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In January, the W2 by FullCircl team headed to ICE Barcelona 2025, the premier global event for the gaming and betting industry.
Bigger and better than ever, this year’s show was a powerful platform for FullCircl to demonstrate our commitment to providing the industry with best-in-class solutions to onboard players compliantly and efficiently. And demonstrate the transformational impact our market-leading financial vulnerability checks are already having when it comes to helping operators minimise player intrusion, whilst staying firmly in the compliance lane.
It was great to witness the increased focus on safer gambling, and positive shift in the market’s view on responsible player onboarding. It was also enlightening to have so much open dialogue with operators on the future regulatory landscape, and the role of technology in helping operators balance compliance and player experience.
The event was literally buzzing - we loved every minute.
So to keep the excitement going, here are my top five takeaways from the event.
- Player safety does not have to come at the cost of player experience
ICE 2025 demonstrated a positive shift in operator outlook to responsible onboarding, and the embracing of enhanced player safety measures. A key concern amongst operators was how to increase visibility of a player’s financial situation and lifestyle vulnerabilities without being obtrusive or damaging the player experience.
Moving forward, to tackle this challenge operators increasingly recognise the need for a more strategic approach to player vulnerability.
Leaders are already harnessing the power of data orchestration to combine a range of checks - from CCJs, IVA, bankruptcy, debt and credit data, to income, affordability checks, and vulnerability indicators – and delivering responsible onboarding at pace and scale.
The goal for 2025 is informed, cost efficient, and agile player safety decision-making impacting player experience. Our conversations at ICE certainly point towards operators seizing the opportunities such an approach brings, in terms of competitive advantage and enhanced regulatory compliance.
Bringing me nicely to point two…
- Operators must continue to navigate a rapidly-changing regulatory global landscape
Much of the conversation was focused on global variance in regulation - and how operators can navigate this. As well as the future regulatory changes on the horizon and how they might impact player experience and operational efficiency.
Striking a balance between industry growth and protection of consumers remains the focus of regulation in the UK. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC)’s core objectives are to prevent gambling-related crime, ensure fair and open gambling practices, and protect vulnerable individuals from harm; most recently bringing in new regulatory requirements around vulnerability checks. This is in addition to intensified efforts to ensure operators adhere to anti-money laundering and fair gaming rules.
The global regulatory pattern is, however, quite diverse. The US and Canada operate a patchwork of rules and regulations on a state or province-wide basis. EU countries operate under strict regulations to ensure consumer protection and fair play. Whilst emerging markets such as Brazil, Peru and Nigeria are still laying the foundations of their own regulatory frameworks to ensure player protection without damaging market integrity and growth.
For operators however, one thing remains constant – balancing regulatory compliance with player experience. Compliance teams are seeking new opportunities to accomplish this, and a greater spotlight is being shone on the role of technology in striking a workable balance – bringing legislative responsibilities in step with the creation of safe, enjoyable, efficient, and socially-responsible betting experiences.
- New markets offer exciting new opportunities
Latin America is becoming a hotspot for investment. Countries like Brazil, Peru, and Mexico are seeing significant traction, particularly in sports betting - fuelled by emerging online platforms and government lotteries.
Speaking of sports betting, the US legalisation of this market continues to grow, with 39 states now operating legal sports betting.
Africa continues to offer an expanding gaming and betting market, whilst the Middle East is an emerging iGaming hub.
These new markets present great opportunities for established and new operators alike - if they can overcome regulatory challenges and embrace the latest advances in technology to deliver differentiated, yet safe, player engagement strategies.
- The adoption of AI remains a hot topic
Unsurprisingly, AI was a big focus of discussion, both in seminar sessions and on the exhibition floor.
AI is quickly reshaping the industry, providing operators with powerful new capabilities to streamline operations, drive cost efficiencies, enhance player experiences, and boost profitability.
However, it was rightly pointed out that successful implementation relies on strong partnerships between innovators and operators. For me, perhaps the most exciting aspect is how partnerships with technology vendors can not only improve the player experience but also massively increase operator understanding of players’ wants and needs – vital to driving engagement, growth and of course player safety.
AI-powered data orchestration is fast becoming a game changer for operators – offering opportunities to drive revenue growth, optimise experiences, and enhance compliance at every stage of the player lifecycle – player attraction, onboarding, and retention in a competitive market.
Operators who fail to embrace AI and the vast opportunities of data-driven decision-making risk falling behind in 2025.
- Digital Identity Verification is reshaping approaches to player onboarding
Fraudsters continue to target the gaming and betting industry, using stolen player identities or creating fake ID documents to create new player accounts. Operators must also contend with KYC, AML and player safety regulations.
Combine these challenges with rising player expectations for instant access to gaming and betting services and it’s no wonder digital identity verification (IDV) is become a game changer in terms of player onboarding.
By leveraging and matching data from a wide range of sources, operator scan verify player age and identity without compromising on experience or over burdening compliance teams.
The opportunity to access thousands of globally-accepted identity documents and authenticate with biometric-powered verification techniques such as facial recognition, optical character recognition, and liveness technology not only serves to deter fraudsters, but also provides your players with frictionless, faster onboarding journeys that create a positive and engaging first impression.
This is an area of huge investment - one to watch in 2025.
Remain compliant and keep players engaged with FullCircl
W2 by FullCircl is used by some of the biggest gambling operators including Entain, Novibet, and Fitzdares , helping balance revenue generation and regulatory compliance with player protection and the delivery of superior experiences. Get in touch with a member of our team to:
- Explore our cutting-edge tools for seamless customer onboarding and enhanced regulatory compliance
- Stay ahead of regulations and remove player friction with our new financial vulnerability checks
- Understand how you can harness data orchestration to reduce risk and improve efficiency
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