AI
AI isn’t replacing creativity in gaming – it is democratising it
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Tom Smallwood, Chief Commercial Officer at OpenSlots
The growth of AI in the industry is a talking point you cannot ignore. From sceptics to those convinced it will have a big role to play, AI dominates discourse. However, it is widely accepted that it will play a significant role in product development. In our industry, the biggest misconception is that AI will replace creativity in game development. In my experience, it has the power to do the exact opposite. I’ve watched countless studios struggle with the same challenge of transforming creative vision into market-ready slot games without requiring a six-figure budget a six-month timeline only to fail to achieve distribution. Yet that’s exactly what the traditional route to market looks like now.
AI is removing the technical barriers that risk keeping creative minds locked out of our industry. At OpenSlots, we’re beginning to see firsthand how AI can help turn a game creator’s ‘napkin sketch’ into a playable prototype in a fraction of the time.
The hidden costs of traditional slot development
The harsh reality facing game creators today is staggering. Developing and distributing even a basic slot requires substantial budgets and months of specialised expertise. Factor in regulatory compliance, RNG certification, and multi-platform optimisation, and smaller studios face insurmountable barriers.
These costs aren’t just financial, they affect the creative output too. When a single game requires months of mathematical modelling, extensive asset creation, development and technical integration it is inevitable that innovation stagnates. Game developers tend to play it safe, but even then, they risk not getting any ‘airtime’ in the face of the overwhelming quantity of games released by larger studios. The result is a market flooded with similar games, from the same providers, while innovative ideas never see daylight.
The OpenSlots approach
At OpenSlots, we are building a platform aimed at non-technical professions in which every element of the development process is optimised. Our AI-powered system lets operators and game designers create professional slot games through an agentic interface and AI-powered game creation workflows all on a tried and trusted RGS. You describe your vision, say, a high-volatility Norse mythology theme with cascading reels, and OpenSlots, backed by human expertise, handles everything from the creation of your game design document to the game build itself. We even have an WYSIWYG editor prior to publishing.
Real democratisation means accessible innovation
True democratisation isn’t just about making existing processes slightly easier, it is about changing who can participate. When we enable game creators to describe their vision in natural language and watch AI generate playable prototypes, we’re not replacing human creativity, we’re amplifying it. The most successful implementations don’t replace human expertise, they eliminate tedious and costly tasks that prevent creative professionals from focusing on innovation. This is as true for an operator as a studio. We do not see AI as a magic wand, to make everything easy, especially in a highly regulated industry. However, it is an enabler that can create a certain originality and independence for B2Cs and a voice to smaller game design studios.
Why this matters now
The timing for this transformation couldn’t be more critical. The slots market generates over half of total casino revenue, with operators facing pressure to deliver personalised, engaging content at speed. As mobile gaming dominates consumer spending and competition grows, the traditional development model can’t keep pace with market demands.
This creates an opportunity for platforms that can democratise game creation while maintaining quality and compliance. The industry needs solutions that allow rapid iteration and testing, branded content creation, and market-specific customisation, all without the costs that have historically limited who can participate in game development.
Building the future of game creation
The winners in this transformation won’t be the companies with the most advanced AI algorithms. They will be the ones who best understand how to apply AI practically to real challenges.
The future belongs to platforms that combine industry knowledge with cutting-edge AI capabilities. It’s not about auto-generating second rate game assets, just to for the sake of speed and cost, but leveraging the power of AI to amplify human expertise and give the chance for innovation. In many ways we are giving people the chance to make mistakes. And that, of course, is how we grow.
The question isn’t whether AI will transform gaming development. It’s whether we allow the broader ecosystem be part of that transformation or left behind by it.
The post AI isn’t replacing creativity in gaming – it is democratising it appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has launched a public consultation on a proposed AI Gaming Charter on the Ethical and Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence.
The Charter has been developed in collaboration with the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA) and is intended to provide voluntary, principles-based guidance to support the responsible and transparent use of AI within the sector. It is designed to complement existing legal and regulatory frameworks, including the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, while reflecting the specific operational context of the gaming industry.
The post MGA Launches Consultation on AI Gaming Charter appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
SportVot has raised $3.6m in a new investment round as it plans to expand across Europe, Australia, the United States, and West Asia. The company said the funding will support international growth and further development of its AI-led production and analytics capabilities.
The round was led by Indian Angel Network’s IAN Alpha Fund, with participation from Anicut Capital, SucSeed Indovation Fund, LVX (LetsVenture), Capital-A, and other global investors.
SportVot positions its platform as a unified workflow covering capture, production, distribution, and monetisation for competitions outside top-tier broadcast ecosystems. The company said its cloud-based setup supports remote production in real time and includes automated highlights, graphics, insights, multi-angle viewing, decision review systems, and virtual advertising.
The company lists customers and partners including Junior Super Kings (Chennai Super Kings’ Junior’s Tournament), All India Football Federation, Rugby India, the International Table Tennis Federation (Oceania) and the International Padel Federation. It said that since launching operations in 2025 in Australia it has worked with organisations including Table Tennis Australia, Table Tennis Queensland, Netball Victoria, the National Pickleball League and KommunityTV.
SportVot said it has delivered over 500,000 matches across its core markets, reaching more than 100 million viewers in 30+ countries. In Australia, it said it streamed 12,000 matches over the past year across 30+ partner organisations.
Tim Anderson, Managing Director, SportVot Australia, said: “Over the past year, we’ve seen strong adoption from sports organisations across Australia looking to scale how their competitions are captured and distributed. The ability to deliver consistent, high-quality production across different sports and formats has been key. This next phase allows us to build further on that momentum, both within Australia and in closer alignment with global markets.”
Sidhhant Agarwal, Founder & CEO, SportVot, said: “What we are seeing globally is not a lack of sport, but a lack of structured systems to capture and distribute it at scale. Our focus has been to build something that can work across geographies, sports, and formats without adding operational complexity. As we expand into new markets, the goal is to enable more competitions to be seen, experienced, and sustained.”
The post SportVot raises $3.6m to expand sports production platform into Europe, US and West Asia appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Tugi Tark has released a 2026 whitepaper, The economics of AI-powered iGaming customer support, arguing that AI changes the unit economics of player support and can reduce costs compared with human-led operations.
The report cites “verified pricing” of EUR 0.15 per AI-handled ticket. It compares that with fully loaded employer costs for human support in Romania and Bulgaria of EUR 1.73 to EUR 1.88 per ticket. At a “realistic” 70% AI containment rate, the whitepaper claims a blended cost of about EUR 0.67 per ticket, which it describes as roughly a 64% reduction versus a human-only baseline of EUR 1.88.
Tugi Tark says its analysis draws on Eurostat 2024 labour cost data, published research on AI chatbot benchmarks, independent iGaming player behaviour research, and operational data from its own deployments. The company estimates operators can achieve a 55% to 75% reduction in total support expenditure, and argues AI can absorb volume spikes—such as during major sporting events—without additional hiring or training lag.
Harpo Lilja, founder and CEO of TUgi Tark, said: “In 2026, the ‘wait-and-see’ approach to AI is costing operators millions in unnecessary overhead. We aren’t just talking about chatbots; we’re talking about a fundamental shift in the unit economics of player retention.”
The whitepaper also frames customer support as a retention lever, stating that payment issues account for 52% of ticket volume and that slower response times drive churn. It claims a 0.5 percentage point churn reduction could retain an additional 500 players per month for a mid-sized operator, translating to €200,000 in annual revenue based on an assumed €400 Player Lifetime Value. Tugi Tark also claims AI agents average ~7 seconds for first response versus ~60 seconds for human agents, and outlines use cases across Responsible Gambling escalation, KYC/AML workflows, and GDPR-aligned data sovereignty.
The post Tugi Tark whitepaper puts AI iGaming support at €0.15 per ticket appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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