Open banking payments provider Trustly explains how iGaming operators can use pay by bank to deliver instant deposits and payouts, eliminate card-related friction, and onboard players without form-filling using bank-verified KYC data.

Vasilije Lekovic is Vice President of Gaming at Trustly, where he has led the gaming commercial department for over 11 years. He was instrumental in launching Trustly's Pay N Play product and a range of identity and verification services for the gambling industry.

In this episode, Ashley Lang and Vasilije cover the full scope of Trustly's offering for iGaming operators — from core pay by bank infrastructure to payment orchestration across markets and modular onboarding and compliance tools.

Some of the topics covered are: 

• How pay by bank works and why it removes the transaction limits, expiry issues, and settlement delays associated with card payments.

• Why Trustly holds local bank accounts in each operating market and how this prevents IBAN discrimination on payouts.

• How the Pay N Play product delivers a fully verified player account at first deposit, without form-filling or document upload.

• The fraud prevention case for bank-verified KYC data and how regulators view it relative to traditional document review.

• How Trustly's modular stack works: deposits and payouts, Pay N Play onboarding, affordability assessments, and name/IBAN verification as separate components.

• How Trustly functions as a payment orchestrator, combining open banking with local payment methods (iDEAL, Bancontact, MB WAY, Bizum, Blik) for multi-market operators.

• Current geographical coverage across the EU, UK, US, and Canada and where rollout of specific products is ongoing.

• What onboarding with Trustly looks like, including for operators already on the Pragmatic Solutions PAM platform.

 

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction to Trustly and Pay by Bank
• 00:02:07 What is Trustly: Company Overview and History
• 00:04:11 Pay by Bank Explained: How It Works
• 00:06:02 Trustly's Competitive Advantages: Local Bank Accounts and Network
• 00:07:16 Pay N Play: Seamless Onboarding and KYC
• 00:08:17 Fraud Prevention and Regulatory Compliance
• 00:09:48 Modular Services and Product Flexibility
• 00:11:10 Geographic Coverage and Market Footprint
• 00:12:22 Payment Orchestration: Local Payment Methods Integration
• 00:13:46 Integration and Onboarding Process
• 00:15:45 Building Long-Term Customer Relationships
• 00:18:53 Closing Remarks and How to Connect with Trustly

Trustly is the global leader in open banking payments, with a network of over 12,000 banks, 9,000+ merchants worldwide, and €93 billion in annual transaction volume. Gaming is Trustly's strongest and longest-standing vertical.

The Connected with Pragmatic Solutions podcast brings you the latest insights in iGaming technology and innovation. Produced in collaboration with NEXT.io — The World's iGaming Community. More at www.pragmatic.solutions/connected

#igaming #podcast #openbankingpayments #paynplay #igamingpayments

ClickHouse Sales Director Lee Wright explains how iGaming operators can run real-time player, affiliate, and fraud analytics at scale, all while cutting data infrastructure costs by up to 100x compared to Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, and Redshift.

In this episode of Connected with Pragmatic Solutions, our CEO Ashley Lang speaks with Lee Wright, Sales Director at ClickHouse, about how columnar database architecture is changing what operators can do with their data and what it costs to do it.

ClickHouse is trusted by Cloudflare, Netflix, Tesla, Deutsche Bank, and Anthropic for high-performance analytics at scale. In iGaming, it gives operators the infrastructure to move from batch reporting to live, queryable data across player behaviour, affiliate performance, and fraud signals.

Some of the topics covered are:

• How ClickHouse delivers up to 100x lower storage costs versus Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, and Redshift.

• Why iGaming operators are moving away from batch reports toward real-time player and affiliate analytics.

• How affiliates can track campaign performance live across player acquisition, platform activity, and game behaviour.

• Using ClickHouse as the foundation for LLM-powered querying: operators asking questions about wagers, game performance, and business trends in plain language over their own data.

• Fraud detection: combining rule-based logic and machine learning on a database that runs at millisecond speed.

• Where ClickHouse sits in the iGaming tech stack and how it integrates with Kafka, Postgres, and standard BI tools.

• The licensing model: open source, free to self-host, or fully managed on all three major cloud providers.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction and episode preview
• 00:00:38 What is ClickHouse?
• 00:02:21 Why ClickHouse is having a moment: scale and speed
• 00:03:12 Real-time analytics demand in iGaming
• 00:04:14 What makes ClickHouse fast: engineering and compression
• 00:05:26 ClickHouse in practice: Netflix, Tesla, Cloudflare, Deutsche Bank
• 00:08:14 iGaming-specific opportunities: affiliates and real-time data
• 00:09:51 Where ClickHouse sits in the tech stack
• 00:11:31 From batch reports to real-time player queries
• 00:12:14 ClickHouse as a product experience enabler
• 00:13:22 Cost economics: 100x savings vs Snowflake, BigQuery and Redshift
• 00:14:30 Licensing model: open source and ClickHouse Cloud
• 00:15:27 AI and LLMs on top of ClickHouse
• 00:16:48 How Lee joined ClickHouse
• 00:18:03 The problem statement for operators
• 00:19:09 Fraud analytics and machine learning use cases
• 00:19:50 How the ClickHouse solutions team works with operators
• 00:21:50 How to get started with ClickHouse

ClickHouse is an open-source, column-oriented analytical database used by Cloudflare, Netflix, Tesla, Deutsche Bank, and Anthropic to process data at terabyte to exabyte scale. In iGaming, it enables real-time analytics for operators, affiliates, and players at a fraction of the cost of conventional cloud data warehouses.

The Connected with Pragmatic Solutions podcast brings you the latest insights in iGaming technology and innovation. Produced in collaboration with NEXT.io — The World's iGaming Community. More at www.pragmatic.solutions/connected

#igaming #podcast #dataanalytics #igamingtech #realtimedata

Odgers Partner Andrew Bulloss draws on 16 years of senior executive search in iGaming to explain what boards, investors, and founders are now asking for from their senior leadership teams, how AI is entering executive briefs, and what separates the candidates who succeed at C-suite level from those who don't.
Odgers is one of the world's leading executive search firms, with a dedicated global gaming and gambling practice focused on senior leadership appointments for operators, B2B suppliers, and investment-backed organisations worldwide.
In this episode of Connected with Pragmatic Solutions, our CEO Ashley Lang speaks with Andrew Bullos about what effective senior leadership hiring looks like in iGaming in 2026, including:
- How regulated markets have changed what boards and investors expect from senior leaders, and why rigour now matters as much as ambition.
- Why the most effective iGaming CEOs combine commercial drive with emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and data-led decision-making.
- How to match the right leader to the stage a business is at, and why the skills needed for each phase differ.
- The difference between B2B and B2C leadership requirements, and where the core traits overlap.
- How AI is beginning to appear in C-suite job specifications, and what AI fluency is starting to mean in practice for operators and suppliers.
- Where out-of-sector talent works in iGaming, and why onboarding strategy determines whether those hires succeed or fail.
- The five behavioural traits that define successful iGaming CEOs, drawn from 25 to 30 conversations with chief executives in the sector.
- What aspiring senior executives can do now to prepare for C-suite roles, including finding a mentor, gaining board exposure, and seeking honest feedback.
Episodes:

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:01:00 Welcome and about Andrew Bulloss
• 00:02:22 What boards and investors look for in senior leaders
• 00:05:04 How leadership demands have evolved over the last decade
• 00:08:59 B2B vs B2C leadership: are the skill sets different?
• 00:11:56 Matching the right leader to the stage of the business
• 00:14:48 Culture fit vs culture change: how to approach the hire
• 00:17:36 The impact of AI on executive briefs and leadership requirements
• 00:23:57 Bringing talent into iGaming from outside the industry
• 00:29:02 What makes iGaming attractive (and off-putting) to outside candidates
• 00:32:59 What organisations should look for when hiring senior leaders
• 00:33:47 The five behavioural traits of successful iGaming CEOs
• 00:38:05 What candidates should ask in a senior interview
• 00:43:18 How to prepare for a C-suite role: three practical steps
• 00:47:53 Closing remarks and how to contact Andrew Bulloss

The Connected with Pragmatic Solutions podcast brings you the latest insights in iGaming technology and innovation. Produced in collaboration with NEXT.io — The World's iGaming Community.
More at www.pragmatic.solutions/connected
#igaming #podcast #igamingleadership #executivesearch #igamingtalent

iGaming CRM specialist Kyborg explains how operators can move beyond deposit-focused campaigns to build behavioural-based retention strategies, manage VIP churn proactively, and integrate AI without losing strategic control.

Brigitta Szenczy is Co-Founder of Kyborg, a specialist CRM and player lifecycle agency with a decade of iGaming experience. She works with operators to diagnose CRM weaknesses, design lifecycle strategies, and execute across retention, VIP management, and player engagement.

This conversation covers the full scope of iGaming CRM strategy, from goal-setting and tooling selection to personalisation, VIP warning signals, and the practical role of AI in day-to-day operations.

Some of the topics covered are:
- Why treating deposit conversion as the primary CRM success metric leads operators to optimise for the wrong outcome.
- How to diagnose business weak points before setting KPIs, rather than building campaigns first and measuring results after.
- The difference between behavioural-based real-time CRM and campaign scheduling, and why these are frequently confused.
- How to select CRM tooling based on platform integration, compliance requirements, and market-specific functional needs.
- When generic campaigns outperform personalised ones, and how to judge which approach is appropriate at each stage of the player relationship.
- How CRM functions as an early warning system for VIP churn by tracking behavioural signals before revenue impact becomes visible.
- Where AI adds genuine value in CRM operations, and where human expertise remains necessary.
The importance of product and operational alignment for CRM to function effectively.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction to Kyborg and CRM Strategy
• 00:01:36 What is Kyborg: Agency Services and Approach
• 00:04:14 Identifying Problems and Setting Strategy
• 00:06:06 Platform Requirements and Tooling Selection
• 00:08:40 Setting Goals and Avoiding Common Pitfalls
• 00:15:03 Beyond CRM: Product Alignment and UX Issues
• 00:17:13 Generic vs Personalized Campaigns: When to Use Each
• 00:20:31 Key Focal Points: Retention and Conversion First
• 00:24:58 AI in CRM: Ally Not Enemy
• 00:29:56 VIP Strategy: Personalization and Early Warning Systems

Kyborg is a specialist CRM and player lifecycle agency serving iGaming operators across multiple markets, providing strategy, execution, and ongoing optimisation across the full player lifecycle.The Connected with Pragmatic Solutions podcast brings you the latest insights in iGaming technology and innovation. Produced in collaboration with NEXT.io — The World's iGaming Community.

More at www.pragmatic.solutions/connected

#igaming #podcast #igamingcrm #playerretention #igamingmarketing

Do you have a clear view of player behaviour across markets? What if the data behind your decisions is only telling part of the story?

In this episode of Connected with Pragmatic Solutions, our CEO Ashley Lang speaks with Max Tesla, CEO and Co-Founder of Blask, about how iGaming businesses can access real-time competitive intelligence to make better-informed market decisions.

Blask is a market intelligence platform built specifically for iGaming, tracking more than 5,000 brands across 126 countries. It provides operators, game providers and investors with daily visibility into where player attention is moving, how brands are performing relative to each other, and how markets are evolving in real time.

The conversation explores how this data is used in practice, from benchmarking performance and shaping acquisition strategy to evaluating market entry and supporting M&A due diligence.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction to Blask and Market Intelligence
• 00:02:52 The Blask Index: Measuring Player Attention
• 00:04:03 Brazil Case Study: Timing Market Entry Decisions
• 00:06:30 Game Provider Intelligence and Lobby Visibility
• 00:09:14 Platform Demo: Real-Time Market Analytics
• 00:11:24 Understanding the Blask Index Methodology
• 00:12:58 Competitive Benchmarking and Market Positioning
• 00:14:48 M&A Intelligence and Competitive Earnings Baseline
• 00:16:56 Growth Without Context: The Tesla and CPG Examples
• 00:21:03 Regulated vs Offshore Market Analysis
• 00:25:46 Industry Trends: US Market Underestimation
• 00:29:14 Africa: The Fastest Growing Opportunity
• 00:31:13 Market Share Trajectory vs Absolute Growth
• 00:32:32 Future Predictions: AI Agents and Prediction Markets
• 00:34:02 UAE Emergence and US State-by-State Window Closing
• 00:36:22 Getting Started with Blask: Access and Pricing

Some of the topics covered include:

• Blask Index insights into player attention shifts and its reliability compared with revenue and deposit data.
• How operators and studios use attention data and lobby analytics to understand visibility and performance across markets.
• The use of competitive earnings baselines as an independent check on revenue claims in M&A transactions and investment due diligence.
• What the data reveals about emerging opportunities in markets such as the US, Africa and prediction markets.
• Differences between offshore and locally regulated market share across Brazil, Germany, and the UK.
• The impact of AI on how market intelligence is consumed and applied across the industry.

The Connected with Pragmatic Solutions podcast brings you the latest insights in iGaming technology and innovation, in collaboration with NEXT.io — The World’s iGaming Community.
More at www.pragmatic.solutions/connected
#igaming #podcast #competitiveintelligence #marketintelligence #igamingdata

How does the investment market view your iGaming business and what creates value?

In this episode of Connected with Pragmatic Solutions, our CEO Ashley Lang speaks with Crispin Nieboer, Partner at Tekkorp Capital, about how iGaming operators and B2B providers can build, protect, and realise value.

Crispin brings decades of experience in the industry, having served in C-Level roles from start-ups to Tier-1 operators. At Tekkorp, he advises companies and founders across the buy and sell side, with a focus on helping businesses structure for long-term value before any transaction process begins.

This in-depth interview explores the journey from early-stage capital decisions to exit strategy, drawing on current examples from multiple jurisdictions across the industry.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction to M&A in iGaming
• 00:02:09 What is Tekkorp Capital: Advisory Services Explained
• 00:03:56 The Best Time to Sell Your Business
• 00:08:30 Primary Value Drivers in B2C and B2B Businesses
• 00:12:52 Brazil Case Study: Unregulated to Regulated Market Transitions
• 00:15:05 Flutter's M&A Success Story and Acquisition Strategy
• 00:16:01 Early Stage Courtship: Building Buyer Relationships
• 00:17:11 Crypto and Unregulated Markets: Value and Risk Assessment
• 00:20:46 Innovation Gap: Why Crypto Brands Lead in User Experience
• 00:25:28 Capital Raising Strategy: Equity, Debt, and Alternative Structures
• 00:31:39 Combating Low Valuations and Controlling the Narrative
• 00:32:58 M&A as a Growth Strategy: When to Buy vs Build
• 00:35:35 Common M&A Pitfalls: Beyond Price and Overpaying
• 00:38:40 Earn-Outs and Founder Retention Strategies
• 00:40:49 Market Opportunities: Finland, New Zealand, and Emerging Territories
• 00:43:06 Africa and Canada: Growth Markets with Different Challenges
• 00:44:36 UK Market Impact: Tax Changes and Consolidation Pressures
• 00:46:22 The Future: Recreational Gaming and Social-to-Real Money Bridge
• 00:48:28 Emerging Products: Sweepstakes, Prediction Markets, and DFS 2.0
• 00:51:31 Deal Analysis: Flutter and FanDuel Masterclass vs Penn and Barstool Lessons
• 00:55:42 Tekkorp's Approach: Operator Experience and Long-Term Partnerships

Tekkorp Capital advises operators, founders, and investors across the global gambling sector on buy-side and sell-side transactions, strategic partnerships, and corporate development.

The Connected with Pragmatic Solutions podcast brings you the latest insights in iGaming technology and innovation. Produced in collaboration with NEXT.io — The World's iGaming Community.

#igaming #podcast #mergersandacquisitions #igamingstrategy #corporatedevelopment

How can your marketing teams get full value from their technology stack? Are your acquisition and engagement strategies keeping pace with rising costs and competition? In this episode of Connected with Pragmatic Solutions, our CEO Ashley Lang speaks with Simon Gatenby, a marketing and technology leader who has played a key role in transforming the digital marketing capabilities of some of the industry’s largest operators. They discuss how the marketing tech ecosystem in iGaming is evolving and what it takes to create a data-driven, compliant, and agile marketing function in today’s regulated markets.

The candid in-person interview includes:

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction to Marketing Technology in iGaming
• 00:01:51 Why Marketing Technology Defines Business Success
• 00:05:08 The Marketing Funnel: Awareness and Acquisition
• 00:07:00 Conversion Optimization and Landing Page Experience
• 00:09:44 Multi-Channel Engagement and Retention Strategy
• 00:12:15 Real-Time Personalization and Content Assembly
• 00:19:47 The PAM Platform: Data Integration and Signal Processing
• 00:24:52 Attribution Challenges and Privacy-Safe Marketing
• 00:25:48 Player Protection and Regulatory Compliance in MarTech
• 00:32:33 Channel Selection: Push, Email, SMS, and Context
• 00:35:17 Real-Time Marketing and Bad Session Recovery
• 00:40:39 Bonus Optimization and Incrementality Measurement
• 00:43:23 The Evolution of Marketing Teams and Roles
• 00:45:33 AI Revolution: From Copywriting to Campaign Execution
• 00:52:17 Brand Building vs Performance Marketing Balance
• 00:56:40 Auditing Your MarTech Stack: Two Critical Questions
• 00:58:27 Why iGaming Leads in Marketing Innovation

Produced by @PragmaticSolutionsPlatform in partnership with‪ @nextdotio

More at www.pragmatic.solutions/connected

#martech #igaming #igamingindustry

There's a problem impacting the iGaming industry that you may not be aware of, and that is eroding trust and credibility.

It's pirated, fake games content.

The problem is bigger than you may think, and we all have a part to play in eliminating it.

In this episode of Connected with Pragmatic Solutions, our CEO, Ashley Lang, sits down with James Elliott, Founder of @Gamecheckcom to discuss the growing issue of copied and manipulated casino games present across the industry.

James explains how Gamecheck is working with operators, suppliers, and players to verify the authenticity of game content across websites. The conversation outlines the risks for operators and the practical steps they can take to protect their environments.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction to Game Piracy in iGaming
• 00:01:16 What is Game Check: Fighting Fake Casino Games
• 00:02:23 The Scale of the Problem: Why Players Are Being Cheated
• 00:05:05 The Game Check Seal: Authentication for Players
• 00:07:03 Building Trust: The New Standard for Authenticity
• 00:08:30 Why Legitimate Operators Should Participate
• 00:11:58 Affiliates and Industry Stakeholders: Everyone Has a Role
• 00:13:46 Continuous Monitoring: Detecting Game Switching Tactics
• 00:15:53 How It Works: Operator Enrollment and Player Experience
• 00:19:01 Game Provider Support and Industry Impact

The Connected Series spotlights innovative providers in the industry, delivering practical solutions to real-world iGaming challenges. Produced by @PragmaticSolutionsPlatform, in partnership with@nextdotio

All about @Gamecheckcom: www.gamecheck.com

More at www.pragmatic.solutions/connected

#playerprotection #igaming #igamingindustry #compliance #onlinecasino

How secure is your login process? Are passwords costing you players?

In this episode of Connected with Pragmatic Solutions, our CEO Ashley Lang speaks with Rob Griffin and Michael Tanaka, co-founders of MIRACL. They discuss how MIRACL is transforming authentication for iGaming operators by eliminating passwords, streamlining multi-factor login, and delivering a secure, two-second sign-in experience that works seamlessly across all devices and browsers.

MIRACL’s cloud-based authentication technology offers operators a 99.9% login success rate, significantly higher than traditional passwords or SMS-based 2FA. By reducing friction, cutting costs, and ensuring compliance with evolving regulatory requirements, MIRACL helps operators protect customer accounts while enhancing the user experience—keeping players engaged and reducing support burdens.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction to MIRACL and Authentication Challenges
• 00:01:17 What is MIRACL Trust: Passwordless Authentication Explained
• 00:02:17 The Problem: Security, Regulation, and User Experience
• 00:03:47 Why Legacy Authentication Methods Fail
• 00:04:59 Live Demo: The MIRACL Login Experience
• 00:06:34 Advanced Cryptography and Zero-Knowledge Proof
• 00:08:22 Registration Process and Seamless Integration
• 00:10:50 The 99.9% Login Success Rate Advantage
• 00:12:52 PIN Reset and Customer Support Integration
• 00:16:31 Regulatory Compliance Across Global Markets
• 00:18:17 Competitive Landscape: SMS, Passkeys, and Alternatives
• 00:20:49 Unified Experience Across All US Regulators
• 00:22:07 100% Compatibility: The Technical Differentiator
• 00:22:35 Closing Remarks and Next Steps

The Connected Series spotlights innovative providers integrated with our Player Account Management (PAM) platform, delivering practical solutions to real-world iGaming challenges.

Produced in partnership with @nextdotio

#igaming #igamingindustry #businesspodcast

More at www.pragmatic.solutions/connected

How can you scale your business to a new regulated market 3x faster? Could a 4x performance boost be hiding in your infrastructure?

In this special episode of Connected with Pragmatic Solutions, our CEO Ashley Lang sits down for an in-depth conversation with Sergey Kurson and Serhii Avramchuk, part of the founding team of the iGaming vertical at Amazon Web Services (AWS). They explore how AWS established a dedicated iGaming division, the unique needs of regulated operators, and the consultative role AWS plays in helping operators scale faster, stay compliant, and deliver more personalised player experiences.

AWS is more than a cloud hosting provider. Their iGaming-focused teams work hands-on with operators to optimise infrastructure, reduce latency, enhance security, and support multi-jurisdictional compliance. Through deep technical expertise and global infrastructure, AWS empowers operators to move faster, cut costs, and focus on what matters most: building better player experiences.

At Pragmatic Solutions, we’ve built a strong, collaborative partnership with AWS to power our PAM platform globally. By working closely with AWS’s specialist iGaming team, we ensure our infrastructure is optimised for high availability, low latency, and regulatory compliance across jurisdictions. This partnership allows us to co-consult with operators, identify performance and cost efficiencies, and jointly support market expansion strategies, giving our clients access to world-class technology and proven operational guidance.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction to AWS and the iGaming Industry
• 00:01:33 The Origin Story: Building AWS's iGaming Division
• 00:04:03 Amazon's Culture: Bias for Action and Leadership Principles
• 00:08:18 Overcoming Cloud Adoption Barriers in iGaming
• 00:13:26 AWS as an Innovation Accelerator
• 00:15:48 Beyond Infrastructure: Business Consultation and Ecosystem Support
• 00:21:29 Key Industry Priorities: Performance, Security, and Global Expansion
• 00:27:29 Security and Regulatory Compliance Tools
• 00:40:52 Real-Time Personalization and Data-Driven Decision Making
• 00:49:19 The AI Revolution: Talking to Your Data
• 00:50:28 The AWS Ecosystem Effect and Future Trends
• 00:59:50 Cost Optimization and Getting Started with AWS

Each episode of Connected highlights technology providers shaping the future of iGaming. Brought to you in collaboration with @Next.io

#igaming #aws #igamingindustry #igaming #igamingindustry #businesspodcast #igaming #igamingindustry #businesspodcast #igaming #igamingindustry #businesspodcast

More at www.pragmatic.solutions/connected