AI in iGaming: Built by bots, run by agents, played by punters
The days of dabbling are done. From agent-led automation to data-powered decision-making, the panel laid out exactly how AI is already reshaping betting behaviour, pricing strategies, marketing personalisation, and even how businesses are being built from the ground up. The message was clear for anyone still treating AI as a bolt-on tool: you’re already behind.
An AI Speedtrain panel at a recent iGaming conference in Valletta pulled no punches. The real AI transformation is already here, and it’s rewriting the iGaming rulebook. A panel, featuring industry voices from Daniel Graetzer, Managing Partner at Newton-Lorenz; Dmitry Belianin, Founder and CEO of Belianin; Marcello De Crescenzo, Senior Account Executive at Optimove; and Tomash Devenishek, founder and CEO of Kero Sports, offered a blunt reality check for iGaming executives still “experimenting” with artificial intelligence.
“The number one benefit right now is speed. Not just saving time, but compressing the distance between a question and an answer. Ten hours of insight generation happen in ten minutes. That changes everything.”
Across the panel, a recurring theme emerged: AI is not just speeding up output, it’s reshaping how decisions are made, products are developed, and roles are defined. It’s not artificial: it’s additional. And in the hands of early adopters, it’s already generating a tangible competitive edge.
Building from the bones up
The conversation at this NEXT.io conference panel moved past adoption. It focused on what happens when you rebuild from zero. At the sharp end, AI-native companies aren’t tweaking legacy systems. They’re architecting from scratch. Autonomous coding agents debug software in real time. Layered AI scrapers track and verify data across 12,000 websites per minute. CRM engines push personalised messages based on tone, timing, and real-time in-game events.
“We built an entire mobile app, an API layer and database structure using three autonomous agents talking to each other,” said one panellist. “What would have taken weeks took hours.”
That shift from productivity booster to digital co-founder is what separates experiments from transformation.
The illusion of progress
Despite the buzz, most firms are stuck in what one speaker called the “illusion of adoption.” A Slack plugin here. A chatbot there. A marketing flow with templated copy.
“It’s like putting a rocket engine on a bicycle,” someone quipped. “AI has exponential force, but most companies are still pedalling.”
highlighted that, while seventy-five percent of companies report using AI in some way, only one percent consider themselves truly mature. The panel blamed a lack of structure, talent gaps, and an absence of executive urgency.
“There’s no accountability. No AI evangelist. Without someone pushing from the top, it doesn’t become culture, it stays a novelty.”
Quietly, the machines are already inside. One speaker revealed how their team now uses Slack as an internal oracle, storing past questions and serving up answers before anyone even asks.
The automation acceleration
The most immediate impact is in operational roles. Agents and bots are replacing repetitive human tasks at scale. However, the panel warned that strategy, analytics, and game design are next. It’s not just about replacing heads. It’s about rewriting how a business generates value. Yet even with all this progress, forecasting remains a sticking point. The panel agreed that predictive modelling is still inconsistent and lacks the trust operators need to base their core strategy around it.
“If AI is ten times faster, and you spend the same money, you get ten times more output. It’s not a job killer. It’s a business builder.”
One speaker shared a cautionary tale from outside the industry. A major FinTech replaced 700 customer service agents with AI, only to rehire many of them in new roles. The reason? Efficiency wasn’t enough. Human connection still mattered, and they couldn’t fully automate trust.
But not everyone is accelerating for the right reasons. A cautionary tale emerged about over-optimisation, which is particularly relevant to gambling. “You can squeeze players harder. You can push personalised offers with laser precision. But should you?”
Do you think those live odds are just maths? Try 50,000 AI-driven simulations of the same match. Every angle and outcome rerun until the algorithm says “bet.” If that doesn’t scare you, it should. This is AI-powered déjà vu.
The responsible reckoning
With great power comes superhuman persuasion. The panel raised that concern when the discussion turned to responsible gambling. SiGMA News recently published an exclusive two-part series about how the UK gambling sector is once again being haunted by a monster that refuses to stay in the shadows.
“The tech can already predict what you bet on, when, in what mood, and with what language. If that’s not persuasive potential, I don’t know what is.”
The panel called for regulators to audit and take part in the arms race using their AI models. One speaker suggested that future licensing requirements may include specific AI safeguards and reporting.
“Responsible AI use isn’t just a moral checkbox. It’s a structural necessity.”
And the risk of inaction? One speaker raised the alarm on offshore models. Without restrictions, they can deploy persuasive AI systems far beyond what regulators would currently permit.
Human or not, it still needs soul
For all the efficiency, some things still matter. Creativity. Empathy. Humour. Authenticity. The panel ended with a GPT-powered roast session, where AI agents mimicked brutally honest co-founders. The roasts landed with uncanny accuracy.
One host said, “It told me I had the vision of Elon (Musk), the patience of a wasp, and a to-do list that thinks sleep is a conspiracy.”
Another added, “You keep calling yourself visionary, but you still manually update spreadsheets like it’s 2012.”
They laughed. But the point lingered. AI knows us better than we think. And it’s only just getting started.
The odds are already set
This wasn’t a conversation about if. It was a conversation about how fast. The iGaming sector must now decide whether it wants to build with AI, or be built over by those who already are.
Because while many are still preparing, AI is already writing the odds. And it’s not bluffing. Or, as one speaker put it, “If you’re worried about AI replacing you, maybe your problem isn’t the AI.”
