Regulatory headaches are becoming increasingly commonplace across the global gambling landscape amid a consistent backlash emanating from a number of angles.
But what can be done to combat such a consistent clampdown? For Gaming1, this simply boils down to regulators deploying a degree of logic to ensure competition can ensue, as well as the black market not continuing an enduring appeal to players.
Addressing these concerns, Deputy CEO, Jean-Christophe Choffray, suggests what could make the future smooth for operators, why ESG plays such an important role for the company and touches on how the retention dilemma is addressed.
Are regulators aware of modern challenges?
Regulatory pressure has quickly become a necessary evil as legislatures balance a building public backlash with the need to foster a thriving white market.
Despite the industry continuing to grow year-on-year, this continues to present a number of challenges, and is one that Choffray believes will continue through the current year and beyond.
“For Gaming1, which only operates in the regulated market, the biggest trend is the continuation of more rules and regulations for real operator’s that have to compete with illegal operators that don’t follow those,” he says.
“It has been a big issue over the last few years, and, unfortunately, it’s continued in the same way. I hope that in 2026 regulators will start to look at the problem a little bit differently, start to fight again with the illegal market and eventually give a little bit more confidence and trust in legal operators to help them compete properly.
“I think that that’s the big challenge of 2026 and the coming years.”
Amid sustained regulatory challenges and clampdowns across various jurisdictions, what are the best strategies that can be deployed in order to combat these and continue on an upwards trajectory?
In the first instance, Gaming1 prioritised a platform reconstruction in order to adapt to regulatory requirements in a more timely manner. Despite this, a slight plea and warning is offered.
“We need regulators that don’t change their mind every six months,” Choffray comments. “We need the ability to be able to develop more customer features and a more competitive advantage, instead of only focusing on compliance.
“In terms of player protection, for example, we have placed a focus during the past two years on offering one of the best in class modules.
“We are totally transparent with our players. We give them all of the information on how much they bet, time on the platform et cetera, as well as advice around what they can do to avoid playing too much.
“We also use AI systems, so if they change their habits we can give them all of this information to decrease gaming activity.
“We are really the best in class here, but it’s important that regulators don’t think of other rules that are not specifically in favour of player protection and block an operator’s ability to be competitive.”
A significant breakthrough?
It’s safe to say that artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm, and the gambling ecosystem is certainly not immune to this phenomenon.
However, Choffray voices a belief that nobody is currently making full use of the technology, despite its potential being bigger than anyone may currently believe.
“In our industry, AI will be a massive game changer”, he says. “Today, we focus on several AI developments. We have recommendation engines for players and the classical stuff, but I don’t think it’s the most interactive or interesting.
“I think that one of the best developments is for responsible gaming – analysing the player and offering more protection and support. With AI, we can really have all of the data of the player and give the best answers regarding whatever the issue may be.”
Environmental, social and governance issues also form a central component of the Gaming1 make-up, with the company placing a strict focus on ensuring that a bright light is placed upon it by players.
But, what needs to be done to ensure such practices continue to help deliver sustainable long-term value?
“ESG is very large,” Choffray notes. “A lot of people speak about ESG, but it’s a little bit less of a trend at the moment. It’s about player protection. It’s about the tools we develop to be sure that our games are sociable and that players don’t lose too much and that they’re always in control.
“That’s the most important point for a gaming company. Besides that, we continue to develop. It’s very important that our employees know that the company is responsible.
“This is why it’s so important not only for our company, but for the people who will join us in the future. The biggest impact is about connection.”
We need to work on entertainment
The retention conundrum is one that is capturing the imagination of operators all over the world. Rising costs have arguably made this one of the largest challenges within the current climate.
For a company that maintains businesses within both the land-based and digital domains, Gaming1 asserts that distinct differences mean that these stand poles apart.
“If I compare a land-based casino with an online casino, land-based is not solely about gambling. It’s about shows, restaurants, atmosphere, people, socialisation,” Choffray concludes.
“Today, online casino is generally about gambling, whereas this is just one aspect of a land-based casino
“What we have to do for retention is to continue to construct more features. I call it a casino with a big C. It’s not only gambling, but it’s all the other aspects of the casino. We need more games and socialisation so that’s it’s not only gaming.
“We work on a lot of challenges. We need to keep the player even when they don’t gamble. We need to always offer a little entertainment, and that’s what is very important for us for retention in the future.”
