Executives speaking ahead of iGB L!VE London 2026 identified artificial intelligence (AI), player retention, community building and the 2026 FIFA World Cup as central themes for the event. The interviews cover perspectives from Dabble, Affilka, Zoo 55 and Soft2Bet, spanning marketing, affiliate technology, media rights and platform infrastructure.
Dabble: Brand As Differentiator In A Commoditised Market
Emilie Jirsch, Chief Marketing Officer at Dabble, said product parity across the betting industry is narrowing the window operators have to hold a competitive edge. She envisions the industry is “heading into a world where it won’t take 12 months to replicate your competitors new product offering, it could take two-weeks,” adding that “all operators will have the same product offering, and lose that as their edge.” Jirsch also believes brand integrity will become “the only true differentiator, making a true human connection.”
In addition, Jirsch pointed to a generational shift in betting motivations. She said the top reason for betting among demographics over 30 has consistently been “financial gain” or “to win money,” but said “for the first time this trend has changed, with Gen Zs citing their main reason for betting as ‘for entertainment’ or to ‘have fun.'”
Jirsch’s iGB Trends session, The Human Connection: How Dabble Built a Betting Community in the Digital-First Age, is scheduled for 1 July, 12.10–12.30. She said she intends to focus on community rather than AI, describing her talk as covering “the opposite of AI.” She also flagged regulation as an ongoing challenge, citing rising acquisition costs and increased taxes, and said this is “leading to a surge in offshore books taking market share of licensed operators,” pointing to Australia’s advertising regulation changes taking effect next year.
Affilka: Industry Shifting From Acquisition To Retention
Anastasiya Baravaya, Chief Executive Officer at Affilka, said AI adoption in iGaming “is shifting from experimentation to practical application where it can create measurable value.” She said the largest impact is occurring across the product development lifecycle, including market research, competitive analysis, prototyping, coding, documentation and automated testing, as organisations move toward what she called “SDLC 2.0.”
Baravaya said AI is also being applied to content creation, player segmentation, customer support, behavioural analytics, fraud detection and the shift “from traditional SEO to AI Optimization.” She said successful adoption “is not about replacing everything with AI or chasing every new idea,” adding that “human oversight remains essential when it comes to priorities, investments, and final decisions.”
On broader trends, Baravaya said rising player acquisition costs are pushing the industry to prioritise “long-term player retention and engagement” over “sheer traffic volumes.” She said operators are increasing investment in “loyalty programs, personalized experiences, gamification, and authentic player communities,” and said affiliate-operator partnerships are moving toward “hybrid deal structures” that balance upfront risk against long-term retention.
On emerging markets, Baravaya named Brazil and Mexico as leading growth regions in Latin America, alongside the UAE and Thailand. She said Finland is preparing to move from a state monopoly to “a competitive multi-license framework by 2027.” On Africa, she described a “multi-hub model,” naming South Africa as setting the regulatory standard, Nigeria as driving scale, and Egypt and Ethiopia as showing “the next wave of untapped consumer demand.”
Zoo 55: AI As An “Operating Layer” Across Rights And Content
Lex Scott, VP Gaming at Zoo 55, ITV Studios’ digital division, said AI “is moving from buzzword to operating layer across operators, suppliers, and content and rights owners.” He said operators are applying AI to personalisation, predictive analytics, customer support, safer gambling, fraud detection and lifecycle management, while suppliers are using it across game development, QA, CRM, compliance and trading.
For content and rights owners, Scott said AI “creates opportunity and risk,” citing potential gains in localisation and audience understanding alongside concerns over “brand control, approvals, synthetic content, data rights and value creation.” He described the industry’s central dynamic as “the battle for attention,” with operators competing against “sport, streaming, social platforms, creators, gaming and entertainment ecosystems.”
Scott is speaking on the iGB Trends panel The World Cup Media Engine: Owning the Fan Connection in 2026 and Beyond, scheduled for 1 July, 14.30–15.10. He said the World Cup illustrates how fan engagement now spans “broadcast, streaming, social clips, second-screen behaviour, YouTube, creators, messaging groups and post-match highlights,” and said “attention alone is not loyalty.”
Soft2Bet: World Cup Traffic And Loyalty Infrastructure
Harrison Barrett of Soft2Bet said the company will present its MEGA gamification solution at iGB L!VE, following two EGR B2B Awards 2026 wins for Innovation in Mobile and Innovation in Casino Software. He said player loyalty “will be high on the agenda, especially with the 2026 World Cup driving player activity,” and said operators are looking at how to “keep fans engaged between matches, through the final stages of the tournament and once event traffic starts to ease.”
Barrett said many operators still rely on multiple third-party vendors across sportsbook, casino, CRM, compliance, payments and reporting, adding that “operators are looking for simpler tech stacks that can support growth across several markets.” He named Mexico as a growth market within Latin America, citing “a large audience, a strong sports culture, clear local payment habits.” He also pointed to North America, specifically Alberta, Ontario and select US states, noting Soft2Bet’s existing presence in Canada through ToonieBet, with brand launches planned across Ontario and Alberta in the second half of the year.
International Attendance
According to figures cited in the expert interviews, the 2025 edition of iGB L!VE attracted representatives from 149 nations, a total second only to ICE Barcelona. Baravaya said the event’s scale allows attendees to engage directly with regional differences rather than treating emerging markets “as the same uniform block.” Barrett noted the international turnout gives Soft2Bet’s business development team the opportunity to speak with operators from across the globe “in a single setting.”
