AI
Investor`s perspective: highlights from ICE Barcelona 2026
The Investments team at RedCore held dozens of meetings at ICE Barcelona with projects from MarTech/Traffic, iGaming, AI/ML, and RegTech. We share our observations on the direction of the market and changes in the approach of startups.
Technology is the main trend
The products at the conference focused on offering fundamentally new solutions rather than competing head-on. There were a huge number of game providers, but the ones that attracted attention were those betting on technological innovation.
“The trend is clear: products are trying to offer something completely new, rather than just competing in their niche,” notes Andrei Alexandrov, Investment Portfolio Manager at RedCore.
The influx of incoming applications confirmed this: even without a targeted search, most projects fell within the fund`s priority areas — MarTech/Traffic, iGaming solutions, AI/ML, and RegTech.
AI and data are changing the traffic game
At iGB Affiliate, which ran parallel to ICE, AI solutions for traffic were everywhere: trackers, predictive models, player behavior analysis panels. This reflects the maturity of the market — traffic optimization is no longer possible without ML/AI approaches.
The main competitive asset today is data and segmentation. Those who segment more deeply, personalize, and truly understand the behavior of their audience will win. Granular data, behavior by micro-segments, is no longer a “nice-to-have” but a necessity.
“Affiliates are increasingly acting not just as CPA traffic partners, but as full-fledged marketing experts who use data and content to improve engagement,” notes Iryna Yeromenko, Investment Portfolio Manager at RedCore.
Startups have become more mature
Just a few years ago, conferences were often attended by teams with raw ideas. Now the situation has changed: founders come with well-developed pitches, clear business models, and a clear understanding of the market.
“Startups are particularly impressive this year: everyone comes prepared and tries to present themselves in the best way. There was almost no one who came with just an idea,” says Andrei Alexandrov. “Some said that we are their priority fund. This level of trust confirms that we are moving in the right direction.”
Record dealflow, but quality is more important
The volume of incoming applications for ICE Barcelona exceeded the total for all other events last year. But a large flow also means risk: without clear selection criteria, it is easy to waste time on irrelevant projects.
“There are a lot of introductions, pitches, and “let`s talk”. At the same time, it is important to remember that quantity does not equal quality. ICE reinforces the need for strict investment filtering, as without clear criteria, it is easy to get lost in the noise,” explains Oleksandr Briukhovetskyi, Investment Portfolio Manager at RedCore.
This principle also works in traffic: the best affiliates focus on data strategies, mobile-first and video-first content, as well as player behavior patterns. Affiliates get access to more metrics, which lets them buy better traffic.
Long-term value instead of quick deals
ICE Barcelona isn`t about closing deals on the spot. The main value of the conference lies in the opportunity to create the foundation for partnerships for the next 6–12 months.
“Conferences bring strategic value. In terms of the density of quality contacts, long-term deals, and relevant contextual conversations, they are confidently ahead of most other channels,” — notes Oleksandr Briukhovetskyi.
Industry boundaries are blurring
ICE attracts a large number of cross-industry projects that are not formally related to iGaming but seek to integrate into this market. This creates new opportunities for investors who can see synergies between different verticals.
“ICE is a rare case where all elements of the iGaming chain are gathered in one space: operators, providers, payments, RegTech, AI, traffic, media buying, crypto, Web3. The boundaries of the industry are blurring right in front of our eyes,” Oleksandr sums up.
Where is the market headed
The market is moving towards consolidation. The trend towards aggregators and super apps is growing stronger, and now AI has joined the mix. The greatest potential lies in automated management systems, data aggregators, big data products, and predictive analytics.
In iGaming, there is growing demand for infrastructure solutions: tools for Retention, Customer Support, Antifraud, Responsible Gaming, and regulation. There is particular interest in products that allow operators to independently create loyalty systems, custom games, and analytics.
The focus of investors has shifted. Previously, they pursued ideas, but now expertise and team stability matter more. The number of startups has grown, as it is easier than ever to create an MVP in the AI era. Therefore, Due Diligence is critical: how well does the product solve a real market problem, and whether the team is ready to develop and monetize it.
Are you building a product in MarTech, iGaming, AI/ML, or RegTech? Tell the Investments team at RedCore about your project: https://redcore.group/lets-cooperate/
The post Investor`s perspective: highlights from ICE Barcelona 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Supplier will exhibit at Stand S60 in London on July 1–2, with sportsbook, AI suite and prediction-market products on show.
BetConstruct AI will attend iGB L!VE 2026 on July 1–2 in London, UK, exhibiting at Stand S60.
The company said its stand will focus on operator tooling for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, positioning what it calls the “Best Sportsbook for the 2026 World Cup” and related engagement and tournament-readiness features aimed at real-time performance during the event.
Alongside the World Cup focus, BetConstruct AI said it will showcase its Sportsbook Platform, Casino Platform and AI Suite, including CRM AI, Umbrella AI, AI Game Recommendation System, Betting Mate AI and BetChain AI. It also plans to present its Affiliate Ecosystem, covering player engagement, retention, risk management and acquisition.
BetConstruct AI will also demo Eventbook, a prediction market product built around real-world events including politics and major sports tournaments. The company said it has partnered with ADI Predictstreet, described as FIFA’s Official Prediction Market Partner, integrating ADI Predictstreet’s prediction-market solutions and official match streaming rights into its platform.
The press release also stated that new partners will be able to access “exclusive commercial terms on setup,” but did not disclose pricing or eligibility details.
The post BetConstruct AI confirms iGB L!VE 2026 presence, focuses on World Cup tools appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Online casino and iGaming developer MadMen is marking its 10th anniversary this year, reflecting a decade of technology work for operators in regulated and emerging markets.
Founded in 2016, MadMen said it began in B2C before moving to a B2B model. The company now provides front-end and back-end development for iGaming operators, spanning brand launches, platform integrations, market expansions, and bespoke product work.
MadMen said it works with established operators, challenger brands, and land-based casinos moving online, and highlighted supplier relationships including its Official Gold Partner status with EveryMatrix (2022) and a partnership with Omega Systems (2024).
Since its first major B2B project in 2021, the company said it has delivered more than 35 custom solutions for operators worldwide and launched its first US sweepstakes project in 2025.
Commenting on the milestone, Michel Groenendijk, co-founder of MadMen, said: “We’ve been fortunate to spend the last decade working in an industry that has changed significantly in a relatively short space of time.
“Since we started, we’ve seen major regulatory developments across multiple markets, the growth of cryptocurrency, the emergence of sweepstakes models, and, more recently, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. At the same time, operators have become increasingly focused on specific audiences and territories.
“Launching and growing an iGaming business today involves far more than developing a website. Payment integrations, compliance requirements, supplier relationships, and platform infrastructure all need to work together seamlessly, and our role is to help operators navigate that complexity. It’s a common misconception that once you have a fully functioning product, success is guaranteed, but in reality, the tech side is only one part of the equation. A deep understanding of the industry, proper relationships with suppliers, and years of experience are all essential for achieving success, which is why clients choose to work with a business like ours.
“Looking ahead, we see significant opportunities in areas such as AI-driven development, testing, and player engagement. Our focus will remain on helping operators adapt to new technologies and market requirements while bringing ambitious projects to market practically and sustainably.
“By embedding AI into our delivery and product development processes, we can significantly reduce the time required to deliver solutions for both new and existing clients, allowing us to take on more projects of a larger size, as well as spend more time allowing our expert team to experiment with new features.
“It’s worth noting that whilst AI has its place within the company, there’s still plenty that it’s not able to automate. This is where our experience shines, managing different pipelines across different teams to keep everything aligned and integrated into the final product.
“We’re grateful to our team and clients who have been part of our journey over the last ten years.”
The post MadMen marks 10 years as iGaming development supplier appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
When everyone has access to AI, the future belongs to those who use it strategically. Slotegrator’s updated platform has a suite of AI-powered tools that do the heavy lifting so clients can focus on strategy and business development.
Suppliers are racing to incorporate AI features. Instead of just keeping up with the hype, Slotegrator updated its platform with a suite of AI tools that help its clients by doing most of the heavy lifting and handling tasks that require large amounts of processing power. The company’s platform software now features AI tools for fighting fraud, analyzing essential business data, and reducing payment friction.
Fraud is a major concern for online casino operators, particularly when it comes to bonus abuse.
Bonus abusers are constantly developing new techniques and tactics to defraud casinos — even more so now that they have access to AI tools. Good deepfakes can potentially even pass liveness checks, and synthetic IDs (fake IDs made of real parts) are difficult to spot.
Slotegrator’s Anti-fraud module has an AI assistant to help operators combat fraud. The assistant provides summaries of real-time situations with just the touch of a button. Operators choose from one of three preset questions: 1. What is the overall risk situation? 2. Which risk categories are currently the most critical? And 3. What should be prioritized right now?
When they choose one of them, the assistant automatically analyzes the relevant data, yields structured conclusions, and makes recommendations for next steps. After you’ve made a selection, the AI assistant instantly processes dashboard metrics and provides a brief summary. The assistant works at both the project and individual level.
“As artificial intelligence becomes commonplace, the companies that integrate AI into core aspects of their business will be the ones that get ahead,” explains Slotegrator COO Olga Ivanchik. “AI is capable of more than automation. Incorporating AI at a strategic level, making it a core part of the business architecture, is the only way to stay competitive in the long run.”
Slotegrator’s platform also has an AI business intelligence module.
The AI BI module not only tracks KPIs such as GGR, unique players, active players, average bet sum, average withdrawal sum, average FD sum, profitability, CPR, and others, but filters and presents them for the chosen period and the particular project. All the data are displayed in convenient and clear tables and diagrams and can be exported as CSV and XLS files for convenience.
Users can segment players and apply bulk actions, depending on whether they need to be encouraged with a bonus or blocked due to risky behavior. Additionally, the module can filter players by affiliate partner ID to see which partner sent them.
Payments always present complex issues. Slotegrator’s Moneygrator simplifies payments by providing a unified infrastructure for managing payment providers in different GEOs.
But the Moneygrator AI bot takes the service to a new level.
The Moneygrator AI Bot automatically processes up to 80% of standard requests that previously required the involvement of an account manager. Instead of studying documentation or waiting for a response, teams receive structured data in minutes, significantly accelerating time-to-market.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Since 2012, Slotegrator has been one of the iGaming industry’s leading software and business solution providers for online casino and sportsbook operators.
The company’s main focus is software development and support for online casino platforms, as well as the integration of game content and payment systems.
The company works with licensed game developers and offers a vast portfolio of casino content: slots, live casino games, poker, virtual sports, table games, lotteries, casual games, and data feeds for betting.
Slotegrator also provides consulting services in gambling license acquisition and business incorporation.
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