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iGaming 2025 wrapped: year in review by industry leaders
As 2025 draws to a close, we asked leading iGaming companies and experts to share their perspectives on the year that shaped the industry — and what’s coming next.
From regulatory shifts to technological breakthroughs, from overhyped trends to genuine game-changers — top industry voices reflect on the trends that defined 2025 and predict the forces shaping 2026.
Industry maturity: the defining shift of 2025
2025 marked a turning point for iGaming — a year when the industry moved from growth at all costs to sustainable, quality-driven strategies. Acquisition became expensive, regulation intensified, and technology demands reached new heights. But beneath the challenges, a more mature, collaborative ecosystem emerged.
“2025 felt like the year the industry finally admitted two things: acquisition is getting brutally expensive, and retention is the real battleground. Operators and providers who focused on transparency, real user value, and long-term ecosystems outpaced those relying on short-term marketing spikes. The market became more mature — and far more demanding.”
Dan Andrianov, CEO & Founder TRUE LABS“This year felt like a maturity checkpoint. Operators are prioritizing profitability, quality, and sustainability over sheer volume. Affiliates who can deliver accountable performance and meaningful first-time deposit growth are becoming genuine strategic partners rather than just traffic suppliers.”
Tiago Lopes, Key Account Manager Clever Advertising“Speed, collaboration, evolution. In 2025, the industry started to feel more like a connected ecosystem, where providers, operators, and affiliates work together more often and aren’t afraid to move beyond familiar formats.
Innovation stayed important, but the spotlight shifted toward human creativity and real connection. Technology became a way to enhance expertise and bring more depth to the player experience, rather than becoming the center of attention itself.”
Diana Larina, Head of Marketing Evoplay“2025 became the year of mass ‘KPI manipulation’, when operators changed the terms after traffic delivery. It was also a year of unprecedented regulatory activity: from Europe to Latin America, nearly every market adopted new requirements or strengthened existing ones.
Simultaneously, explosive growth in micro-brands and offshore solutions intensified market noise, making partner filtering a key challenge for networks and affiliates.”
Alex Miller, Analyst 3SNET“The biggest shift is toward stricter, more localized regulation. This complicates operations but drives technological advancement and flexibility.
Second is personalization and radical UX simplification. What was nascent years ago is now standard across creatives, communication, and product.
AI is a double-edged sword. It enhances personalization and analytics but also fuels fraud. Strong infrastructure is crucial.”
Dmitry Arabuli, CEO Tonybet“2025 was the year the industry became highly demanding of technology. Operators want faster launches, higher capacity, more payment processing, and global stability. Crypto casinos continued growing as crypto payments enabled quick launches where conventional systems struggle.”
Vardan Hakobyan, Head of Regional sales GR8The Hype That Didn’t Deliver
Not every trend lives up to its promise. In 2025, the industry buzzed about AI revolutions, crypto innovations, and chicken games — but many experts remained skeptical, questioning the real value. Here’s what failed to impress industry leaders.
“Endless AI agents for everything — when anything with a chat window is sold as AI and promises full autopilot for marketing and product decisions. In reality, without proper data, pipelines, hypothesis testing, and understanding of brand economics, it stays a nice demo rather than a working tool.”
Max Tesla, CEO & Co-Founder Blask“In 2025, a lot of buzz was around ‘AI integration,’ but it often meant just adding a technical feature without real depth. Only a handful of companies have used AI in a meaningful way. Many others just treated it as a checkbox rather than a transformative tool. Some of my favourites include: TEXT, Golden Whale, The Playa, and Blask!”
Gali Hartuv, CEO & Co-Founder WarriorLab“Crypto casinos, tokenization, and AI in gambling were hailed as the industry’s future. While their potential is undeniable, we’re skeptical about near-term impact.
The gambling sector is behind broader technological trends, constrained by regulatory, social, and bureaucratic challenges, which delay widespread adoption. These innovations remain niche and will likely continue as such under the industry’s current structure.”
Stasya Yautodzyeva, Head of Analytics 4H“Full on-chain iGaming products were one of the year’s hot topics. They still come across as tech for tech’s sake and have no wide adoption.”
Mike Danshin, CMO 1w Crypto“Brazil. In 2025, there was massive hype around this country — the entire market rushed there because it was in the news daily. But the market proved far more complex than expected.
Regulation, taxes, and cost structure made it practically unprofitable for most operators, who quickly faced high entry costs, low margins, and no clear monetization model. By year’s end, excitement turned to disappointment, and most realized the ‘Brazilian dream’ was hype rather than real opportunity.”
Dmitriy Belianin, Co-Founder & Managing Partner Blask“The one trend I never fully understood was the sudden obsession with chicken-themed games. Don’t get me wrong, the original chicken crash games earned their hype – they were fresh, fun and, from an affiliate perspective, they converted really well. But once every second game in the market suddenly had wings and feathers, the whole thing started to feel a bit overcooked.”
Oleksandr Kulyk, VP Makeberry“Promoting via trash streamers and micro-influencers.”
Sonya Sverdlova, Head of Marketing Peter & SonsThe trends that actually mattered in 2025
Beyond the noise and hype, certain trends genuinely reshaped how the industry operates — from regulated markets gaining momentum to new acquisition channels proving their worth. Below, experts identify the real game-changers of 2025.
“Legalization. In 2025, regulators focused on balancing player protection with business operations and combining regulated market benefits with measures against offshore activity.
Ukraine exemplifies this approach — overhauling an outdated system with clear oversight and industry engagement. Turkey illustrates the opposite: struggling to combat corrupt offshore betting under complete domestic monopoly.”
Stasya Yautodzyeva, Head of Analytics 4H“Mexico. It remains a market that’s growing well and staying promising, with clear legislative and tax frameworks. Over the next few years, this market will actively develop.”
Dmitriy Belianin, Co-Founder & Managing Partner Blask“Localization. Simple translations stopped working. Teams that adapted communication and product experience to local player behavior saw a clear uplift across key metrics.”
Dima Mariievskyi, Head of Growe Partners“The shift to app-first user acquisition has taken center stage. As more tier-one operators double down on apps as their most valuable player environment, the affiliates who can drive measurable installs that convert into long-term revenue will shape the future of acquisition economics.”
Tiago Lopes, Key Account Manager Clever Advertising“The key trend is the rapid rise of prediction markets, most notably in the US. Backed by billion-dollar investments, their advertising and integrations are everywhere — from major TV channels to crypto wallets.
Prediction markets cracked what betting, and especially casino products, couldn’t, becoming socially acceptable entertainment in mainstream culture.”
Mike Danshin, CMO 1w CryptoWhat’s coming in 2026: industry predictions
Looking ahead, our speakers see clear patterns emerging — from hyper-personalization becoming table stakes to branding finally outweighing bonus spam. Here are the trends expected to define the next 12 months.
“Deep personalization for individual players. Personal bonuses, dynamic limits, individualized game selections, smart recommendations — everything will shift from segments to individual user level. Players expect the Netflix approach from casinos and betting platforms.”
Vardan Hakobyan, Head of Regional sales GR8“Hyper-personalisation will get even smarter, think dynamic lobbies and AI-integrated chatbots, with gamification as a crucial part of the player experience.”
Gali Hartuv, CEO & Co-Founder WarriorLab“Thoughtful branding instead of bonus spam. Less ‘+500% on first deposit’, more work on positioning, brand tone of voice, player segments, and local market specifics. Brands that can explain why players love them beyond promos will capture the margin.”
Max Tesla, CEO & Co-Founder Blask“Brand focus. Being just another operator isn’t enough. Long-term brand strategy, honest communication, and differentiation matter more, especially when product features are increasingly commoditized.”
Dmitry Arabuli, CEO Tonybet“Fierce competition is forcing companies to break patterns and explore brand-new approaches, raising the bar across the industry.”
Diana Larina, Head of Marketing Evoplay“Latin America explosion — Brazil’s just the beginning. Mexico, Colombia, and other local markets are opening up, and they’re the fastest-growing opportunity right now. Every operator is working hard to figure out localization.”
Shirley Pulis Xerxen, Head of News SiGMA“AI analytics will become the foundation of decision-making. By 2026, operators will rely less on intuition and fully transition to AI tools: demand analysis, market selection, player segmentation. Companies with AI support will grow noticeably faster than others.”
Dmitriy Belianin, Co-Founder & Managing Partner Blask“SEO regaining strategic importance. After years of chasing fast channels, the industry is shifting back to long-term, predictable organic growth.”
Dima Mariievskyi, Head of Growe Partners“Radical simplification of game mechanics. The industry finally understood that complexity doesn’t equal engagement. Players gravitate toward clarity, immediate comprehension, and emotional flow — simplicity is becoming a premium feature.”
Dan Andrianov, CEO & Founder TRUE LABS“Instant Payments — players expect withdrawals in seconds, not days. Operators who offer open banking, blockchain settlements, and instant payments will dominate.”
Shirley Pulis Xerxen, Head of News SiGMA“Growth of grey and offshore sectors. Tightening requirements, rising tax burdens, and increasing compliance costs are pushing some operators and players offshore. In 2026, portions of the legal sector will move into shadows or operate at reduced capacity, while grey and offshore segments will grow faster than ever.”
Alex Miller, Analyst 3SNET