Notes from the floor
Honest, unfiltered thinking on iGaming - platform selection, CRM, compliance, African markets, offline-to-online, governance. From someone who's been in your chair.
The CRM Gap Is a Sequencing Problem
Industry average Day-30 player retention in iGaming is 15-25%. Best-in-class sits at 30-40%. That gap is not a budget problem. Not a bonus problem. It is a sequencing problem.
The Philippines Crossed the Line. The App Didn't Win. The Casino Lost.
2025 was the first year online GGR exceeded land-based revenue in Philippines history. Most operators will read that as a technology story. It isn't.
You Don't Lose the Platform Decision When You Sign. You Lose It Six Weeks Before.
The vendor shows up with a polished deck. Impressive demo. A couple of operator names you recognize. The sales process is smooth because they have done it a thousand times and you have not.
The Infrastructure Gap
Every iGaming layoff story follows the same pattern. A decision made 12-18 months earlier when the numbers looked good.
Optimove Had a Page Explaining Why They're Better Than Smartico. Now They Own Smartico.
The best due diligence is competing against someone for three years. Smartico is a Kyborg partner. Optimove just bought them - and structured the deal so they keep running independently.
If You Need Protecting to Compete, the Product Is the Problem.
Entain asked regulators for clearer direction in the black market fight. The framing is recognisable. It is also backwards. The black market didn't call a press conference. It just offered better odds.
Sweden's Credit Card Ban Is a Compliance Event. It's Also a Product Event.
Most operators treated the Swedish credit card ban as a compliance milestone. What it actually is: a backend infrastructure test, and a CRM model drift event most won't notice until Q3.
Kenya's 99
99 operators got licensed in Kenya. A license is the starting gun. Most are still tying their shoes.