In 2018, we saw that traditional casino games were stagnating, and there was a growing demand for social, skill-based experiences.

“That’s what led us to create Aviator — the first true multiplayer crash game in the regulated igaming space. Our goal was to bridge the gap between casino gaming and the social, interactive nature of modern mobile experiences. Today, that vision has grown beyond a single game — SPRIBE is shaping the future of igaming by continuously reinventing player engagement and pioneering new gaming categories.”

It can be difficult to keep a company vision consistent as the company grows. What leadership principles guide your approach to running SPRIBE?

“For me, leadership is about three key things—innovation, adaptability, and strategic execution. The igaming industry evolves rapidly, and staying ahead means embracing bold ideas and taking calculated risks. I also believe in empowering the team—giving talented people the creative freedom to push boundaries.

“Lastly, strategic execution is critical. Whether it’s product development, compliance, or marketing, I always ensure we have a clear roadmap that aligns with our long-term goals. That’s how SPRIBE has scaled so quickly while maintaining our reputation for quality and innovation.”

SPRIBE is known for the runaway success of Aviator and is widely credited with the popularisation of regulated crash games. You founded SPRIBE in 2018 and then released Aviator in 2019. What led to such speedy success?

“Aviator now has more than 42 million active users, 350,000 bets per minute and more than 5,000 worldwide operators. The success of Aviator came from identifying an untapped opportunity. Before its launch, the igaming market was dominated by traditional slots and table games. There wasn’t much innovation in terms of social engagement and interactive gameplay.

“We created Aviator with a simple yet engaging mechanic, inspired by provably fair crash games, but adapted it for regulated markets. The game’s multiplayer nature, live chat, and interactive features made it an entirely new experience, fostering a community-driven gaming model. Players weren’t just playing against a machine; they were playing together.

“The speed of our success also came from smart partnerships. We collaborated with major operators worldwide and ensured the game was easily accessible through seamless integrations. Our focus on mobile-first gaming, fast-paced rounds, and engaging UI/UX made Aviator a perfect fit for modern players.”

What lessons have you learned from your journey into gaming and your time in the industry so far? Are there any key takeaways or secrets to success?

“The biggest lesson is that innovation drives success. The igaming market is highly competitive, and companies that rely on traditional formats without evolving quickly lose relevance. To stand out, you must create something unique and ensure players genuinely enjoy the experience.

“Another key takeaway is the importance of understanding both players and operators. Players want excitement, fairness, and engagement. Operators want reliable, profitable, and regulatory-compliant solutions. Balancing these two perspectives is what makes a game truly successful.

“Finally, persistence is key. Even though Aviator became a hit quickly, there were many challenges—convincing operators to adopt a new format, navigating regulatory approvals, and constantly refining the user experience. Success in igaming isn’t just about having a good idea; it’s about executing it flawlessly and adapting to the ever-changing landscape.”

Has the industry changed at all during your time in it? Are there any big narratives or trends that you see as especially important to understanding the future of igaming?

“The industry has evolved significantly in just the past few years. Some of the key trends shaping igaming’s future include social and multiplayer features; players are looking for experiences beyond traditional slots. Games like Aviator have proven that community-driven gameplay fosters engagement and retention.

“Regulation and compliance is ever-important as governments are becoming more involved in regulating online gambling, pushing operators and providers toward more transparent and responsible gaming practices. The rise of crypto casinos and blockchain technology is also reshaping how transactions and game fairness are handled.

“Finally, AI and personalisation. AI is being used for better game recommendations, fraud detection, and dynamic player experiences.

“To stay ahead, providers need to continuously innovate and adapt to these trends while maintaining a player-centric approach.”

Aviator is massively popular worldwide and one of the most successful casino games ever, but tastes do change. What are you doing as a leader to keep SPRIBE at the forefront long-term and ensure it’s not a one-hit wonder?

“We never see Aviator as our final achievement—it’s just the beginning. SPRIBE is heavily investing in R&D and game development, with a strong focus on new multiplayer, skill-based, and social gaming experiences.

“Our strategy is twofold: firstly, continuously evolving Aviator – we regularly introduce new features, mechanics, and promotional tools to keep it engaging. Secondly, developing new breakthrough titles; we are working on next-gen games that will redefine online casino entertainment, similar to how Aviator transformed crash games.

“Beyond content, we focus on expanding partnerships, entering new regulated markets, and leveraging emerging technologies like AI and blockchain to enhance gameplay experiences.”

SPRIBE is loved by operators, but it arguably found its success by creating a game that players really enjoy. Do you think it’s more important to focus on catering to what operators are asking for, or to focus on what players themselves are interested in?

“It’s always about the players. Operators are essential partners, but ultimately, if a game doesn’t engage players, it won’t generate value for operators either.

“Our philosophy at SPRIBE is to design for players first, ensuring that every game is fun engaging, fair and transparent, and built for modern gaming habits (mobile-first, interactive, social).

“That being said, we also work closely with operators to ensure seamless integration, effective promotional tools, and regulatory compliance. A strong player experience and a solid operator partnership go hand in hand.

“At the end of the day, a successful game is one that players love and operators trust to deliver results. That’s the balance we always strive for at SPRIBE.”

Gabriel: “BGaming are a long-time valued partner. They have lots of creative ideas and know we have a passion for working with celebrities and doing fun new things. When they approached us about building a game together, it just seemed like a mutually beneficial opportunity to do something interesting. And what could be cooler than a Snoop themed game?”

Shavel: “We’ve been working with Roobet for over 5 years, and it’s been a fantastic partnership. It’s not just about providing BGaming portfolio for their online casino; we’ve had the opportunity to create custom games like Roobet Baccarat and Roobet Gems of Fortune, which really strengthens our collaboration.

“The key to our success? It’s a combination of hard work and recognising the right opportunities. By working hard, we’ve been able to deliver top-quality exclusive games. And spotting the right opportunities, like partnering with someone as iconic as Snoop Dogg, has allowed us to bring something unique and creative to the iGaming world. It’s been a rewarding partnership, and we’re excited for what’s ahead!”

Snoop Dogg is arguably one of the most famous celebrities on the planet. What was the inspiration behind building a slot game that focused on him?

Shavel: “The inspiration for the Snoop Dogg Dollars slot game came from Snoop himself, a rap icon and influencer. When we were developing the game, we dove deep into his world, drawing inspiration from his music, his personality, and his influence. He’s not only a legendary rapper but also a successful entrepreneur.

“Our goal was to reach not just our existing players, but also attract a new audience — those who may not have played BGaming’s games before but are drawn to the idea of a game featuring such an iconic figure.

“Having Snoop Dogg in the game is definitely a big draw. He’s such a well-known persona, and we believe players will be excited to check it out just because he’s involved. We’re proud of the high-quality, exclusive game we’ve created together with Roobet, and it’s been amazing to collaborate with such a celebrity. Thanks to our strong partnership with Roobet, we were able to bring this unique project to life!”

With BGaming and Roobet joining forces for the game’s development, how much involvement did Roobet have for the game design itself?

Gabriel: “Our original concept was a dark graffiti scene on a down-town ‘hood wall with Snoop seeming to come out from the graffiti and into the game. We paired this with proven high-volatility maths, then iterated multiple times with the BGaming team to end up with the final look.

“It took a while because Snoop doesn’t compromise when it comes to his brand. He wants to be proud of anything he touches, not just the graphics, but rather the way the whole game’s put together, how the UX feels as you play. BGaming understood this and gave us every opportunity to make it perfect. “

With a hip hop megastar as the featured character, players will have big expectations when it comes to Snoop Dogg Dollars. What can you tell us about the gameplay mechanics and key player features that the industry should get excited about?

Shavel: “Snoop Dogg Dollars is a game packed with personality, and here’s what makes it special! It brings Snoop’s unmistakable style and voice to life with signature voiceovers and an energetic vibe that sets it apart.

“The gameplay includes features like the Snoop Spin mode and Wild and Skull symbols that keep things fast-paced and engaging. One of the standout mechanics is the Cluster Pay system, where symbols group together for bigger wins, which has been a hit with both players and streamers.

“It’s not just about gameplay — it’s about the whole experience. The game is dynamic, fun, and full of winning opportunities, making it perfect for anyone who loves slots with personality and flair. If you’re looking for something fresh and unique, Snoop Dogg Dollars is definitely worth trying out!”

Players won’t be disappointed when it comes to the storytelling in Snoop Dogg Dollars with Snoop himself providing the voiceover. What can you tell us about this came to be and the impact it has on the player experience?

Gabriel: “Obviously having Snoop’s personal touch on it is huge. People play the game because they see his name, but the feel we wanted was like you were playing with Tha Dogg himself!

“Snoop’s signature is his voice.  From his music to his general personality, his voice is part of what makes him so unique, so we knew that was going to be an important component. Most of the voice-overs were improv, brought about by Snoop just naturally enjoying the vibe of the game.”

An engaging player experience that really delivers is key to attracting Gen Z players. With such a recognisable celebrity as the focal point, what can you tell us about how the marketing strategy differed to the marketing of other games before to attract this demographic?

Shavel: “For a game like Snoop Dogg Dollars, featuring such a globally recognised celebrity, the marketing strategy naturally had to go beyond our usual approach. While we always pay special attention to key games in our portfolio, this one got the full treatment with a comprehensive global campaign across both B2B and B2C channels.

“One of the biggest advantages was having Roobet as a partner, given their existing collaboration with Snoop. The exclusive one-month release on their platform gave the title a major boost, thanks to Snoop himself streaming and reviewing the game. His involvement helped build awareness in a way traditional campaigns can’t match. We’re incredibly grateful to the Roobet team for their commitment and support throughout the process!

“As for measuring success, we look at key metrics like unique players, engagement, total bets, revenue, and online mentions across social media and the web. Players, streamers, and partners feedback also give us insight into the game’s impact on brand visibility. This helps us refine and improve BGaming strategies in real-time for maximum effectiveness.”

Feedback is everything when it comes to new slot games. What has the initial player reaction and feedback been to Snoop Dogg Dollars and what would you say the of success has been so far?

Gabriel: “Players globally have loved the game.  Snoop himself plays the game and posts about it so obviously that’s gone down well with the social community.

“What’s been great is players have continued to play, and it continues to be one of the most popular and sicky titles. We’re very happy with how it turned out.”

How do you think this game helps to showcase BGaming as a trusted partner of some of the biggest names in the industry?

Shavel: “Snoop Dogg Dollars is our first game featuring a celebrity, and it marks a major milestone for us. This collaboration showcases our ability to partner with global icons while highlighting our reliability and expertise as a trusted partner for leading names in the industry.

“Working with renowned brands like Snoop Dogg and Roobet strengthens our reputation and takes our brand to the next level, both for players and business partners. It’s been an incredible journey, and we’re especially grateful to Roobet for their trust and support in making this project a success!”

“My journey in igaming began over seven years ago when I started as a junior marketing manager at a slots provider. After my probation period, I was promoted to Marketing Manager. A year and a half later, I progressed further to become the head of marketing.

“I’ll be honest: stepping into leadership at a young age with limited experience was challenging—I’ve spent nights buried in articles and books on marketing, management, and igaming. But it taught me so much and gave me the confidence to tackle bigger goals.

“At Uplatform, I joined as head of marketing from day one, tasked with rebuilding the brand, strategy, and team from scratch. It’s been an incredible journey, and I couldn’t be prouder of what my team and I have created a bold, distinct brand that truly connects with our partners.”

You’ve had an inspiring career so far, stepping into leadership role from a young age. What would you say are the standout milestones in your career?

“As for milestones, one of the standout moments for me was how I got into the industry in the first place. To be honest, I didn’t have the exact experience they were looking for. Yes, I had a solid foundation in SMM, SEO, and analytics, along with some hands-on experience, but I lacked the advanced expertise needed at the time.

“But they saw my potential and a strong drive to make cool things happen. And I’m still grateful for that. It’s a reminder that talent and ambition sometimes matter more than a perfect CV. And I carry that philosophy with me in how I lead my team today.”

As a woman in a key leadership role, we’re interested to know if you think you’ve faced any unique challenges as a woman during your career that you can share with us?

“One of the first challenges I faced was earning respect. Being a young woman in a leadership position often meant dealing with a mix of ageism and sexism. Hearing the comments like, “What could you, a young girl, possibly tell me that I don’t already know?” was frustrating and disheartening. And it took a lot of me not to let it make me feel small or useless. It’s a reminder of how much harder women often had to work to prove themselves in our industry.

“Another challenge I faced was during a job interview. The recruiter was very supportive and told me I had the strongest portfolio and required skills among the candidates. But I was passed over for a male candidate. What was the reason? They were concerned I might go on maternity leave or prioritise family over career. To make matters worse, I later found out this man had been offered a higher salary for the role. It was a shock and an eye-opening experience that showed me that even now, gender bias is ingrained very deeply.

“Harassment is another issue I’ve encountered. Early in my career, I dealt with inappropriate comments during negotiations, such as, “Let’s finish this discussion in my room.” Sadly, this behaviour still exists—I’ve had team members report verbal harassment at expos and networking events. That’s why, within my team, we foster a culture of zero tolerance for harassment. If anything happens, they know it’s not normal, it’s not their fault, and they have my full support. We also ensure no one attends networking events alone to create a safer environment.

“These are just my experiences, and I’m sure many other women in higher roles have faced even more significant challenges. I’m still on my journey to C-level positions, so I think I will also face “traditional barriers” in the future. But I think speaking about these issues is important because they’re still genuine. 

“For everyone facing the same challenges, building a network of trusted allies is key—whether it’s colleagues, industry groups like Women in igaming, or mentors. Being in an environment where your voice will be respected and amplified. If respect is lacking in a current role, don’t hesitate to look for opportunities where you’ll be valued. And if you ever face inappropriate behaviour, remember it’s not normal, it’s not your fault, and you deserve to speak up and seek support. While progress has been made, we have a long way to go to ensure a truly inclusive and respectful industry.”

Bringing these challenges to the attention of the industry can help others to speak up too and to encourage necessary change. During your time in the igaming industry, have you seen a change in how companies support women to progress into C-level positions?

“Of course, in the past 7 years, I’ve definitely seen progress in the igaming industry. It’s so inspiring to see more women in C-level positions now, but let’s be honest—there’s still a long way to go.”

What steps do you believe companies in the industry should take to promote more women into leadership roles?

“First of all, it starts with creating a GENUINELY inclusive culture. Companies should start hiring and promoting based on skills, not bias, forgetting gender stereotypes, actively looking for diverse candidates, and ensuring everyone has the same opportunities to grow. It’s not rocket science, but there is a need to be intentional about it. Mentorship programs and transparent decision-making processes can also make a massive impact.

“We also need to tackle the specific challenges women face in the workplace, like unconscious bias, unequal pay, or assumptions about work-life balance. Flexible working policies and proper support for women returning to work after maternity leave can really change the game here.

“Right now, we have amazing networking platforms like Women in igaming and dedicated sessions at expos—these are great ways to build community, share experiences, and inspire more women to aim high. I’d love to see even more structured mentorship programs where female leaders can guide and support the next generation. 

“I make it a point to support the women I work with—whether it’s giving feedback, advocating for them, or just making sure they feel confident and valued. I’d love to see more leaders in our industry do the same because when we rise by lifting others. And honestly, a more diverse, inclusive industry is not just the right thing to do—it’s what’s going to drive innovation and make igaming stronger for everyone.”

Many people discuss the power of having a mentor to help gain confidence in an industry that has the challenges you have highlighted. Have you ever been involved in a mentorship program or has someone in particular supported you during your career progression, especially at Uplatform?

“I’ve never had a formal mentor, and honestly, I think it would have made a huge difference early in my career. Navigating the industry as a young woman with zero confidence was tough, but I was lucky to have supportive people around me. I’m especially grateful to Lucy Kadlecova and Kirill Miroshnichenko for being there for me during those early steps. And I can’t overstate how much I appreciate my colleagues at Uplatform—they’ve been an unwavering source of encouragement. We’ve built a culture of mutual support that I think is rare and invaluable.

“At Uplatform, I’ve taken it upon myself to pass on that kind of support, especially to the amazing women on my team. Whether it’s how to communicate during expos, how to deal with harassment or inappropriate comments, or simply boost their confidence when facing challenges – my team knows I’m always there for them. I’m ready to listen, mentor, advise if I can, and ensure they never feel alone in any situation they face.

“What’s remarkable at Uplatform is how naturally our middle management has become predominantly women—there are no quotas, just the result of a supportive culture. Among our leaders, we’ve built an informal network where we share advice and empower each other.

“Beyond that, we’re working to inspire women across the industry. We’ve shared articles about the challenges women face in igaming and highlighted inspiring figures in sports and esports. These stories show that breaking barriers is possible and that you can achieve great things if you set your mind to it.

“Formal or informal mentorship is essential to helping women gain confidence in this industry. It’s not just about guidance; it’s about building a community where everyone feels valued and capable of succeeding. Whether through mentoring, storytelling or simply showing up for each other, we can create an environment where more women feel empowered to thrive in igaming.”

With this level of personal experience as a woman in the igaming industry, how has this helped to shape your leadership style and your techniques for motivating your team?

“Let’s say it doesn’t follow the textbook definition of “perfect leadership,” but it’s tailored to the kind of team I lead and the creative goals we aim to achieve. As Head of Marketing, my priority is fostering creativity, which means creating an environment of freedom, fun, and zero judgment. People need to feel safe to be themselves, pitch wild ideas, and take risks without fear of failure.

“I lead by example—I’ll throw out ridiculous ideas during brainstorms to break the ice and show it’s okay to experiment. If someone comes to me with a completely different idea, like putting a basket of hamsters in an ad, I’ll laugh with them, but I’ll also take it seriously. You never know what spark might turn into something brilliant. Like that, we’ve created a dynamic team where no one hesitates to bring bold ideas. And guess what? It’s working. I’m thrilled to see my team’s eyes light up with excitement as they present ideas. With no fear. And that’s something I’m very proud of.

“Of course, leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some work best in micromanagement and precise tasks, while others shine in creative chaos and complete freedom. I adapt my approach to fit each person, but when I built my team, I made sure to bring in people with similar vibes to foster a cohesive and collaborative environment. The result? A vibrant team dynamic and incredibly low staff turnover, which I take as a sign that people feel valued and motivated to stay.

“When it comes to motivation, I value both material and non-material rewards. Feedback and recognition are huge for me—something I lacked early in my career and have ensured my team never goes without.

“I always provide feedback, sincerely praising their efforts and acknowledging their contribution. During our monthly marketing calls, I aim to show how even something as simple as a social media post or a banner design led to a new client or a major deal. Creative professionals like designers and copywriters must see that their work isn’t just “content”—it’s the foundation of real, tangible results.

“At Uplatform, we also have a corporate portal where employees can give each other “Ucoins” as a token of appreciation. These coins can be redeemed for items in our company store, but the real value lies in the recognition. Guys congratulate each other on work anniversaries, celebrate the completion of a big project, congratulate on finishing a course, saying “thank you for your help”. This system reinforces a culture of appreciation and gratitude.

“And here’s something I love doing: celebrating small wins. It’s easy to focus on big milestones, but I make a point to acknowledge the little victories along the way. I want my team to feel seen and celebrated – whether it’s someone overcoming a personal challenge at work or learning a new skill. Sometimes, to celebrate some small things, I bring pizza or sushi to the office, and we have a good time celebrating each other’s success.

“Lastly, I believe in empowering my team by giving them ownership of their work. I trust them to take initiative and make decisions. I’m not looking to be the boss—I believe in teamwork. If I’m wrong about something, I want my team to feel comfortable pointing it out. I value working together as equals, supporting each other, and achieving success as a team.

“So, while my leadership may not be traditional, it’s rooted in empathy, adaptability, and a genuine desire to see my team thrive—and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.”

Part of being a leader is advocating for a diverse and inclusive culture. How important is it for you and Uplatform to create and maintain a diverse and inclusive culture and how do you go about doing this?

“At Uplatform, diversity and inclusion aren’t just fancy words—they’re part of who we are. And this culture developed naturally because, during our hiring process, we prioritise skills, experience, and potential rather than gender, race, or other characteristics. Like that, we’ve organically built a diverse team with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches, which has made us stronger as a company.

“However, creating diversity is just the first step; maintaining it requires effort. We ensure everyone feels valued and included. To do so, we foster open communication, respect, and collaboration. Everyone’s voice matters. We work hard to ensure each team member knows that and feels safe and comfortable sharing their ideas, even different or unconventional ones.

“Personally, I think it’s about creating an environment where everyone feels they belong and can thrive. A diverse team isn’t just good for the people—it’s good for creativity and results. At Uplatform, we see that every day in the way our ideas come together to create something truly exceptional.”

What advice would you give to women who are looking to take a leadership role in marketing in igaming?

“First and foremost, believe in your ideas, no matter how unconventional they may seem. The industry thrives on creativity and bold thinking. Years ago, igaming marketing was all about the same clichés: think expos with cigars and naked women. However, the industry has evolved, and people who dared to try something different pushed those changes. For example, when we brought bubble tea to our booth, some said it was too childish. But it turned out to be a hit! I personally met two new leads next to our bar when they ordered bubble tea. Don’t be afraid to shake things up—test your ideas, learn from the results, and adapt. You might just redefine the industry standard. 

“Don’t let repetitive doubts wear you down. Hearing “What could you possibly know?” repeatedly can make you question yourself. Push past that. Age, gender, or years of experience do not determine your value—your ideas and results do.

“Take proactive steps to build your confidence. Find people supporting you, mentors who can guide you through your challenges and celebrate your wins. Keep learning—through online courses (Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, etc), networking events, or industry groups like Women in igaming. Practice negotiation skills and leverage your unique strengths, whether it’s creativity, fresh perspectives, or problem-solving. Bring these to the table unapologetically.

“Make sure your achievements don’t go unnoticed—don’t be shy about highlighting your contributions. But you should first acknowledge them—there are many techniques for that. Personally, I push myself and my team to list “3 wins of the month” alongside our reports. It’s a simple habit that boosts confidence and ensures our contributions are visible—not just to others but to ourselves.

“Balance is key. It’s important to set boundaries early on. Early in my career, I worked 12-15 hours daily trying to prove myself and gain respect. But burnout stifles creativity. Protect your time like you would a critical meeting. Block out priorities, communicate availability clearly, and make time to recharge. Experiencing the world outside your office fuels creativity and helps you bring fresh ideas to your work. And you know,  a balanced leader is an effective leader, and that’s what this industry truly needs :)

As a woman in a key leadership role at Uplatform, what would you like your impact to be on the igaming industry?

“I wouldn’t say I’m here to push boundaries or change an entire industry, but if I could contribute in my own way, it would be by challenging outdated norms and showing that there’s room for fresh, bold ideas in igaming. I’d love to think that some of the creative, unconventional approaches we’ve taken to marketing could leave a mark—whether it’s making campaigns more playful, breaking the “safe” mold, or just bringing something different to the table.

“If, along the way, I manage to inspire even one person to rethink their career path, embrace their ideas, or make a change they’ve been hesitating about, that would already mean a lot to me. I’d see that as a success.

“Narrowing it down to Uplatform, I want to empower others—both women and men—to create, stay authentic, and tackle whatever challenges they’re facing in the industry. It’s not about being loud or revolutionary; it’s about making space for people to feel confident enough to be themselves and try something new. That’s the kind of impact I’d be proud to have.”

The igaming industry is often seen as male-dominated. How do you ensure that Uplatform’s marketing campaigns appeal to both male and female audiences? Is this something that you actively consider when putting together initiatives and campaigns?

“The igaming industry is often seen as male-dominated. Still, when it comes to creating marketing campaigns, my team and I are moving more and more toward what I’d call “bye the stereotypes” initiatives. Of course, still, operators and decision-making leaders who are our target audience, and around 80% of them are male and 20% female. But, our goal is to create campaigns that resonate universally, regardless of gender.

“A great example of this was our disco-themed “U Shine” campaign. Some comments before the expo were that it might be “too girly” or wouldn’t appeal to men. But guess what? Our stand was packed with visitors of all genders. Men were taking our holographic T-shirts and disco balls—not just for their girlfriends or kids but for themselves. It showed us that creativity and authenticity can strike a chord with everyone.

“We also created two campaigns supporting women in the industry. The first one was about the challenges they face, and the second one was about incredible women in sports and Esports who push boundaries. I think for women in igaming, seeing themselves represented in empowering ways can inspire them, boost confidence and show them there’s a place for them in this industry. 

“Representation matters, not just in the campaigns we create but also in the diverse team working behind the scenes to bring them to life. To ensure our campaigns resonate, we include diverse voices in the creative process—both male and female, from different backgrounds and experiences. We always make it a point to ask each other for feedback: “How does this feel to you? Would you wear this T-shirt? Would this ad catch your eye?” This approach allows us to craft materials that appeal to a broader number of people.

“That said, maybe I’m wrong in my approach. Maybe it’s not the most “traditional” strategy for winning over operators in this industry. But I want to believe it’s the right one. I want to believe that creating something thoughtful and balanced works better than just falling back on outdated methods. I truly hope—and honestly believe—that adding a girl in a bikini in an Ad isn’t what makes a business thrive anymore. Instead, it’s about building something memorable and genuinely exciting for everyone.”

ICE debuted its first ever Barcelona show in 2025, having left London after 30 years. What does the team at Novomatic think of this move and how have you benefited from it?

“The relocation to Barcelona marks the beginning of a new, exciting chapter for ICE. From my personal point of view, the relocation to the beautiful city of Barcelona offers us at Novomatic a variety of fresh perspectives and new opportunities to strengthen our role as Europe’s leading gaming technology group.”

ICE marks the first show in the 2025 igaming calendar, with the industry kickstarting Q1 with a bang. What key learnings are you taking from your exponential growth in 2024 to your strategies for this year?

“I think the basis of our success is always our innovative products and our new technologies, which led to an increase in demand for our land-based products, but also for our online solutions during the last year.

“That’s not all, however. Our ongoing investment in research and development has been key to our success, and we invested, for example, more than €300 million in the last three years in R&D.”

With this in mind, how do you plan to replicate this success in 2025 and reach even greater heights in delivering exactly what the igaming community needs and wants?

“A clear goal is to continue our international growth and follow our expansion strategy. On the one hand, we want to grow organically with our more than 300 subsidiaries in the existing markets. And on the other hand, we aim to grow inorganically through merchant acquisitions transactions.

“To give you a very recent example, at the beginning of this year, we signed an agreement for the purchase of one of the French leading casino groups, the Viking casinos. The Viking casinos operate in more than 10 live game casinos throughout France, and we have a lot of more concepts in the pipeline. But that’s all I can reveal for now, I will tell you more when the time has come. The year has just begun!”

“Tournament-based esports betting will continue to see its demand increase over the course of 2025 with numerous million-pound events already in place, including IEM Katowice 2025 which ended February 9th. The event’s previous instalment generated millions of views and interactions across social and streaming platforms with impressive live figures for audiences watching live.  

“Viewing numbers are expected to continue on a sharp upward trajectory and the ever-strengthening demand paves the way for tournament-faced esports betting to become a valuable asset for operators.  

“Nevertheless, despite the justified excitement, quite a lot of tournament-based esports betting still contains an element of risk for operators. Low-tier tournaments can be prone to integrity issues with significant latency and lengthy matches restricting the number of operators that are able to generate serious profits when hosting such events on their platforms.  

“The SIS H2H Global Gaming League, which includes 24/7 eBasketball and eSoccer matches, enables operators to maximise betting revenue with our team of expert traders providing an extensive range of pre-match and in-play markets and prices.  

“Our high-quality production with on-screen graphics also help to drive bettor engagement, and competitive match-ups between high-skilled gamers help to generate a consistent margin for our customers. To help provide context to end users, we also display data points including previous head-to-head results and the recent form of the respective gamers.” 

Technology plays a pivotal role in the esports vertical. How do you believe technology is changing and shaping the viewer and bettor experience? Can that experience have a significant impact on player engagement and retention? 

“Developing technologies continue to have a critical role in enhancing engagement and retention. To improve the experience for the bettor, operators will need to integrate products that showcase close to real-time streaming.  

“In the case of esports events that simulate real-life action, betting markets that are either the same as (or very similar to) those traditional sports can have a big effect in attracting activity. These can include same-game parlays, for example, and high uptimes are also key.  

“For us, all of this can be enabled through sub-second latency streams delivered in full HD, with real-time pricing powered by AI technology. As technology continues to involve, I would expect tailored betting prompts to be rolled out, along with improved graphics.” 

What role do you see real-time analytics playing in esports, and how can this help operators to develop their offering even further? 

“As the esports betting industry grows, with multiple estimates projecting that the sector generates multiple billions in annual revenue, so does the importance of real-time data. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are likely to improve the way data is captured, processed and analysed in real-time.  

“As esports betting continues to learn from mainstream sports, we can also expect more sophisticated tools to emerge offering deeper insights into player performance and game strategies. Graphical representations and relevant stats that are paired with live gameplay also help to guide operators on how they can elevate their offering and mirror the engagement and thrill that is captured from typical live sports betting.

“We use the latest CVAI technology to collect data directly from our live video streams, providing sub-second data and pricing to our customers. We also use cutting edge AI and Business Intelligence tools to measure thousands of data points in relation to gamer and pricing performance. These advanced data approaches allow us to ensure our competitive gaming markets resonate strongly with existing sports and esports bettors, providing profitable markets that suit all betting styles.” 

Do you think we will see more diversified streaming platforms or will the big players we’ve seen in 2024 continue to dominate? How has the esports streaming landscape evolved, and how does SIS’s custom streaming platform fit in? 

“No longer a niche interest, esports has become a cultural phenomenon with a loyal and growing fan base, meaning the playing field has become increasingly accessible for streaming suppliers. The SIS streaming platform, specifically designed for short-form content in the betting industry, showcases unmatched stability. 

“Supplied as a complete end-to-end solution for both retail and online operators from our secure UK studios, our product differs from tournament-based esports contests which rely on delayed feeds from mainstream platforms. Built exclusively for betting, our product’s direct access to live game data allows for real-time betting opportunities and more engaging streams, differentiating us from tournament-based offerings and many of our direct competitors.” 

Much like other areas of igaming, there is a spotlight on responsible gambling in esports in 2025 and better strategies to enhance the safety of players. How do you see safer gambling initiatives and esports evolving this year? What strategies do you think we could see to help player well-being?  

“In 2025, we expect to see advanced technologies play an increased role in promoting responsible gaming. AI can analyse user behaviour in real-time, detecting signs of problem gambling before they escalate, and we should expect new tools to surface allowing operators to customise alerts and prompts to encourage responsible play.  

“Moreover, new responsible gambling tools can also be expected to leverage players’ data to recommend tailored spending and time limits, helping users set responsible boundaries based on their behaviour patterns.  

“From a supplier perspective, it remains vital that we expand our collaborative approach with operators surrounding responsible gambling. This means incorporating features and best practices where possible into our products that ensure all bettors are able to enjoy their experience in a sustainable and safe manner. A vital feature of SIS Competitive Gaming is the fact all gamers are over the age of 18 and the vertical’s content and annual events are unavailable on platforms where minors are able to gain access, including the likes of Twitch or YouTube.” 

As more and more markets open across the world for the igaming industry, like Africa and Latin America, there is particular interest in where esports could find success next. What do you think are the most exciting emerging markets we could see come into play for esports in 2025? 

“eBasketball and eSoccer content has garnered significant interest among many customers in Latin America due to their deep-rooted interest in sports, particularly football and basketball which SIS Competitive Gaming centres around. The barrier to entry is very low; if a bettor is familiar with real-life soccer and basketball, they will immediately recognise the sports sims equivalents and the relevant pre-event and in-play markets we can offer.  

“Mexico is making great progress in this area as there is a substantial interest in esports. Some football clubs are developing their own esports teams, leading to an increase in audience awareness. Interest is also growing in other South American countries, such as Peru and Colombia, where the cultural exposure to esports is extensive.” 

With emerging markets comes new regulation, however. What regulatory changes and trends in the esports sector will we see in 2025? 

“The United States represents a massive opportunity as it slowly regulates betting, thanks to its large size, high internet penetration and major appetite for esports. Sports betting continues to be embraced by an increased number of states across the US and with a number of regions pushing for the green light in 2025, esports in turn stands to benefit.  

“SIS proudly increased the American footprint of SIS Competitive Gaming with 12 US states live with the product before the turn of the new year. Annually, over 200,000 eBasketball and eSoccer games are offered through FanDuel and bet365 sportsbooks. The H2H Global Gaming League (H2HGGL) eBasketball and eSoccer games are now approved for sports betting in states including New Jersey, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Arizona, North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kansas, Connecticut, Wyoming and Vermont. 

“As regulatory acceptance grows, SIS will be ready to extend its comprehensive competitive gaming offering which has already resonated with the US’ leading sportsbooks and their players – boosted by the Gold Standard certification we received from the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC).” 

Last year and this year are shaping up to be very busy for Optimove. Tell us what have been some of your standout highlights from the past year? 

Yakuel: “There’s lots and lots of highlights. We continue to grow as a business, we are about 500 people strong today, and hoping to cross a very exciting milestone as a SaaS business really shortly. And lots of announcements, a lot of products, OptiLive, OptiPromo, looking at more acquisitions – so a lot of exciting things are happening in our world.” 

You’ve recently launched OptiLive, a new sports marketing tool. Can you tell us a bit more about that? 

Yakuel: “So as a CRM marketer your dream is always to find moments in the player’s life cycle which are conversation starters. So sporting events you have lots and lots of those potential conversation starters right, for example your favourite player just scores a goal. Or Steph Curry just hits a three-pointer in the middle of an NBA game.  

“What if you can message the player in real time about that thing that just happened in the game, and you can also find the players who are actually interested in that specific match. Because obviously there’s tons of games happening all the time. 

“So we’re using OptiX recommendation technology to find the segment, we’re using data feeds from L Sports to get the real-time data from the matches and we put those two together to make magic happen.” 

There’s been another recent announcement hasn’t there, Optimove Ignite+. What is that product and how does it fit in with Optimove’s goals? 

Yakuel: “So as a business that’s basically matured and become very much enterprise-ready, we felt that for the smaller gaming startups, gaming boutiques, emerging up-and-comers we haven’t been giving them the right attention. 

“So Ignite+ is a programme designed to ultimately target those types of businesses, give them better payment terms, more support, more of our knowledge and expertise, help them to grow, a lot of benchmarking, and even from a product perspective tailor something that’s better for them. So it’s us committing to the boutiques, to the emerging ones, to the startups of gaming.” 

So that’s designed to help build your profile among smaller organisations, in addition to market leaders. What makes Optimove so popular with leaders in the igaming industry globally? 

Yakuel: “I think it’s a combination of heritage – we contributed a lot to inventing this field – but then also being fortunate enough to continue to grow as a business, getting the right funding, and keeping our key talent; I’m very proud in our executive team, we’ve got around five people who have more than seven years with the business, and myself as the Founder still being at it as energetic as I was before.” 

Looking at the year ahead, what role do you think that gamification and promotions will play in igaming strategies for 2025? 

Yakuel: “We have great partners in gamification, and we plan on continuing to invest there and make moves. We see that basically the marriage of gamification and CRM marketing is extremely smart and works very very well in gaming because brands always look for new ways to engage with customers – especially when in some regulated markets it’s much harder to engage with players with based on bonusing. So gamification becomes more and more important and we plan to be there.” 

What are you personally most excited about for 2025? 

Yakuel: “Most excited…so number one is continuing with my fitness regime, that’s something I’m very much excited about. But on top of that we have really big moves that we’re doing. The first one is we are designing a platform in a new way so basically carving it out to two separate major offerings. We’re going to call it Engage and Orchestrate, still to come.  

“And the next is we’re going to basically launch a completely new brand and basically launch a movement around Optimove that’s related to AI, and it’s all about positionist marketing, so we’ll be making those announcements soon but positionist marketing is something I’m very much excited about.” 

Finally, your marketing event Optimove Connect is returning this year. Tell us more about Connect 2025 and what’s happening there. 

Yakuel: “We did Connect 2024 in London after a long period of not doing it. It was really well done by our team and a lot of customers and prospects attended. This year we hope to enjoy the new Connect brand that started to pick up from last year. 

“And yeah, same thing – we invest a lot in our community, we see Optimove users and Optimove prospects as a community and Connect is the place where we celebrate with content, good times in London. ICE may no longer be in London but Connect is.”

You’ve been busy recently at Onlyplay celebrating the success of PiggyTap. What are the core features that players are really resonating and engaging with? 

Tsuranova: “Among the core features of PiggyTap, first of all I need to mention the unique mechanics. This is not just a slot; the game combines the features of slots, fishing games and instant win. You cannot describe it, you need to try it. The game is full of bonuses and rewards, it feels like your winnings never stop. You have a fortune wheel, you have bonus buy, you have inbuilt free spins. 

“Moreover, you see all of the players playing together with you; this is a multiplayer game, so you see the winnings that they make – which encourages you to play even longer and get your jackpot at the end of the day. Piggy is also a personality. You can see it changing her outfits from season to season, from holiday to holiday. We have Christmas Piggy, Valentine’s Piggy, Easter Piggy, summer Piggy, Halloween Piggy. Maybe we’ll do all of the holidays of the world soon. That’s what makes Piggy the star of the show.” 

It sounds like something the market’s not seen before. Can you share some of the feedback you’ve had from operators about the game? 

Tsuranova: “Well, Piggy has become a global success now and operators from all over the world are coming with awesome feedback about Piggy. However, we are developing Piggy together, introducing changes to the game; teamwork is how Piggy progresses daily. 

Moving forward, Onlyplay is looking to expand its offering. What have been some of the key learnings that you’ve taken from PiggyTap that you’re using for other games in development? 

Serheieva: “One of the learnings we’ve had is that you never know when your new product can become your flagship. But you definitely can plan that and try to make it your flagship. We see that it works if you support your new product with a list of actions, when you teach your partners, when you make your clients aware of the specifics of the product. 

“Since the time we launched PiggyTap, it’s definitely a game changer, it’s definitely an innovative game which brought a new type of entertainment in the market. And we’ve seen quite successful performance of the game.  

“Another learning was that we can scale the product. We registered Top Games trademark and PiggyTap trademark, that was part of the decision to scale, to extend the product range. We plan to launch new games, also Top Games. 

“There’s going to be a new product line called FortuneChef – soon you will see a cute panda slicing Sushi, which is also gambling! Nowadays the market wants something new, new types of entertainment. That was also our learning, that we should be brave enough to try to deliver some new ideas and make it a well performing product.” 

You’re known for your lightweight crash games. Why is that important for Onlyplay and what challenge do you feel that that solves? 

Serheieva: “Well, crash games were a wise decision; we delivered a product to the market where there’s demand. We know there are lots of players, there is a huge audience of players with low internet conditions. Some people who have used old devices for many years but they are active gamblers. They want to play. 

“We also know that there is a range of software and browsers that we should support. We saw all this and decided to create some games that can deliver good experiences for this group. And we see really good results already, in some areas where we launched and had successful pre-release of those games, and we saw good numbers and good performance and now we have several negotiations with leading clients, leading operators in the industry. We plan to expand with crash games in certain markets and to deliver our product to more players, since it’s lightweight. 

“What actually is lightweight by the way? Lightweight means games that are less than 1mb. This allows players to launch fast and start the game fast. Players don’t like to wait, so if the game opens and launches immediately and they can start playing that’s the best experience for them. We also know there are players with old devices or bad internet, or specific countries where they have to pay for every megabyte they consume. So we can address that audience and deliver something fun to them. And they can play the games and enjoy being part of the gambling community.” 

2025 is looking set to be a really exciting year for GR8 Tech, not least because of an exciting new partnership. Tell us about your new collaboration with Ready to Fight. 

Ghazaryan: “2025 is truly going to be a very exciting year for us at GR8 Tech. We believe it’s going to be a year of growth and success. We’ve built our success on delivering high-precision solutions tailored to many markets. Solutions that give real competitive edge to our clients and help them grow really fast and become leaders and champions in their markets. 

“It’s the year of scaling of the solutions, and this partnership is going to help us really convey the message that working with GR8 Tech enables operators to truly become champions in the markets that they’re operating in. And who but the brand of Oleksandr Usyk to help us make that happen.” 

The tagline for the new partnership is ‘Undisputedly GR8’. Talk us through what’s behind that bold wording. How does it reflect the values of both GR8 Tech and Ready to Fight, and what message is it giving to the industry? 

 Ghazaryan: “‘Undisputedly GR8’ in my opinion is the personification of our values. As a matter of fact I believe we have very big synergy between our values and Ready to Fight, which is dedication, resilience, and more importantly striving for excellence – and being the best in the field that we do.

“We apply this approach not just in developing the products that we craft meticulously through much analysis, rigour and investment, but also in our business practices where we literally take on any challenge that comes to us, any challenge that blocks our clients from growing, is what we tackle.  

“That’s what makes our products not good but GR8, and our clients undisputedly GR8 in the market of their operations. And I believe this phrase itself is the perfect way to convey this commitment we have.” 

How does it align with your business goal of becoming the number one sportsbook platform? 

Ghazaryan: “Number one means you’re undisputed and great. Oleksandr Usyk and his brand represent an undisputed champion title, a person that is unbeaten and undisputed.” 

Lynon is a new igaming SaaS provider looking to change the game for operators. Can you tell us what gap you identified in the market, and what Lynon’s vision for the future is?

Vardanyan: “We’re focused on two main things. First of all, top service. We believe that an operator who is going to choose a platform provider will have service as a top priority. We make sure internal procedures are set well thought out in such way that there will be no delays and bottlenecks in operational procedures.

“And the second thing is technical architecture, which ensures that no changes or force majeure are going to cause down times or anyhow affect live operators.”

Standing out in the igaming industry as a new provider is a challenge suffered by anyone looking to penetrate the industry. What would you say are Lynon’s USPs that make operators want to work with you?

Vardanyan: “The gap we identified leads us to the USP, it gives birth to our USP, which is, in this case, top service and technical architecture.”

With top service in mind, that leads us to your unique marketing campaign for ICE – the auction. What can you tell us about this exciting campaign, and will it continue beyond the show?

Stepanyan: “For sure it’s going to be an ongoing nature. It’s a really exclusive offer that we are offering to our partners. So basically, what the auction is about is we are giving three slots for three websites ready to go, websites with full branding and the purchase domains already.

“So basically, the operator doesn’t need to do anything. They are just launching. They are just coming to the auction, buying the website, and just launching their website within 15 minutes. For registering to our auction, and for the future as well, people have to come our stand [at ICE].

“The live show is going to happen on the second day, on 21st at 4pm, so they’re registering the names, the surnames, the emails, etc, and their first bids. And as in a classic auction, the highest bid wins the website. Besides all this, we are going to give to the winner three months free CRM and affiliate service, which is really unique as well, and all our gamification tools as well.”

 You’re showcasing some big offers at ICE, what can you tell us about those? Will they be available at upcoming events in the igaming calendar?

Stepanyan: “Yes, we will come to upcoming expos as well with special offers and special promotions. Here for now, we are going to have fully branded and fully ready website for €5,000 instead of €20,000.

“Our official price for websites is €20,000 here we are giving it out for €5,000 – and again, the partner will receive free CRM and free affiliate services for the first three months, and the gamification tools as well.”

“Scaling operations means much more than handling more traffic. You need to both adapt to regulatory changes in existing markets and be able to enter new ones as fast as possible.

“Operators must not only maintain operational efficiency while updating their portfolios, but also ensure these are tailored to local preferences and compliant with regulatory requirements. When an operator seeks a specific game provider or unique titles, their software supplier should also be capable of swiftly accommodating such requests.

“This is precisely where CasinoEngine excels. We’ve optimised our platform to provide operators with seamless access to new game releases, regulatory updates, and swift delivery of bespoke requests.

“Additionally, CasinoEngine includes a hosted game aggregation solution, which alleviates the operational burden on operators while guaranteeing uptime and transactional speed for all other services integrated into the platform.”

What does it take to maintain that growth momentum?

“Growth requires attracting and retaining players while maximising their lifetime value (LTV). Key to this are loyalty and engagement tools – not the outdated, overused tools players have grown indifferent to. What you need are next-generation tools designed for the future.

“We’ve anticipated this need with EngageSuite, our set of loyalty and gamification tools. Operators can customise them to create seamless cross-vertical player experiences. EngageSuite consists of six interconnected tools that deliver personalised player journeys based on their actions, working autonomously once configured:

“This includes BonusEngine offering a variety of bonuses, including Bonus Money, FreeSpins, FreeBets, CashBack, StakeBack, and more; JackpotEngine, enabling operators to configure and manage jackpots across any game, vendor, or player segment; LoyaltyEngine, a cross-vertical loyalty program that allows operators to set levels, configure experience points and coins, and offer rewards across gaming verticals; PrizeEngine, providing configurable mini games with monetary and non-monetary prizes; Tournaments featuring real-time leaderboards for engaging competitions across sports events and casino games; and Challenges that engage players with tasks to complete for added excitement.

“Added this, excellent customer support is essential. Players need access to help when required, along with clear and transparent information. For example, through our API, operators can view game replays in the back office while players can access them on the front end.

“Combine this with smooth payment and withdrawal processing and 24/7 player assistance, and you have a winning formula for sustained growth.”

How does EveryMatrix approach localisation for games, bonuses, and the front-end?

“Localisation is all about providing operators with the flexibility to adapt to the unique preferences and needs of their target markets. At EveryMatrix, we empower operators to localise their offerings in several ways.

“Firstly, content localisation is key to market success, and it extends beyond understanding player preferences and trends. Many operators prioritise content from top vendors, which has its merits, but this approach alone is not enough for success.

“It requires choosing the right vendors and games while ensuring compliance with local regulations. Even with deep market knowledge, regulatory challenges can still impact operators’ goals.

“In Europe, for example, player preferences might lean toward specific games, but regulations like bet limits or restrictions on features like Buy Features can constrain what you can offer in your portfolio.

“Some operators believe that content localisation alone is enough to succeed in a new market, but this approach often falls short. We emphasise educating our clients on the multifaceted nature of localisation.

“That’s why, when it comes to the front-end, we focus on complete flexibility as well. With us, operators can develop their own front-end from scratch, maintaining full creative control; they can mix and match their custom design with our pre-developed widgets to save time while retaining a tailored look and feel; and they can use our ready-made front-end, optimised for seamless integration and performance.

“This flexibility ensures operators can deliver experiences that resonate with local audiences, by adapting existing solutions or building entirely unique interfaces.

“For games and bonuses, our platform and tools are designed to support localisation at every level. CasinoEngine allows operators to curate game portfolios tailored to specific regions, ensuring players have access to titles that align with their preferences.

“EngageSuite enhances this by enabling the creation of custom bonus types and promotions designed to appeal to local audiences, whether that’s through language customisation, culturally relevant incentives, or targeted campaigns.”

From a technical standpoint, how does CasinoEngine handle rapidly growing traffic?

“We provide operators with customisable tools they can tailor to their business needs, alongside the flexibility to develop independently. This is supported by scalable web apps, Windows servers, and horizontally scalable databases, allowing server nodes to be added or removed and databases to scale on demand.

“Our platform handles peaks of 5,800 transactions per second, with an average of 125 transactions per second per deployed application node for the Gaming Integration Component, and a median transaction time of just 35ms.

“In short, we’re ready to help our clients scale their business to meet any goal – whether it’s expanding in an established market or entering a new one. From tailored content offerings and comprehensive localisation to boosting traffic and customising both back-end and front-end systems, we’ve got it covered.”

Can you provide an example of how EveryMatrix has facilitated rapid growth and operational scale?

“The most significant impact has come from tier-1 clients migrating to our casino platform, particularly sports operators with minimal or no casino GGR, where we’ve driven dramatic growth. The numbers speak for themselves: with 300+ clients across multiple jurisdictions, we proudly maintain an industry-leading 97% client satisfaction score. What’s more, EveryMatrix client retention is industry-leading, and we haven’t lost a single large client for more than five years in a row.  

“When it comes to impressive growth, we’ve partnered with clients who began as startups, helping them scale their businesses from the ground up. A standout example is a client in the Latin America (LatAm) region who, with our support, has achieved exceptional month-on-month (MoM) growth.

“Starting from scratch, this client leveraged EveryMatrix’s comprehensive suite of tools and services to build a robust foundation for their operations. But the results speak for themselves.

“In the Latin American City of Buenos Aires (CABA) jurisdiction, our client achieved remarkable growth in their operations over two years, including:

• 35% UAP growth/month (average)
• 46% growth in total bets/month (average)
• 58% growth in total wagered amount/month (average)

“This success showcases how flexibility and operational excellence go hand in hand to drive sustainable growth.”

“We at GR8 Tech are dedicated to delivering adaptable solutions that empower our clients with the scalability, functionality, and autonomy they need to grow. Success requires determination, ambition, expertise, and strategic vision – things that are highlighted, amplified, and celebrated by our partnership with Ready to Fight. This collaboration reminds our clients that they are not just supported but championed in their pursuit of excellence, knowing they have a partner committed to their success every step of the way.

“This partnership elevates everything we have done to an UNdisputedly GR8 level, which is our ambition and promise to our clients, current and future. It is all about pushing limits, creating impact, and delivering results that keep moving forward.”

What initiatives have you prioritised as Chief business development officer to prepare GR8 Tech for success in 2025?

“One of my main goals is to further expand GR8 Tech’s presence in emerging markets, particularly in areas where we see the highest growth potential, such as Southeast Asia. I am focusing on understanding the unique nuances of various regions and adapting our approach accordingly, whether it’s through localised platform features or targeted strategies for market entry.

“Beyond that, I am committed to driving innovation by leveraging data and insights to personalise our services further. That way, every client receives the tools and support they need to succeed in igaming.”

With continuous updates to your product portfolio, what advancements have been introduced last year, and how do they set the stage for your 2025 roadmap?

“We have revamped our solutions to make them more targeted and tailored to the unique demands of the industry. We’ve also introduced new offerings and clearly differentiated them by business need, GEO of operations, and vertical, so we can better meet the specific goals of our clients.

“One of our key focuses is on our Hyper Turnkey solution, which is a complete package designed to deliver seamless, full-service platform. We are also emphasising our Sportsbook Turbo iFrame solution, which provides a highly customisable, scalable option for operators looking to integrate sports betting into their casino platforms, introducing new revenue sources with minimal effort.

“Alongside that, Infinite Casino Aggregation is another strong offering, ensuring we provide operators with a robust and diverse casino experience. We are also continuing to focus on Aff.Tech and will be expanding the Platform Acceler8 suite of tools – a range of add-ons for operators to easily enhance their platforms.

“A constant pipeline of updates, which we share regularly with our clients through our monthly platform digests, allows our partners to stay informed about the latest developments and features that our GR8 teams are rolling out. As I mentioned earlier, we’ve been incorporating feedback from operators to make sure our solutions are more targeted and responsive to their specific requirements. We are excited about all the refinements, and operators can expect even more personalised, flexible solutions in the months ahead.”

You’ve also launched a geo segmentation suite; how does this help operators with growth opportunities in key markets? What is this product’s biggest USP?

“Our geo-specific presets provide tailored configurations for each market – we adjust igaming solutions to each region, covering language, currency, local content, and compliance. Each market has its own unique characteristics, so a geo-specific approach is essential for success.

“For example, for our African clients, we focus on optimising for outdated devices and low bandwidth to ensure smooth performance. In Latin America, we cater to the region’s deep-rooted passion for sports, particularly football, to deliver a more engaging and relevant experience.

“GR8 Tech’s geo-segmentation suite is a game-changer for operators looking to unlock growth opportunities in key markets. With advanced customer segmentation, operators can better understand and meet the diverse needs of players in different geographies. That way, operators can create highly localised campaigns, offers, and promotions that are more likely to resonate with local audiences, while also ensuring full compliance with local regulations.

“Our key strength is our AI-driven adaptability and real-time response to player behaviors and market trends. Also, it is backed by our deep expertise in the sportsbook domain. We ensure that personalisation is simply implemented despite challenges like inconsistent data, fast-changing player interests, and cultural or regional differences. 

“Our flexibility ensures GR8 Tech’s solutions are effective globally, regardless of the market’s maturity or size – be it small, medium, or highly experienced operators.”

What process do you undertake to determine which products you should elevate and launch? How do you conduct market research and go about designing these new products/changes to current products?

“It’s a careful balance of understanding market needs, analysing client feedback, and leveraging our in-depth industry expertise. Our process starts with identifying gaps in the market or areas where existing solutions can be improved.

“While client feedback plays a key role in highlighting pain points, operational challenges, and desired features, we strive to look beyond. We aim to craft innovations that aren’t just iterations of what’s already available but solutions that set new benchmarks in the industry.

“Market research is a fundamental part of this process. We study trends within igaming and take inspiration from other industries with strong user-centric designs, such as booking platforms and mobile technologies. Their intuitive user flows and exceptional user interface serve as a benchmark, helping us improve our platforms’ usability. We also draw lessons from offline retail, where data-driven insights into user behaviour help refine customer interaction strategies. By applying similar principles, we aim to elevate the igaming experience to a higher standard.

“When designing new products or updating existing ones, we rely heavily on data. Unlike many providers, GR8 Tech has the distinct advantage of having developed our platform with real-time, multi-geo insights from both B2B and B2C operations.

“True innovation, for us, isn’t just about hyped-up buzzwords but applying technologies such as AI and ML meaningfully to address real-world challenges and opportunities. Whether it’s refining our sportsbook content offering or developing advanced tools for geo-segmentation and personalisation, our focus remains on creating products with purpose – solutions that empower operators and elevate the igaming industry as a whole.”

You’ve had a big focus on Africa and Latin America in 2024, why have these two markets in particular been a focal point for GR8 Tech? Do you plan to continue your efforts in these markets?

“Latin America and Africa are key regions because of their growth potential and evolving market needs. Both represent significant opportunities for operators, but they require tailored approaches to succeed.

“In Latin America, our focus on strategic partnerships has already delivered significant results, such as our collaboration with Jugabet in Peru. GR8 Tech provided Jugabet with a fully customised sportsbook and casino platform tailored specifically to the Peruvian market, with local and popular content, payment methods, and language options.

“Africa presents a mix of opportunities and challenges, with varying levels of infrastructure and market readiness across countries. GR8 Tech’s ability to offer scalable, easily integrated solutions allows operators to confidently establish and grow their presence in these emerging markets. For our African client Mojabet, we created a lightweight frontend, which cut load times from 10 seconds to 1.5 seconds, leading to a 12% increase in conversions and 25% in retention.

“We still plan to deepen our efforts in both regions. We will continue to provide flexible, localised solutions that empower operators to deliver engaging player experiences while navigating challenges such as regulatory changes, high player churn, and market maturation.”

With 2024 seeing significant growth in player engagement and platform performance, how have the updates and features introduced throughout the year impacted player behavior and operator success on the GR8 platform?

“We have focused on giving operators the tools they need to customise their platforms and manage them more efficiently. We have also made it easier for operators to launch in new markets quickly and cater to local demands.

“Our adaptability has been key in boosting player engagement and satisfaction. Over the past year, we’ve developed around 200 features and improvements, which helped drive a 125% increase in the total number of bets placed on our platform. Naturally, this has led to a significant boost in our clients’ GGR.

“The sportsbook performed highly, with an average of 125,000 events per month in 2024 – up from 94,000 the year before. Meanwhile, we’ve managed to maintain an impressive 8% sportsbook margin, which is well above the industry average. (We also offer operators tools to adjust margins based on geography, allowing them to stay competitive in regions where margins can vary widely: from as low as 4% in Asia to as high as 15% in Africa.)

“On the casino side, we’ve noticed a shift in player preferences. Slots have overtaken live casino games in popularity, and instant games are on the rise, reflecting a growing demand for quick, exciting gameplay. We pay close attention to all the shifts and ensure we follow what players and operators want.”

What markets do you plan to focus on building products this year?

“We see significant potential in expanding into new markets, particularly in Asia and Africa. Asia offers exciting opportunities due to its diversity and dynamic growth. Markets like India, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines are on our radar, and we are tracking developments, as all these markets are holding immense potential.

“Africa’s rapidly expanding population and less saturated market make it a promising region for B2C-focused innovations. Countries like Nigeria, Congo, and Ivory Coast offer long-term growth opportunities in emerging economies with room for strategic development.

“We are looking at Latin America, with a particular interest in Peru and Chile, as a key area for expansion. The region’s evolving market presents great opportunities for tailored solutions. As for Europe, we scale up our established success and remain attentive to shifts and trends that could open doors for new ventures, keeping our strategies flexible to adapt to emerging prospects.”

Zuckerberg explained, “We designed our Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (MEGA) tool to unify all our gamification features into one application. The work we have done on MEGA is paying off, and we have now integrated the solution with a simple API that does not require development time or in-depth changes”. 

“Our customer lifetime values (LTVs) have shot up as a result of MEGA, but other key metrics like deposit amounts, retention rates and ROI have also increased across the board. We will host a workshop at ICE Barcelona 2025, showcasing how gamification can practically enhance user LTV and business ROI.”.

Complexity of integration

One of the biggest challenges for operators seeking a gamification tool that truly personalises the player journey and meets player demands is the significant resources required for integration.

Zuckerberg highlighted that these issues motivated the company to build its MEGA tool, saying, “We actually initiated this project because we could not help noticing how, prior to MEGA, integrations were complicated, lengthy affairs that used up valuable resources and often required additional development stages.”

The Soft2Bet MEGA solution overcomes many of these barriers by unifying all gamification features into a single application. Its straightforward API simplifies integration, eliminating the need for extra development and notably enhancing operators’ speed-to-market.

For example, the system allows operators to create missions and challenges that players must complete while playing casino games. These engagement mechanics can increase screen time and spending.

Zuckerberg outlined that operators have complete control over the difficulty of these challenges, what triggers bonuses, and the rewards customers can collect through gamification elements. 

“The package provides a broad range of gamification engines under one hood, so it is an all-in-one solution that allows operators to switch between different engines easily and whenever they want to.”

Another benefit is that MEGA collects data on user activity, which operators can view in real-time. This allows operators to reconfigure systems or provide personalised content.

Regulatory compliance and localisation

While MEGA offers an extensive suite of gamification options within a single application, customers aren’t required to use them all. Zuckerberg highlighted that MEGA enables operators to select specific features, making it ideal for sites navigating strict regulatory requirements.

This has been a big challenge for gaming companies in the past, as having to comply with multiple sets of regulations with one solution has made using a universal system complex. 

The MEGA system eliminates this problem by offering the option to use one of its several gamification engines. For example, MEGA powers the Betinia brand in Denmark and Sweden, two jurisdictions with different regulatory requirements. Therefore, the MEGA products that are available vary between these two regions. 

Zuckerberg explained, “A key advantage with MEGA is that partners can customise the interface to their chosen mechanics and because individual markets have different regulatory requirements for gamification, the solution also provides fully compliant conditions for operators. 

“This translates into faster speed-to-market and timely launches of a revenue-boosting solution that is fully compliant with local regulatory requirements.”

Comprehensive personalisation

While one benefit of the highly customisable MEGA system is complying with local regulations, another is delivering personalised experiences to players. More and more casinos are trying to provide personalised experiences through custom game suggestions or tailored rewards, but many operators don’t have the tools to deliver highly accurate, personalised content.

Operators can use MEGA to deliver customised content in two ways: geo-specific and player-specific. For example, Zuckerberg highlighted how QuickCasino leveraged geo-specific personalisation by offering gamification rewards inspired by a popular local sport in Scandinavia, showcasing MEGA’s versatility.

“QuickCasino refers to one of the most prominent car racing competitions in the Nordic – offroad rally. We prepared a unique collection of rally cars that players would be able to access once they have completed gamification challenges and achieved the required bonus and loyalty rewards.”

As a testament to how the MEGA solution has worked for this operator, Zuckerberg revealed the company has hit average rates of 75% for retained players from Q2-Q3 2024, which is usually a period with low marketing.

Overcoming player retention problems with enhanced engagement

Player loyalty continues to be one of the biggest operator challenges to overcome, alongside increasing player engagement. Zuckerberg highlighted that “attention spans are short” for modern players, but next-level gamification is one of the ways operators can keep players coming back, as many rewards and challenges require repeated play.

The MEGA system lets casinos and sports betting sites increase screen time by customising tailored rewards, user segmentation, and other factors through its game engines.

Gamification features like progress bars and milestone-rewarding animations have greatly boosted engagement. MEGA also enables operators to create dynamic leaderboards, allowing players to compete with one another. Additionally, real-time progress tracking allows operators to make adjustments that better align with player preferences.

Mobile-first design to meet modern players’ needs

“The design philosophy behind MEGA’s enhanced capabilities stems from the understanding that players demand seamless, intuitive, and visually appealing interfaces. This is particularly vital in an industry where competition is fierce and attention spans are short.

By integrating dynamic gamification engines, customisable designs, and interactive features, MEGA elevates engagement through a combination of immersive storytelling and functional excellence.”

The H2 Gambling Capital data for mobile gaming estimates that the total global mobile gaming gross win will reach $152.6 billion by 2029. Mobile gaming is projected to grow at an annual rate of around 14.9%, and mobile casino gaming is projected to grow by 16.8% annually. Currently, mobile gaming is on course to account for just shy of 50% of global gaming wins in 2024. 

However, many operators struggle to create distinct and engaging platforms that draw users in, incorporate gamification technology, and run smoothly on mobile platforms. Zuckerberg noted that the “rise of mobile gaming has significantly influenced MEGA’s development.”

Proven results

While Zuckerberg has already outlined several instances of MEGA being used successfully to prove the platform’s effectiveness, there are further success stories from the industry.

Using Betina as an example, Zuckerberg highlighted that over 50% of players had interacted with MEGA systems. Since the implementation of MEGA, net gaming revenues have jumped by 65%, and ARPU has increased by 70%. Another example Zuckerberg picked out was Don.ro, where the number of retained players has increased by 98% since introducing MEGA. 

“For Betinia, data from 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 showed that the number of active players was up 75% and 138% in Sweden and Denmark and GGR was up an incredible 47% and 148% respectively,” Zuckerberg explained.

With MEGA going from strength to strength, 2025 is set to be a game-changer for operators and players alike. The next “big thing” in gamification has finally arrived!

“At Baazi Games, our customer-centric approach is built around delivering a comprehensive, scalable, and customisable solution that empowers operators to provide an engaging gaming experience.

“Our offerings include platform development and customisation, where we provide a fully scalable platform tailored to operators’ needs, covering game mechanics, player interfaces, and integration options. We also offer integrated payment solutions to ensure seamless and secure transactions for deposits, withdrawals, and cash handling, supporting multiple payment methods to enhance player convenience.

“Additionally, our platform includes tools for player acquisition and retention, such as bonuses, loyalty programs, and tailored marketing solutions to boost engagement.

“Operators benefit from real-time data analytics and detailed reporting, enabling informed decision-making and optimisation for profitability. Baazi Games also prioritises security and fair play, adhering to industry standards to create a transparent and safe gaming environment.”

With so much competition in the igaming industry, what would you say is Baazi Games’ unique selling point that sets you aside from other suppliers on the market?

“What sets Baazi Games apart is its unique selling proposition rooted in the passion and expertise of our team, comprising seasoned poker players, tech experts, and innovative marketers. Together, we aim to elevate the game of poker to new heights. Our customisation and scalability capabilities allow us to deliver tailored solutions that cater to the specific needs of startups and established businesses alike.

“Our comprehensive tech stack ensures a seamless gaming experience, featuring secure payment gateways, real-time analytics, and an intuitive user interface. Finally, Baazi Games emphasises player safety and fairness through certified RNG systems and robust player protection measures, fostering trust and credibility within the gaming community.”

With secure infrastructure a big industry challenge for operators, how can Baazi’s platform help operators to remain safe and secure?

“Baazi Games prioritises providing a secure and robust infrastructure to address the critical challenges operators face in the online gaming and gambling industry. Security is at the core of our platform, employing advanced data encryption protocols to safeguard player information and financial transactions.

“We implement a multi-layered security architecture featuring multi-factor authentication (MFA), firewalls, and intrusion detection systems (IDS) to prevent unauthorised access and mitigate potential breaches. Furthermore, our platform incorporates certified Random Number Generators (RNGs) and anti-cheating mechanisms, ensuring fair play and maintaining the integrity of skill-based games like poker and rummy.”

Trust helps to build player loyalty, a big focal point for operators’ retention strategy. How does your solution help to build trust with players? 

“Building trust with players is a natural extension of our secure infrastructure. Transparency is key, and we adhere to industry standards with certifications like RNG, which assures players of fairness and safety. Baazi Games also provides responsible gaming tools, such as self-exclusion options, to protect vulnerable players and foster a safer gaming environment.

“Secure financial transactions, backed by robust fraud prevention systems, further enhance player confidence, ensuring that their funds are well-protected and interactions with the platform are seamless.

How can your solution help with infrastructure challenges like latency, uptime and compliance needs?

“The platform is specifically designed to address infrastructure challenges such as latency, uptime, and compliance. By utilising low-latency technology, we ensure smooth and uninterrupted gaming experiences, particularly in live games or real-time contests.

“Our cloud-based infrastructure, supported by failover systems and load balancing, guarantees high uptime and reliability, even during unexpected spikes in traffic. Baazi Games also supports operators in navigating complex legal landscapes by ensuring compliance with regional gaming regulations and data privacy laws, such as GDPR and local IT acts, making it easier for operators to meet regulatory requirements.”

These challenges can be further escalated by increased traffic during peak times, how can Baazi Games help operators with this? 

“To handle increased traffic during peak times, the Baazi Games platform is highly scalable. Through cloud-based infrastructure and auto-scaling mechanisms, it dynamically adjusts resources to meet demand during events like major sports tournaments or festive seasons.

“Advanced load-balancing techniques evenly distribute player traffic across multiple servers, ensuring consistent performance and preventing server overload. This scalability ensures a smooth gaming experience for players while enabling operators to maximise revenue opportunities during high-traffic periods.”

What impact does it have on operators that aren’t using a platform provider that can solve these challenges?

“Operators who do not leverage a secure and scalable platform like Baazi Games face significant risks. Security breaches can result in reputational damage, legal issues, and financial losses. Insecure platforms are likely to lose player trust, as users gravitate toward safer alternatives.

“Moreover, inadequate infrastructure often leads to technical failures, such as lag and downtime during critical moments, negatively impacting player experience and revenue. Non-compliance with regulatory standards further compounds these challenges, exposing operators to penalties, fines, and potential loss of gaming licenses. Baazi Games’ comprehensive platform addresses these issues, empowering operators to build trust, ensure security, and thrive in a competitive market.”

For operators looking for a new platform, the need for scalability is always a top priority, especially with planned expansions into new markets. How can operators continue to grow with Baazi’s solution?

“Scalability is a critical priority for operators aiming to grow their businesses. A scalable platform must handle increasing player numbers, higher traffic volumes, and an expanding range of services while maintaining a seamless and reliable user experience.

“Baazi Games addresses these needs by providing a highly adaptable solution that evolves alongside the operator’s business. Leveraging cloud-based infrastructure, our platform dynamically adjusts resources to meet seasonal or unexpected traffic surges, such as those triggered by major sporting events or promotional campaigns. This ensures stable performance without manual intervention.

“Additionally, auto-scaling and load-balancing mechanisms distribute player activity across multiple servers, minimising the risk of lag or downtime even during peak hours. For operators targeting global markets, Baazi Games’ scalable infrastructure supports localisation, multiple payment gateways, and region-specific compliance, enabling seamless expansion into new territories.”

You build solutions to directly answer industry demand, ensuring operators have exactly what they need. How did you develop your product to work this way?

“Scalability is embedded in Baazi Games’ platform through its innovative product development approach. A microservices architecture enables independent scaling of components like payment processing, game management, and data storage, ensuring flexibility and efficiency.

“The elastic cloud infrastructure automatically adjusts to demand, reducing costs during low-traffic periods while ensuring sufficient resources during peak times. Continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) allow for seamless rollout of updates and new features, ensuring the platform evolves alongside operators’ needs. Advanced analytics and reporting tools further empower operators to make data-driven decisions, optimising their offerings and scaling strategically.

“The impact of Baazi’s scalable solution on operators is transformative. The platform enables seamless expansion into new regions or markets by supporting localisation in languages, currencies, and payment methods, removing barriers associated with rigid infrastructure. Operators also enjoy minimised operational costs, as the dynamic scalability ensures resources are provisioned only as needed, avoiding over-investment.

“Most importantly, the platform guarantees an enhanced player experience by automatically scaling to meet demand, ensuring consistent performance and reliability during high-traffic periods. This keeps players engaged, fosters loyalty, and maximises revenue opportunities for operators.”

How do you utilise feedback from operators to continuously develop and evolve your offering, so it always meets industry demand?

“Baazi Games places a strong emphasis on incorporating operator feedback into its development process to ensure the platform evolves alongside industry demands. This begins with direct engagement through consultations, focus groups, and feedback sessions, which help identify operator pain points and challenges. Dedicated customer support and account management teams work closely with operators to address concerns and gather detailed feedback, which is systematically analysed.

“Additionally, the company uses data analytics to monitor operator and player interactions, gaining insights into performance metrics, behavioural trends, and transaction patterns. Market research and an eye on emerging technologies further ensure that the platform remains competitive and aligned with evolving player preferences and industry trends.

What process would you go through to encompass these changes?

“The process of implementing these changes follows a structured, agile development cycle. Feedback is collected from various channels and prioritized based on its impact, feasibility, and alignment with business objectives. Cross-functional teams, including product managers, developers, designers, and compliance experts, collaborate to design solutions that address technical and user experience requirements. Prototypes are rigorously tested internally and often through beta testing with operators, ensuring the effectiveness of new features.

“Once validated, updates are deployed with minimal disruption to operations, followed by continuous monitoring to ensure smooth performance and gather additional feedback.”

Player engagement and retention challenges top the list of operator challenges time and time again. How does your solution help operators with this?

“Baazi Games’ platform is designed to address player engagement and retention challenges through a comprehensive suite of features and strategies. By leveraging personalised content, loyalty programs, seamless user experiences, and targeted promotions, the platform ensures that players remain engaged and incentivised to return. These efforts are rooted in a deep understanding of user behaviour, enabling operators to create more meaningful interactions with their player base.

“A significant part of the platform’s success lies in personalised and relevant in-app content. Baazi Games helps operators deliver tailored content that aligns with individual player preferences and behaviours. Personalised game recommendations ensure players are presented with activities that match their interests, encouraging frequent engagement.

“The platform also enables operators to customise the user interface (UI) to highlight favourite games, current promotions, or relevant tournaments, fostering a sense of connection and familiarity. Additionally, dynamic content such as personalised banners, notifications, and in-game promotions ensures timely and relevant communication with players, enhancing their overall experience.

“Gamification and loyalty programs are central to Baazi Games’ engagement strategy. Engaging tournaments and events also play a crucial role in keeping players active. The platform supports various poker tournament formats, including Sit-N-Go and multi-table tournaments, offering competitive environments that appeal to a broad range of players. Timed events and flash sales add an element of urgency, prompting players to log in more frequently to take advantage of special offers. Seasonal and themed events further keep the content fresh and exciting, ensuring sustained interest.

“Advanced analytics are another cornerstone of Baazi Games’ approach to engagement. Operators can use behavioural insights to identify inactive or disengaged players and deploy personalised re-engagement offers.

“Baazi Games also includes retention-boosting features that go beyond in-app content. Responsible gaming tools, such as self-exclusion options, spending limits, and play-time reminders, ensure a safe and trustworthy environment for players, building long-term loyalty. Additionally, we offer a smooth onboarding experience that helps new players quickly familiarise themselves with the platform, reducing friction and increasing the likelihood of continued engagement.

“By combining these strategies, Baazi Games provides operators with a robust solution for tackling player engagement and retention challenges, enabling them to create dynamic, rewarding, and sustainable gaming experiences.”

Play’n GO is no stranger to successful sequel games and Hellstrom believes that the team has masterfully reeled in another winner with this latest instalment to the Boat Bonanza series. With the popularity of its 2023 predecessor, Boat Bonanza Colossal Catch, still making waves on a global scale, now seemed the perfect time to add a touch of Christmas magic to the fishing themed slots adventure.

“The festive season is a perfect time to engage players with themes of joy, giving, and excitement, and Boat Bonanza Christmas was our way of merging those emotions with the engaging gameplay players already know and love.”

Launching in 2018, Boat Bonanza hit the headlines with its popularity, setting the scene for the subsequent editions, Boat Bonanza: Colossal Catch in 2023, and Boat Bonanza Down Under in Spring 2024. 

But with success comes challenges, and this time around the test for the Play’n GO team was perfecting the progression of the Boat Bonanza storyline in a way that retains engagement through familiarity while adding a touch of festive intrigue for both new and existing fans. 

Hellstrom adds, “In Boat Bonanza Christmas, players will aim to match wintery-themed symbols across the game’s 5×4 reels for your chance to haul in some big holiday wins. We’ve stayed true to the original game, but with more of a winter wonderland vibe that we think players will love.”

Bringing Christmas to life

“With a backdrop of a snow-covered coastline and shimmering icy waters, you’ll feel like you’re sailing through a serene winter paradise as you cast those nets into the icy depths.”

Festive themes are in full swing this time of year, with snowy landscapes, glistening snowflakes and Christmas trees taking centre stage. However, Hellstrom believes his team have created a game that provides more than just seasonal cheer—by leveraging industry experience and detailed player insights the team has struck the perfect balance between the game’s popular features and an infusion of Christmas magic. 

He explains, “We tried to match wintery-themed symbols across the game’s 5×4 reels for your chance to haul in some big holiday wins. Alongside the classic slot symbols, you’ll encounter seagulls with Santa hats, festive buoys, and more. 

Player demand vs. seasonality

“We’re really hopeful that this game can utilise the popularity of the Boat Bonanza IP to stand out this Christmas. The metrics for success will be the same as for all of our releases. We’ll engage with operators to acquire feedback, and we expect the game to be a mainstay of players’ seasonal activities for many years to come.” 

Striking this perfect chord isn’t possible through guesswork and Hellstrom is proud of the way his team listens to player feedback to incorporate the standout features and mechanics. 

He explains, “Player feedback highlighted a love for the simplicity of the core fishing mechanic, but we wanted to introduce more interactive bonus rounds to continue to deliver on experience too. In Boat Bonanza Christmas, we’ve added enhanced bonus features like the Mega Catch Multiplier to make the gameplay more engaging and rewarding.”

By speaking to players themselves and ultimately targeting the right audience at the right moment, Hellstrom believes the Play’n GO team has mastered the art of connecting with players – something that naturally reinforces its position as a leading slots developer.

“This game is perfect for players who enjoy seasonal games, casual gaming experiences, and visually immersive slots. The Christmas theme appeals to a broad audience, particularly during the holiday season when players look for light-hearted, festive entertainment.”

Key features of Boat Bonanza Christmas

“The appeal of fishing games is a secret to no one at this point, and we wanted to deliver a game that capitalised on that appeal while also giving a nod to the festive season.”

Boat Bonanza Christmas has managed to combine its trademark stand out colourful graphics with an appealing festive backdrop of icy water, Christmas trees and even the appearance of Father Christmas himself.

Set on five reels of three rows with 12 paylines, some of the key mechanics of the game include 10, 15, or 20 free spins with a combination of 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols plus an overall maximum payout of 5000x your bet. 

As in the rest of the Boat Bonanza series, there are no wilds in this edition. However, there are two exciting bonus features that more than make up for it. Keep an eye out as the pair of tugboats rise to the surface of the icy waters, ready to reel in their catch. Snag a lobster or fish symbol, and you’ll activate a multiplier mechanic to enhance your winnings. But the real excitement comes when both tugboats make a catch simultaneously, triggering the Mega Catch Multiplier, and offering a chance to win up to 1,000x your bet. 

Festive flair: Casting a Christmas line

“For seasonal games, timing is everything.” 

While Hellstrom recognises that Boat Bonanza Christmas is formed around the popular slots theme of fishing and fans-favourite Boat Bonanza mechanics, he is quick to emphasise that a well-planned and timely marketing schedule is very much a key proponent to a game’s success. 

“We focus on creating a sense of urgency by promoting the game heavily in the months leading up to the holiday season. 

“Marketing strategies include themed campaigns, social media engagement, and partnerships with operators to feature the game in their Christmas promotions.  We want the game to be front and centre for players over Christmas when they choose to use their leisure time for gameplay.

“The game really strengthens our seasonal offerings and showcases our ability to adapt successful titles into festive formats. This game contributes to our goal of providing diverse experiences, ensuring there’s something for every player during key times of the year. Naturally, given the theme of the game, we think it’s more likely that it becomes a seasonal classic as opposed to a year-round one.” 

Future Christmas crackers

With this Christmassy slot game set to make a name for itself and further boost the Boat Bonanza series, Hellstrom is confident there may be other seasonally themed titles in the making.  

He concludes, “While we can’t reveal specifics just yet, seasonal games are an important part of our strategy. We’re always looking for opportunities to adapt popular titles into special editions that resonate with players during festive periods. The success of this game will help to form our strategy next year and into the future. Watch this space!”

Play’n GO’s Game retention leader Erik Hellstrom

Similar to new operators that are drawn by the huge potential of the igaming market, there’s been a huge increase in white-label solution providers to answer the demand for growth. But while some solutions provide economies of scale, others focus on tailoring solutions to customers’ needs. So, which can provide operators with a competitive edge? 

Flexibility of services

“Most companies offer a predefined package of services—games, payments, front end, and so on—which can be long and convoluted, to say the least,” Pearson says. “But I can say that we offer bespoke and flexible products and services, which means we adapt—and we adapt fast—to the market.” 

Pearson believes that every casino operator has a unique set of requirements and outlines the importance of flexible solutions. “If one client wants instant payments and another prefers a 24-hour holding period, we tailor our approach to meet each client’s needs. Adaptation is the key to delivering a successful white-label casino because each client is different.” 

Addressing operator challenges

While white-label casinos offer many advantages, operators face significant challenges that are hard to address while using a shared platform that offers limited customisation and high dependencies on the platform provider. 

Pearson explains how his company works with operators to overcome these challenges: “We believe in a bespoke, tried-and-tested approach. Using our modular white-label system, we can meet any request a client might have by finding the right solution.”

He also points out the importance of establishing a solid, lasting working relationship between an operator and platform provider. “The key is ensuring the client is a good fit. Our clients range from startup founders to industry veterans, but we thrive on great ideas and collaborate to make them a reality.” 

Combating fraud

Igaming operators face significant fraud challenges ranging across security and data breaches, identity theft, use of false identities, underage gambling and bypassing geolocation restrictions. In addition to exposing the operator to compliance and legal risk, fraud like chargebacks and bonus abuse subject online casinos to significant losses. 

“Having over a decade of experience in this area has well and truly opened our eyes to every possible challenge. Flexibility and security are two of the major challenges for operators launching an online casino,” says Pearson.

“For example, in the industry, you hear of casinos incurring losses almost immediately after launch due to poorly negotiated CPA [Cost Per Acquisition] deals or targeting players from markets known for player abuse, such as exploiting generous sign-up offers. These are things we advise our clients on during the process.”

Managing bonus costs

Online casinos mostly rely on the same pool of content from major software providers, especially operators that use a shared, white-label solution. Therefore, operators must turn to other means, such as bonuses and promotions, to differentiate themselves and attract players. However, balancing attractive offers with profitability presents a significant challenge.

“Another major challenge is managing bonus costs. While high bonuses can attract players, they can also hurt a casino’s profitability. On the other hand, offering too little limits growth opportunities. It’s a really fine line. And this is where we can help.”

Pearson outlines his company’s expertise and focus on supporting operators in this area: “A white-label solution like ours helps clients strike the right balance, focusing on player fairness while maintaining business growth and profitability.”

Maintaining a positive bottom line

Managing bonus costs isn’t the only battle casino operators face but also maintaining a positive revenue stream. Even once an operator manages to attract players and generate revenues, cutting costs to achieve a positive Net Gaming Revenue (NGR) is a constant struggle. 

Alongside licensing and compliance fees, high acquisition and retention costs, and payment processing fees, igaming operators face charges for the use of technology platforms and game content. While many service providers charge a fee from gross revenues, White Label Casinos does things differently. 

“Charging clients with Net Gross Gaming (NGR), not Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR), is a strategic one for both us and our clients. It’s something we do differently to other white-label competitors because we believe this is the fairer option.” explains Pearson.  

“Once a client calculates the strong and weak points in their performance, this ensures they have the relevant cost back, and we have the relevant fee for our services based on that performance.”

Taking feedback on board

By their nature, white-label solutions must cater to the unique needs of many different operators with varying checklists. Balancing scalability, usability and cost-effectiveness while adhering to ever-changing client needs is a challenge faced by every technology service provider, and igaming white-label companies are no different. 

Operator feedback is crucial for improving a white-label solution as it highlights pain points such as technical shortcomings, bugs and usability issues. But beyond highlighting issues that need fixing, client feedback also brings attention to new features and market-specific needs such as preferred games, payment methods and local regulatory requirements. 

Pearson says that continuous feedback is especially important. “Without knowing where we go wrong, we can’t improve. We ask all our clients for feedback in a CSAT [Customer Satisfaction] score, along with other questions and comments, every 6 months. We do the same for our player-facing teams in RFP and customer service.”

Unique casinos delivered simply

White Label Casinos was founded with the mission of ‘kicking complicated to the curb by simplifying the process of starting a casino.’ The Malta-based company has built a reputation for creating one-of-a-kind casinos for its customers. This strategy seems to be working, as the company employs over 160 igaming professionals and powers more than 42 brands with a vast portfolio of over 7,500 games. 

Building lasting igaming relationships

Pearson attributes a large part of the company’s success to its relationships with operators. “Swing by our stand at any event, and you can see just how strong those relationships are,” he says.

Beyond the pride it takes in fostering relationships with its clients, the company’s ethos is to put the customer at the heart of everything it does, tailoring its solutions to suit the individual needs of clients, and delivering these at maximum speed, cost-effectiveness and simplicity. 

“Simply put, clients are the reason we exist,” summarises Pearson. “Without them, we wouldn’t have a business. Without us, they would just be somewhere else running their brands. So, logically, we need to jump through some hoops where we can offer a service that’s both practical for all parties and credible for players.”

White Label Casinos’ growth strategy seems to pay off. The investment in a diverse range of operators, while catering to the unique needs of each, proves itself. 

“Some of our largest clients started with small setups. But combining their skills with our expertise, they’ve grown into powerhouses,” says Pearson. 

“I’ve learned to approach challenges from multiple angles and it has molded me into someone who values functioning processes above all else. My experience in product management and operational management within the casino industry, in particular, has taught me to deeply understand the needs and wants of clients and operators – what truly matters to them. My strategy combines agility, the right content, and a pricing structure that helps our clients thrive. By excelling in what matters most and tailoring solutions to each market, I aim to empower our clients to grow sustainably and profitably. 

“This approach does not just refer to commercials but deeper on a product and feature level as well. I would often challenge what constitutes MVP for a new product simply to ensure it drives not just some value for the clients, but a great deal of it. This is especially relevant for the core success-driving functionalities for the clients, naturally one cannot excel in everything (even though we all strive for it) so the key to my approach is to ensure that we excel in aspects that truly define success for our clients. 

“These success-defining factors are geo- and product-specific, so we now focus on creating the right combination of main success drivers in each geo separately. In some places payments are the main enablers so we will focus on those more, on others it would be acquisition and retention tools such as bonuses and gamification, so we will ensure we lead at these, in others it may be the sportsbook coverage, and we will make sure we have the best coverage there is. We always strive to create the best winning combination out there for our clients, to result in a PnL that they are truly hoping for. A PnL that does not just allow them to be profitable, but actually to outperform the competition, grow, and even dominate the market. 

“This approach is best represented in our sportsbook. Being born from a sportsbook-based business, and having 20+ years of experience at that, we can say sportsbook is in our DNA. So undoubtedly we always had great coverage, extremely strong margins, and best-in-class risk management. However, we realised at one point that one of our clients lacked the specific advantages needed not just to grow, but to truly dominate the market. They did not have any disadvantages compared with the competition, but they lacked that edge which makes the difference.

“So we worked hard and created the best cricket and kabaddi coverage in the market – undoubtedly an advantage that can be felt by players. This became such a strong competitive edge for the client – for branding, differentiation, and player acquisition and retention – that it transformed them into the behemoth that dominates any market where these sports are popular.”

GR8 Tech is known for its robust high-performance solutions with high flexibility. How does your role as CRO help drive the company’s growth and strengthen its market position? 

“I feel a little bit humbled to step into the role of CRO at this point because the company has come such a long way. We’re at the point where we’re ready to change gears and accelerate, and my focus is going to be on two key things: eliminating anything that blocks this growth and promoting everything that can accelerate it. 

“Whether it’s functionality, pricing, or agility, we’re in a great position. We have a fantastic product, offered at a great price, and with a level of customization that stands out – both at the product level and in how we approach commercial deals. I can’t stress enough how much more agile we are compared to the competition. And we tailor our cost structure to match the operational needs of our clients so they can grow. So I will be focusing on these aspects commercially. 

“Another focus will be advocating for the functionalities our clients are asking for. We’ll understand what they’re saying and use our expertise to deliver the solutions they need.  

“I will also focus inwards on our employees and nurture the mindset of being always hands-on and ready to accept challenges. We want people to be excited about those challenges. That’s part of our culture – it’s how we live. Every day, we face huge challenges, and that’s something we should embrace because we’re building something great.

“So, part of my role will be to communicate that mindset to the team – helping everyone understand the magnitude of what we’re building, feel proud to be part of it, and benefit from it personally and professionally. This mindset will inadvertently drive greater outcomes and value for our clients. Value that is generated at each level of our organisation. 

“Entering the growth stage also means adding new talent, bringing in the right people who own their game, who know what they’re doing, why they’re doing it. People who take pride in the value they create. We are already looking out for people who embrace challenges as these people will surely feel at home here. The energy that they bring with them will translate directly into the accelerated growth that we’re striving for. We’ll deliver faster, whether it’s features, promises, or solutions, and by doing that, we’ll prove – without a doubt – that we’re the partner to trust.”

“We’ve already built a strong foundation of trust with our clients, and now it’s time to accelerate and show the world what we can do. That’s what this phase is about, and that’s what I’m here to drive forward.” 

As a CRO, you are stepping up from overseeing the Casino business to overlooking revenue of all divisions, including sportsbook, CRM, payment gateway, affiliate solutions and many more. What opportunities do you see at the intersection of all the critical areas of the business? 

“Let’s just say we’ll focus on expanding the synergy. We already have close cooperation between the divisions, and I hope to make it even closer. With the wide range of products and solutions we offer, there’s a lot of opportunity to mix and match and help clients in multiple directions—not just one. This approach has already proven successful in many cases, and there’s room to build on that further. 

“Our product set, by design, is built to have synergy with each other in a way that’s much stronger than it could theoretically have with any other product set. That’s because they were all created with the same ideals in mind. So my role here is to act as an enabler for all the units, fostering that synergy and ensuring they work together seamlessly. 

“I fully believe that each and every unit acts as an enabler for the others. If one wins, everybody wins. That’s the mantra, and it’s what I’ll focus on promoting across the board.”

Having worked at the intersection of product development, delivery, and client services, how do you see these areas converging to create value for GR8 Tech’s clients? 

“Naturally, every manager—or even every person—judges whatever they see based on their experiences. Honestly, having worked in multiple aspects, I’ve seen how each and every one of them can either create value or be a blocker for its creation. 

“What I’ve come to realise is that you need to ensure that when it comes to creating features, providing services, or implementing processes for your clients we need to focus on maximising the value for the clients. The value lies in everything. A great product adds value. Timely delivery of high quality adds value. The stability of your products adds value. Great client services, consultancy, and managed services that help them quickly launch and scale up—all of this adds value. Even knowledge sharing adds immense value. 

“And the thing is, a lot of value-adding actions are, in my opinion, very cheap to create but offer great benefits to our clients. They’re cheap because, if you do your processes right, they’re not driven by excess overheads—they’re driven by smart systems, structures, flows and approaches. But they still deliver the same great value and benefit to the clients. That’s why we need to really focus on continuously improving the already market-leading functionalities and processes we have.” 

As a co-founder of startups, you’ve had a unique perspective on building businesses. What lessons from your entrepreneurial journey do you bring to your new role at GR8 Tech? 

“I’ve been involved in several startups that have ranged across gaming and non-gaming industries, and while they were diverse, the lessons I’ve learned from those experiences are universal. But the biggest takeaway is that the startup mentality on its own is a value driver. My work approach is built around always challenging the status quo, embracing change and trying or creating something new.  

“Companies, as they scale, tend to get heavier in their movements and decision-making. We need to do whatever it takes to avoid that. GR8 Tech needs to always be, in essence, a startup incubator. That’s the culture I want to nurture – where every employee knows that they’re in an environment where they can create something new, where they’re empowered to contribute ideas they’ll be proud of, and where their creativity is nurtured and supported. An environment where anyone is able to take charge, bring tangible results, and, why not, directly benefit from these results.  

“We’re already doing a lot of exciting things at GR8 Tech, whether it’s on the feature level or beyond. Some things are brewing now that I cannot publicise yet, but the goal is always to innovate, explore what’s possible, and stay ahead of the curve. The startup mentality isn’t just about creating products but it’s also about how we work with partners and explore new arrangements that could even redefine the rules in a market. That’s the mindset I want to bring to GR8 Tech.”

With your extensive experience in partnerships, how do you plan to strengthen GR8 Tech’s collaboration with clients and industry partners? 

“My entry into igaming was through partnership management, which, in essence, was about building bridges with everyone in the market – both suppliers and clients. The industry is unique because it’s fueled by trust. The revenue share model that dominates the industry, shapes every aspect of how we operate. It’s not a business where you can succeed alone. It’s an interconnected ecosystem where the whole value chain should be profitable for each of its individual members to profit as well. 

“I believe the key to success in such an ecosystem is honest and transparent communication, which goes both ways. With suppliers, this helps to accurately uncover the points that maximize the value for all and focus on these. Without open communication, you simply cannot build the trust needed to elevate the relationships to these symbiotic levels. 

“The same is true for clients. Open and honest communication helps them plan their resources, strategies, and budgets. If you overpromise, if you do not deliver on your commitments, if you forget that they, too, need to profit from the relationship with you, then you will not be the growth enabler they need you to be. And if they do not grow, neither do we; we are a B2B2C business after all.”

You’ve seen the gaming industry evolve significantly over the past decade. What trends or challenges do you think GR8 Tech should focus on as the gaming industry continues to evolve? 

“Igaming is truly a hectic industry. There is always change, and staying ahead of these changes is crucial to driving client success.  

“I have noticed this trend that reactions to these changes are pretty much always aimed at either enablement or improvement. 

“Enablement mainly refers to the constant regulatory changes that happen or any other global shifts that may render your solution unfit to even launch an operation in a given market, let alone grow. So it is absolutely crucial to have the ability to quickly address these changes. Having the resource reserve that can be dedicated to adapting. Besides resources, it is crucial to have the right legal and compliance setups to be ready for any scenario at any time. This is something we have invested heavily in and will continue investing more. 

“Improvement is the trend that directly benefits clients, whether operationally or financially, often combining both. In my experience, this aligns with the startup mentality and challenging the status quo. For example, our rapid adoption of AI has enhanced key product features, from risk management to segmentation and recommendations, improving metrics across the board. This gave our clients a competitive edge, translating into higher revenues or reduced costs.

“Similarly, our operational innovations, such as enabling aggregation clients to work directly with providers, allow even smaller clients to access the benefits typically reserved for direct integrations, like organizing promotions and achieving cost savings. “

Under your leadership as CRO, what can the industry expect from GR8 Tech, and are there any new strategies or initiatives you’re excited to introduce? 

“It’s a complex thing to answer because there’s so much to unpack. What can the industry expect from GR8 Tech? They’re going to hear a lot more about us, that’s for sure. My focus will be on accelerating the already impressive growth we’ve achieved – faster, louder, bigger. That’s the goal: growth. And naturally, as my title suggests, that also means growing revenue. 

“But revenue growth only comes if we’re solving problems for our clients, and that’s where I see us stepping up even further. We need to adapt our solutions even more to the specific markets we’re targeting. It’s about becoming the no-brainer choice for our clients, making it clear that we’re the partner they can trust, the one they can rely on to help them grow. 

“So, what does that mean for the industry? It means we’ll always be a step ahead, changing gears and accelerating. But here’s the thing – I want this acceleration to be done smartly and stably. Think of it as bulletproof growth. We’re not just going to speed up without a clear plan for resources and processes to support it. Our acceleration should not come at the expense of quality that our clients expect and have gotten accustomed to. Smart acceleration – that’s what the industry and our partners should expect, and I believe it is unavoidable for us.

“We’ve worked hard to build a great team, an incredible product set, and, frankly, a great company. We’ve already reached a stage where people are taking notice: even people from other companies are already reaching out, hinting they’d like to work with us or for us. That says a lot about the high value we’ve created here, and the optimism that is in the air. 

“So now, the focus is on making sure everyone hears about us even louder. We’re at a growth stage where many companies want to be – and as already mentioned, my goal is to change gears and accelerate!”

“Over the past few years, we’ve spoken to hundreds of operators, suppliers, and regulators. Virtually everyone agrees: cost-effective, innovative geolocation alternatives are needed.”

It’s estimated that, in 2024, Europe and North America will account for 40.4% and 21.2% of global igaming gross wins. Unlike offshore online gambling operators that traditionally operated under a remote gaming license, new legislation in established markets like Europe and newer markets like North America requires operators to be regulated by local jurisdictions (e.g., a state, a province, or a country). Meanwhile, one of the strictest license requirements in local jurisdictions is to verify users’ location and block those trying to access the platform from outside the regulated jurisdiction. 

The growing need for a reliable, cost-effective geolocation solution fueled the growth of Radar’s customer base. “We support over 200 enterprises globally spanning across gaming, logistics, retail, and more,” says Patrick. “Gaming is our fastest-growing vertical, and today we have nearly 50 enterprise gaming customers spanning sportsbook, igaming, ilottery, DFS, horse racing, and more. We support all shapes and sizes of operators, from large US-based operators to small startups.”

But beyond a cost-effective, robust location-detection solution, Radar’s platform provides its customers with a plethora of additional services, such as powerful fraud detection and player engagement tools. 

Being aware of potential geolocation benefits

One of the main challenges operators face is integrating a costly geolocation solution into their platform. Many operators assume a standard geolocation solution is necessary just to comply with regulations, being unaware of the additional benefits and value they can extract from a powerful geolocation platform that offers more than just the standard. 

“In gaming, large operators are spending 6, 7, or even 8 figures on geolocation, and generally all they’re getting is compliance,” says Patrick. “They’re looking for a more cost-effective solution that’s also more flexible, one that makes it possible to collect more geolocation data for better intelligence and fraud detection, and that makes it possible to enable new use cases like on-premise or in-venue app experiences and messaging.”

Another way Radar looks to decrease costs is by boosting the efficiency of smartphone location services and implementing a location infrastructure that improves its prices. Customers get more value for money with this geolocation technology, as it also provides fraud detection and player engagement options. 

Achieving accuracy and reliability

Regulatory requirements make the accuracy of a player’s location crucial. In some cases, an operator needs to verify that a player is physically located within a few meters of borders or even buildings. For example, as US gambling regulations vary between states, device users must be able to verify they are physically located within state borders to use a respective gambling app. 

Poor tracking can result in lagging speeds and a frustrating, underwhelming user experience. In some cases, it can cause revenue losses due to wrong location-based blocking or expose the operator to a legal breach if it fails to detect and block access from outside the jurisdiction. 

Patrick explains how Radar negates these challenges: “We’ve gotten great feedback from operators about Radar’s accuracy (generally down to a few meters, works great near state borders), latency (generally a second or two per geolocation check, inclusive of location services and API calls), and pass rate (generally greater than 99%).

“And because we price based on monthly tracked users, not location pings, we can check more frequently than needed at no additional cost to operators, ensuring that we always have a fresh geolocation token available with zero latency.”

Complying with complex regulations

Many gaming jurisdictions have strict regulations that require accurate geolocation for proper enforcement. For example, every US state has different rules for online sports betting and casino gambling. In Louisiana, sports betting is legalised parish-by-parish, meaning you can play in Grant but not across parish lines in Winn. If you travel to the neighbouring state of Mississippi, online sports betting is only permitted on the grounds of licensed casinos. To track which state you are in and what region to comply with, geolocation requirements require high accuracy. 

It’s not just the US that faces tricky geolocation restrictions. Many European and Latin American jurisdictions also require players to comply with geolocation requirements. For example, Brazil plans to introduce a state-by-state restriction similar to that of the US.

Patrick explains how Radar can help operators comply with several compliance requirements at once: “Our Geolocation Compliance solution is an extension of our Geofencing Platform, with everything that licensed operators need to satisfy geolocation requirements in regulated jurisdictions out-of-the-box, such as state-specific exclusion zones (e.g., excluded parishes in Louisiana or tribal areas in Arizona) and state-specific requirements for geolocation checks (e.g., required spoofing checks or required intervals depending on distance to start border).”

Achieving location-based engagement 

Most geolocation platforms offer no more than location-detection services. Cumbersome technology and expensive costs prevent operators from extracting additional value from players’ location and data gathered. However, Patrick sees past the challenge, envisioning an opportunity to create an entirely new paradigm of location-based engagement. 

“Because geolocation solutions are so expensive and so limited currently, geolocation is somewhat underutilised in the gaming space. Operators are using geolocation for compliance and not much more. With more flexible, cost-effective geolocation solutions, operators could be using geolocation for on-premise and in-venue app experiences and messaging.

“Imagine an app experience that changes when you’re at a live sporting event or imagine your app unlocking offers or sending engaging notifications when you walk into a casino.” 

He also talks about leveraging the company’s knowledge from other industries. “Radar has long powered similar use cases for brick-and-mortar brands like Panera, DICK’S Sporting Goods, and T-Mobile, and we’re excited to unlock some of that innovation in the gaming space as well.”

Detecting and combatting fraud

Geolocation services must constantly battle malicious intentions, such as users taking action to try to commit location fraud. “Fraud is a big focal point in the industry at present”, says Patrick. “Radar detects dozens of types of location-based fraud, including the detection of GPS spoofing, proxy and VPN usage, jumping detection, rooting and jailbreaking detection, and much more.”

Referring to the additional value operators can extract, he adds: “For regulated operators, many of these checks are mandated by state geolocation requirements. But they’re also important to helping operators stop fraud rings, account takeover, proxy wagering, bonus abuse, and so on.”

Overcoming technical complexities

Developing a gaming platform is time-consuming and challenging enough, but incorporating and maintaining the tech aspects of a geolocation service makes it harder. To make things even more difficult, many igaming operators have to turn to geolocation platforms that are not customised to their requirements. 

Patrick shares how Radar addresses these pains: “Radar’s developer-friendliness is unique among geo-compliance solutions. We’re the only geo-compliance solution with open developer docs, open-source SDKs [Software Development Kits], and self-serve signup. This is a breath of fresh air for product and engineering teams in the gaming space.

“Because we’ve spent the last 8 years building the world’s best geofencing infrastructure, from SDKs to dashboards to developer documentation, it gives us something of an unfair advantage in the gaming space,” he adds. 

Taking client feedback onboard

Radar relies heavily on its customers’ feedback to continue providing a usable, developer-friendly geolocation solution that really delivers. Patrick shares how listening to customers is the company’s ethos: “As mentioned above, we’ve gotten great feedback on our performance: accuracy, pass rates, latency, and so on. But we’ve been most pleasantly surprised by feedback about our back office. One US igaming operator recently called our dashboard “far superior” to their previous solution.”

Patrick explains that Radar constantly measures itself against strict standards: “We focus on what operators look at. They generally look at pass rates (what % of geolocation checks are succeeding?), false positive rate (what % of geolocation checks are failing that shouldn’t have?), false negative rate (what % of geolocation checks are passing that shouldn’t have?), latency (how fast are geolocation checks?), and system uptime.”

Enabling operators to detect their players’ location remains at the heart of Radar’s solution. But unlike other geolocation solutions that provide nothing more, Radar uses its geolocation technology as a foundation for giving igaming operators additional value. “Reporting, analysis, and alerting is a big product focus for us this quarter,” he says. “And we’ll have some exciting product announcements to share very soon.”

As with any new technology, the lengthy list of challenges that AI poses can affect adoption rates. For operators, ever-evolving regulation and compliance requirements and the cost of integration can all come into play when considering using AI tools.

For Tanyenkov, there are three standout issues with AI that the industry should heed caution with, “The main challenges include issues of data protection and privacy, intellectual property rights, as well as liability for errors and consequences of decisions made with the participation of AI.”

Though these challenges should be considered, Tanyenkov believes that AI can have its advantages, especially when it comes to elevating player personalisation to the next level.

Using AI for better player experience      

Even prior to the emergence of AI, players have learned to expect a personalised experience tailored to their preferences across promotions, devices, gaming habits, game types, payment methods, and support. According to a study conducted by Betting Hero, 75% of users found non-personalised betting apps difficult to navigate, and 80% of customers found personalised offers as “valuable” or “very valuable.”

As player acquisition costs climb ever higher and securing loyal players that return time after time becomes more difficult than ever, there’s a deeper focus on a VIP player experience that is tailored to a player’s specific wants and needs.

Tanyenkov believes this is just one of the ways that AI can help operators, “AI facilitates a more personalised gaming experience through engaging features like tailored game recommendations. It also streamlines compliance monitoring and operational efficiency and improves data analysis to support better business decisions.”

Using AI to manage bonuses and promotions

For years, operators would use a “blanket style” approach to sign-up bonuses and promotions, hoping a one-size-fits-all would get players through the door. Unfortunately, as player behaviours and habits evolve and more igaming casinos come to market, this strategy no longer works.

Personalised bonuses and promotions tailored to a player’s specific interests have shown to increase activity and engagement. But this is only possible with help from AI tools.

Tanyenkov believes that this is one of the biggest benefits to the use of AI, “AI can personalise bonuses and rewards in real-time based on user behaviour.

“AI can personalise bonuses and rewards in real time based on user behavior, design smart recommendation systems to select relevant games, and dynamically adjust difficulty to maintain interest. It is also appropriate to use AI for automated management of VIP programs, predictive analytics to identify churn risks.

“When it comes to marketing to acquire these players, personalised marketing campaigns always hit the mark, as they take into account user tastes and habits, and intelligent gamification systems adapt to the level of the player.”

AI tools help analyse vast amounts of data to assist operators in determining which promotions are effective. AI can then assist further in managing the bonuses by closely monitoring player activity and optimising bonuses by imposing bonus terms, including bonus amounts, type, wagering requirements, and withdrawal terms.

Still, in addition to all the advantages, Tanyenkov says it is crucial to address the potential problems linked to using AI in personalisation and gamification. “One concern is the risk of over-personalisation, which can lead to player fatigue. There are also privacy issues related to data collection that need careful consideration. Maintaining an authentic game experience can be challenging, especially when implementing complex AI systems, which can be costly.”

AI’s role in creating unique gameplay

According to the 2023 edition of iGB Executive and eGaming Monitor’s Casino Review, online casino players can choose from more than 40,000 unique games spread across almost 227,000 game positions on 2,450 unique igaming sites.

With such a vast selection of games, players can often find themselves overwhelmed, choosing to play the first games they encounter regardless of whether it suits their needs and preferences. By analysing gameplay data and studying the trends and behaviour of individual players, AI can provide each player with specific game recommendations tailored to their preferences based on game themes, in-game features, mechanics, Return to Player (RTP), volatility and betting limits.

“The evolution of AI-influenced games started a long time ago and continues now. A great example is crash games and instant games. With these, players have dynamic difficulty adjustment, real-time multiplayer synchronisation, crash point prediction, social feature integration, personalised volatility levels and hybrid modes with slots”.

The power AI in localisation

With the exponential growth of emerging markets like Africa and Latin America, the power of AI can be harnessed to localise igaming offerings. However, AI algorithms cannot fully comprehend local and cultural nuances that a human eye would detect.

Tanyenkov offers an approach that combines the best of both worlds: “The best strategy in this case is a hybrid approach, where artificial intelligence works “in tandem” with a specialist. AI’s strengths (big data processing, pattern recognition, behavioural analysis, performance tracking, and basic translation) show the greatest effectiveness under human supervision.

“The specialist in this strategy is responsible for understanding cultural nuances, interpreting local context, creatively adapting content, making decisions on sensitive content, building authentic connections, and final approval of cultural elements.”

Creating with AI a new paradigm of customer service

As players’ expectations are becoming increasingly complex, attentive customer service tailored to each individual player is crucial to harnessing trust and sustaining customer satisfaction and loyalty. Through AI and machine learning models based on analysing and predicting player behaviour, online casinos can tailor customer support to proactively engage with players during every step of the journey, offering assistance, guidance and solution to issues in real time.

PIN-UP.TECH is already using AI for this exact need, “For operational excellence, AI is used to optimise costs through automation, streamline workflows, and enhance resource allocation alongside automated reporting. In terms of customer experience,” explains Tanyenkov.

“AI improves support automation, provides 24/7 multilingual assistance, integrates smart chatbots, personalises the player journey, and develops advanced recommendation systems.”

However, as tailored customer service involves analysis and use of personal data, Tanyenkov notes that AI also brings privacy and data security challenges that operators must address before becoming fully reliant.

Regulation and compliance

The need to constantly stay up to date with compliance makes AI a powerful tool for overcoming many challenges brought about by evolving regulation. Igaming operators are harnessing AI to streamline KYC processes and enforce legal requirements such as game fairness, betting limits, advertising standards and bonus terms and conditions.

“All regulation should focus on data protection first and foremost, but not in any way stifle the development of this very important and breakthrough technology. In the future, regulation setting mandatory standards for AI transparency and explainability may be introduced.

“Regulations related to liability for damages caused by AI actions and a requirement to certify AI systems for use in certain sectors could also be introduced.”

Harnessing AI to provide responsible gaming

When it comes to providing safe and responsible gaming, AI can be harnessed to analyse large amounts of data and use predictive behaviour models to detect potential vulnerability. It can also trigger alerts on suspicious behaviour and offer treatment and solutions in real time.

Tanyenkov explains, “This includes developing methods for predictive user protection, such as real-time risk assessments, early detection of addiction signs, automated intervention systems, personalised betting limits, and behavioural health tracking.

“Additionally, AI will enhance smart personalisation through individual risk profiles, adaptive game complexity, personalised cooling-off periods, customised deposit limit offers, and effective time management tools.”

How to get the best out of using AI

For Tanyenkov, the key to the successful use of AI for suppliers and operators is to ensure the algorithms are fair and unbiased. With players’ loyalty more important than ever for increasing retention rates, building trust and maintaining it in regards to key factors like fair gameplay can make or break a returning player.

“To ensure the integrity of AI algorithms, it is important to apply all of the following measures comprehensively. Implement technical controls: organise regular algorithm reviews and audits, monitor standardised integrity metrics, conduct regular bias checks.

“Adhere to operational standards: ensure independent testing of AI systems, develop clear documentation of decision-making processes, conduct regular compliance reviews, and test AI for equal treatment of all demographic groups. Ensure customer protection, which includes transparent reporting of game statistics, clear communication about the use of AI, the ability to opt-out of personalisation, and regular assessment of the impact of AI on game fairness.

“Regular bias testing is crucial to identify and address any discrepancies. Additionally, there should be clear auditing of AI decisions to promote transparency. Ensuring equal access to features for all users is also important for maintaining fairness.”

The future of AI and PIN-UP.TECH      

With AI continuing to evolve in the igaming space, there’s plenty for operators and players to look forward to. Tanyenkov believes that the key trends for 2025 will be gacha mechanics with AI, smart lootbox probability customisation, MOBA-style mini-games, interactive stream integration, community-driven events, and meta-progression systems.

“There will be even more to come, because the better we get acquainted with the capabilities of artificial intelligence, the more information we “feed” it, the more complex ideas we realise with the help of this technology, the more diverse the future of the industry will be.”

As pioneers for innovation across igaming, PIN-UP.TECH is continuing to learn from these trends and build them into its ongoing strategy.

“In the future, we will use AI technologies to improve personalisation engines, advanced predictive analytics, expand automation capabilities, deeply integrate AI across all platforms, improve responsible gaming tools, and much more.

“The amount of focus we have put on AI efforts is simple. We’ve created and staffed our own AI department, which is dedicated to analysing the most effective innovative tools and technologies and making them the new normal at PIN-UP.TECH.”

“HubConnect is a comprehensive self-service portal designed as the front store for Hub88. It serves as a bridge connecting casino operators, game providers (suppliers), and business vendors in the Marketplace, enabling them to initiate various business cases and streamline internal workflows tied to their partnerships with Hub88.

“One of HubConnect’s key USPs is its multifunctional, user-centric design that caters to the diverse needs of our partners. For casino operators, HubConnect features the Operator Zone, where partners can raise platform cases and engage efficiently with the support team. A standout functionality here is the portal’s capability to facilitate the due diligence (DD) process. Through HubConnect, the compliance team can coordinate with a brand’s representative to complete DD for their contracting entity. This feature alone transforms a traditionally time-consuming, back-and-forth email process into a seamless, centralised interaction—saving significant time and effort for all parties involved.

“For game providers (suppliers), the Supplier Zone offers a suite of self-service functionalities that are critical for operational efficiency. This includes access to platform distribution data insights across the network, detailed operator information, contact directories, and essential procedural guidelines. By integrating these resources into one portal, HubConnect simplifies workflows, making it easier for suppliers to manage their business interactions with Hub88.”

We’re always looking for tools that actively solve the industry’s biggest challenges head-on. What is the biggest challenge that HubConnect solves for its partners?

“HubConnect tackles one of the igaming industry’s biggest challenges: operational inefficiency caused by fragmented communication and cumbersome processes. With HubConnect, partners can easily access critical data, trigger workflows, and maintain smooth, productive interactions—all within a single platform.”

Developing a new tool is both costly and time-consuming and with such competition in the industry, it’s imperative that suppliers are delivering on genuine demand. What was the motivation behind building this tool?

“The primary motivation behind building HubConnect was to address recurring partner inquiries and operational bottlenecks that had become time-consuming for both Hub88 and our partners. Over time, we noticed that suppliers frequently contacted our operational teams with questions around key areas—such as platform distribution data, the positioning and performance of their games on various brands’ sites, the publication of network promotions, and month-end reconciliations.

“These queries often required back-and-forth communication, creating delays and impacting our teams’ productivity. HubConnect was designed to address these specific needs by equipping suppliers with the information and resources they need, all in one place. With SupplierZone, they can easily access distribution data insights, track game positioning, monitor portfolio performance, manage promotions, and streamline reconciliation processes without requiring direct intervention from our support teams.

“By listening closely to our partners’ feedback, we developed HubConnect as a solution that not only saves time but also empowers our partners to manage their operations more effectively. It represents our commitment to creating a seamless, self-sufficient experience that ultimately enhances collaboration across the Hub88 ecosystem.”

Labelled as the “industry first Supplier Zone” – what can you tell us about this feature and how is it an “all-in-one tool”?

“The SupplierZone in HubConnect is an industry-first feature designed to centralize and streamline every aspect of a supplier’s interaction with the platform. By integrating a range of self-service functionalities, it allows suppliers to access vital data, execute routine tasks, and maintain control over their network performance—all in one place.

“What makes the SupplierZone an “all-in-one tool” is its comprehensive approach to supplier needs. It offers a unified dashboard with immediate access to distribution data insights, which suppliers can use to monitor game performance across the network. Suppliers can also view the positioning of their games on various operators’ sites, giving them transparency and control over brand exposure. This visibility empowers them to make data-driven decisions on how to optimize their portfolio’s performance.

“Additionally, the Supplier Zone simplifies the promotional process. Suppliers can independently manage network-wide promotions, making it easy to plan and execute campaigns without needing direct support from our operational team. The tool also incorporates end-of-month reconciliation features, allowing suppliers to handle administrative tasks efficiently and maintain accurate records without the usual back-and-forth communication.

“In short, the Supplier Zone is more than just a tool; it’s a transformative platform that provides suppliers with autonomy, transparency, and efficiency in their partnership with Hub88. By centralizing all these functionalities, the Supplier Zone sets a new industry standard for how suppliers can interact with igaming platforms, reducing complexity and enhancing productivity on both sides.”

HubConnect allows for direct contact with Hub88’s Live operator partners, why is this useful to your partners?

“Direct access to Hub88’s live operator partners is a powerful feature of HubConnect that enhances collaboration and opens up new business opportunities for our partners. By allowing suppliers to engage directly with operators, HubConnect creates a seamless channel for communication that’s especially valuable for activities like launching new games, coordinating marketing promotions, or offering targeted discounts.

“For example, when a supplier has a new game release, they can use HubConnect to reach out to operators directly, ensuring that the launch gets prime positioning and visibility. This can lead to higher engagement right from the start and provides both parties with real-time feedback and data insights on game performance.

“Similarly, if a supplier wants to promote a specific game or offer a seasonal discount, they can directly coordinate with operators through HubConnect. This ability to communicate directly fosters a more dynamic partnership, allowing operators to quickly take advantage of offers that align with their players’ interests. It also reduces the time spent on administrative coordination, so suppliers can focus more on driving their growth strategies.

“Ultimately, HubConnect’s direct contact feature empowers our partners to proactively build relationships and adapt to market demands, creating a more agile and responsive igaming ecosystem.”

How can clients review performance data to help manage their outreach in the Supplier Zone? What else can they monitor to help them make better, more informed decisions?

“In the Supplier Zone, clients have access to robust performance data that empowers them to manage their outreach strategies more effectively. They can view month-on-month performance metrics across key dimensions, including brands, countries, and individual games. This 360-degree view allows them to track how new brands and game releases are performing, as well as to identify trends in their overall network distribution.

“For example, by monitoring performance data, a supplier can see how specific games resonate with players in different regions, allowing them to refine their marketing strategies and tailor their content to target markets. This level of insight helps them make data-driven decisions about where to focus their outreach efforts, whether that’s doubling down on high-performing regions or adjusting their approach for markets where they want to boost engagement.

“Beyond performance data, the Supplier Zone also allows suppliers to monitor player engagement trends and distribution patterns, which can highlight opportunities for network growth. By combining these insights, suppliers can optimise their outreach strategies, prioritise partnerships, and make informed decisions that enhance their portfolio’s overall impact within the igaming network.”

What has the initial feedback and success been of HubConnect and how do you plan to use this to enhance the tool?

“Since its launch in September 2024, HubConnect has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our suppliers. They appreciate the unique insights, simplicity, and ease of use that the Supplier Zone brings to their workflows. Many partners have emphasized that the data provided in HubConnect surpasses even their own BI tools, giving them a clearer picture of operator distribution, performance trends, and growth opportunities. In fact, we’re hearing consistently that no other aggregator is currently offering this level of insight and transparency, which has been a big differentiator for us.

“One of the most common requests from suppliers has been for performance benchmarking against other suppliers, which we’re excited to incorporate in our planned Phase 2 updates. This feature will allow partners to gauge their position within the Hub88 network, providing valuable context for their performance and helping them identify areas for competitive improvement.

“Based on this feedback, our roadmap includes enhancements to make the SupplierZone even more powerful. We’re prioritizing the addition of benchmarking features, expanding our data insights, and incorporating more operator-specific details. By continuing to listen closely to our partners, we aim to refine HubConnect as an indispensable tool that not only meets but anticipates their needs—transforming how they approach performance management and growth in the igaming space.”

Ollie Castleman, head of Hub88

“2024 has been a transformative year for SPRIBE, with significant milestones that have strengthened our position in the igaming industry. One of the most pivotal moments was our partnership with AC Milan, which elevated our brand visibility across both European and global markets. This collaboration allowed us to showcase Aviator to millions of fans, connecting the thrill of football with the excitement of crash games.

“Additionally, our expansion into new markets, particularly in Asia and Latin America, has contributed to record growth in terms of player numbers and revenue. Our ability to adapt to regional trends while maintaining a strong global brand has been key to our success this year.”

Aviator is one of the most talked about crash games in the industry and seems to continue going from strength-to-strength. What can you tell us about SPRIBE’s key results from this year, including how demand has grown for this flagship game?

“The demand for Aviator has exceeded all expectations in 2024, with player engagement growing by over 40% compared to the previous year. This growth has been driven by strategic marketing campaigns, enhanced game features, and an expansion of our distribution network through partnerships with major operators.

“Aviator’s simplicity and excitement resonate deeply with players, leading to high retention rates and strong word-of-mouth growth. In some regions, Aviator has become a flagship game for operators, demonstrating its global appeal and versatility. These results highlight the growing player preference for crash games and the effectiveness of our product strategy.”

With an ever-evolving industry like igaming, operators and suppliers both face unique challenges. What would you say have been your biggest challenges of this year? How have they impacted your strategy and how did you overcome them?

“2024 brought its share of challenges, including navigating an increasingly competitive market and addressing intellectual property disputes surrounding our flagship game, Aviator. These issues required us to reassess our branding and legal strategies to protect our products and reputation.

“Another challenge was managing the rapid pace of growth, particularly in regions with unique regulatory requirements. To overcome these obstacles, we strengthened our legal and compliance teams, invested in technology to improve scalability, and maintained close relationships with our partners. These measures allowed us to not only address challenges but also use them as opportunities to reinforce our market position.”

Overcoming those challenges puts SPRIBE in good stead for 2025 alongside the recent announcement of its partnership with the world-famous football club, AC Milan. What was the strategic thinking behind this partnership and how do you think it’ll help to get the younger generation even more excited by Aviator? How will you measure the success of this partnership?

“The partnership with AC Milan was designed to align Aviator with a globally recognised brand that resonates with younger audiences. Football, especially a club with AC Milan’s legacy, is a universal language that transcends borders, making it the perfect platform to showcase Aviator’s energy and excitement. Through stadium advertisements, social media collaborations, and exclusive promotions, we aim to engage younger players who are fans of both football and innovative gaming.

“The success of this partnership will be measured through increased player sign-ups, social media engagement metrics, and the overall growth in Aviator’s player base. Additionally, we will assess brand recognition surveys and campaign-specific ROI to refine our strategies further.”

The AC Milan partnership isn’t the only exciting news from 2024. Throughout the year, you’ve unveiled new UFC brand ambassadors. How does this help to build SPRIBE’s presence with its target demographic and how do you go about choosing these brand ambassadors?

“Partnering with UFC ambassadors helps us tap into an audience that values adrenaline, risk, and strategy—the same qualities that make crash games like Aviator so appealing. UFC fighters embody energy, focus, and the thrill of competition, traits that align perfectly with our brand values. When choosing ambassadors, we look for individuals who have strong followings in key regions, align with our brand ethos, and possess the ability to authentically connect with our target demographic.

“From these partnerships, we expect increased brand visibility, higher player acquisition, and a stronger emotional connection between players and our games. The results have already been promising, with measurable increases in player engagement and brand awareness.”

You’ve paired with some of the industry’s most well-known suppliers, such as Uplatform, this year. What can you tell us about this?

“Partnering with leading suppliers like Uplatform has been instrumental in expanding SPRIBE’s reach and ensuring our products are accessible to operators worldwide. Uplatform’s extensive distribution network and expertise have allowed us to enter new markets while strengthening our presence in existing ones.

“These collaborations also ensure that Aviator and our other products are seamlessly integrated with top-tier platforms, providing players with a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience. Additionally, working with such reputable partners enhances our credibility and positions us as a trusted name in the industry.”

SPRIBE is known for its inventive marketing strategies, what would you say has been the most impactful of the year and why? How do you plan to take these key learnings into 2025’s marketing campaigns?

“Our partnership with AC Milan stands out as the most impactful marketing strategy of the year. By combining sports and gaming, we were able to engage a younger, more dynamic audience through innovative campaigns such as stadium ads and exclusive club-themed promotions. This collaboration demonstrated the power of aligning with global brands to create memorable marketing experiences.

“Heading into 2025, we plan to expand on these learnings by forging similar partnerships in other popular sports and entertainment sectors, ensuring our campaigns are both engaging and highly targeted.”

With 2025 set to be another exciting year for igaming and more players than ever joining the community, what plans does SPRIBE have for another successful year? Can you share any upcoming partnerships or updates?

“In 2025, SPRIBE will focus on diversifying its portfolio with new crash games that offer unique mechanics and engaging features. We are also exploring partnerships with major players in emerging markets to tap into new audiences. While we can’t reveal all the details yet, we’re working on collaborations that will significantly enhance our brand presence globally.

“Additionally, we are investing heavily in technology, such as AI and blockchain, to improve personalisation and security for our players.”

Are there any trends for crash games that you’re anticipating in the year ahead?

“We anticipate crash games will become more interactive, with social features such as chat, leaderboards, and shared gameplay becoming standard. AI-driven personalisation will allow games to adapt to individual player preferences, enhancing the overall experience.

“We also expect to see further integration of crash games with esports and live-streaming platforms, creating new ways for players to engage with the genre. SPRIBE is actively working on innovations to stay ahead of these trends and ensure our crash games remain at the forefront of the industry.”