Artificial intelligence, rising costs, and stringent regulations. The iGaming industry continues to face new challenges and opportunities that are reshaping its economics, and pushing operators to rethink how casinos are built, scaled and managed.
Max Chertkov, CEO of Vegangster, speaks with iGaming Expert about the sector’s shift towards sustainable models and operational discipline. He explains how Vegangster’s modular, fully integrated platform gives operators flexible, data-driven control, allowing teams to diagnose and resolve key operational pain points directly from the admin panel.
Chertkov addresses the current state of the market, which he considers to have matured. With quick launches and aggressive traffic scaling becoming less sustainable, “the focus is gradually shifting from growth at any cost to sustainable economics, operational discipline, and long-term player value,” he says.
For the iGaming veteran, increasingly stringent regulation and growing tax pressure on the industry directly impacts margins. That makes full operating costs to be the factor for profitability, rather than acquisition alone.
Another transformation in the market comes from LTV control as the new core lever, taking over traffic growth: “While CPA was once considered separately, the LTV to CPA ratio is now becoming a key factor,” he describes.
According to Chertkov, in order to be sustainable, companies must not only consider CPA, but also bonuses, support, payments, and infrastructure, which are part of the true cost.
AI as an operational backbone
With artificial intelligence taking over the iGaming industry, he sees it becoming a core operational layer in modern casinos. AI can be used as LTV infrastructure by handling first-line support and repetitive processes, particularly around payments, verification and bonus queries.
By responding instantly and operating around the clock, AI reduces friction at key moments in the player journey. This consistency helps maintain activity and supports longer player lifecycles without requiring constant expansion of support teams.
However, human judgement remains essential for non-standard or disputed cases, as well as situations where empathy and judgement are decisive.
“An escalation model is the best way to go: leave the first level to the AI, and then have your human team take over when solutions are needed.
Execution, UX and the value of discipline
The Vegangster CEO argues that right after acquisition, the value generated by traffic goes through a critical stage. Much can be lost due to friction during onboarding, unclear product discovery and slow responses to payment or verification queries. These issues can interrupt the early player journey, weakening engagement before habits have time to form.
“The industry is shifting from simple game catalogues to managed user experiences,” he says. Clearer navigation, faster discovery and more visual interfaces help players understand the product immediately and deepen their first sessions.
At the same time, responsive support and familiar UX structures make it easier for inactive users to return, while enabling operators to deliver targeted offers that convert re-engagement into sustained activity.
Chertkov notes that modern casino platforms are already functionally mature, meaning most operators no longer struggle with missing features or core functionality.
“The real challenge lies in execution. Teams often try to deploy every available tool, creating operational noise,” he says.
According to Vegangster’s CEO, stronger results come from disciplined planning and focusing on the few elements that genuinely impact performance.
Considering the current landscape, he puts a long-term mindset at the base of success for any new casino launch. Operators who treat the product as a sustained business and build it methodically are better positioned to manage risk and reach profitability.
He also notes that technology plays an important role in this process. Tools such as AI help expose operational weaknesses, allowing teams to refine systems and improve lifecycle management over time.
Looking into the future, Chertkov is confident in Vegangster’s capabilities to quickly adapt and help partners with its agile solutions. However, he also sees more AI involved in due course, with the ultimate goal of further optimizing the business for larger operators.
