• Global Gaming Company of the Year at the International Gaming Awards
• Most Innovative Supplier at the European iGaming Awards

Bitcoin has shattered records, soaring past €100,000 per coin, marking a pivotal moment in cryptocurrency history. SOFTSWISS, a global tech provider with over 15 years of expertise and a trailblazer in crypto integration for iGaming, unveils the transformative trends set to redefine the digital currency landscape.

According to Statista, the global cryptocurrency market’s revenue is estimated to reach almost €44 billion in 2025, with an expected 861 million users. SOFTSWISS experts spotlight the major forces shaping the crypto future. 

How Will Regulation Evolve?

As cryptocurrency adoption grows, experts anticipate global regulations to tighten to address security, transparency, and misuse. Key areas of focus include AML (Anti-Money Laundering), KYC (Know Your Customer), and investor protection, requiring businesses to implement robust compliance measures.

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Companies must adapt to diverse regional regulations, such as Europe’s MiCA framework or US oversight by the SEC and CFTC. While compliance increases operational costs, it enhances credibility, fosters trust, and creates opportunities to attract institutional investors and expand into regulated markets, positioning businesses for sustainable growth.

Financial Security with Crypto Investments

Bitcoin’s growing acceptance and institutional interest demonstrate its evolving role as a significant financial asset. With nations like the US exploring its use as a reserve asset, Bitcoin is increasingly seen as a store of value and a hedge against traditional market fluctuations. These trends reinforce its potential as a strategic component in a forward-looking investment portfolio.

Ivan Montik, Founder of SOFTSWISS, comments: “While crypto remains a risky asset, its long-term growth potential and increasing institutional adoption suggest it could be a valuable addition to a diversified retirement portfolio. The key is understanding the asset, investing consistently, and viewing it as a long-term strategy rather than a short-term speculation.”

Consider this strategy based on the past decade: saving €100 per month over ten years would result in €12,000 with little to no return if kept in a bank or at home. However, investing that same €100 monthly in Bitcoin could have transformed those €12,000 into over €120,000. This remarkable growth illustrates Bitcoin’s potential to significantly enhance long-term savings or provide substantial financial security for retirement.

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Is Crypto a New Payment Standard?

The era of cryptocurrency as a purely speculative asset has passed. Businesses and consumers now demand real utility, with crypto payments rapidly becoming an industry standard. The adoption curve is evolving – what was once considered an alternative is now a necessity. Seamless, low-cost, and fast transactions are no longer merely advantages; they have become fundamental expectations.

Max Krupyshev, CEO at CoinsPaid, comments: “The shift from holding to spending will be one of the biggest transformations of 2025. At CoinsPaid, we see real businesses using crypto payments every day. It’s not just about holding anymore – it’s about spending. Expect more companies to accept and settle in crypto, making it as easy as using a credit card. And yes, customised tokens are part of this too – they’re fun, they’re liquid, and they work.”

Proprietary Tokens for Player Engagement

An influential trend in iGaming established brands like Rollbit and Shuffle leveraging proprietary tokens to enhance player engagement. These gaming-specific tokens offer benefits like seamless platform integration, reduced volatility, and exclusive perks, driving innovation in payment methods and business growth.

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Proprietary tokens allow casinos to create internal ecosystems with unique bonuses and advantages, potentially extending to external partnerships, such as voucher rewards with major brands. This strategy boosts marketing efforts and strengthens player loyalty. However, developing and maintaining a proprietary currency requires significant resources, including a substantial marketing budget to build trust and encourage adoption. These challenges can divert focus from the core mission of delivering quality entertainment and gaming experiences.

The experts summarise: “The crypto industry has always been about pushing boundaries, and 2025 will be the year we stop talking about potential and start seeing real-world utility at scale. This year crypto stops being just an asset class and starts being the backbone of global finance. The focus is shifting to utility, efficiency, and real-world integration, and the companies that adapt will lead the next wave of innovation. The future of payments isn’t coming – it’s already here.”

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 27,800 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.

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Congratulations on becoming the exclusive pricing and risk management supplier for Racing1 Markets. How important is this partnership for Pythia Sports?

This is a major milestone for us, and cements our position as a key racing innovation partner. This agreement sets us apart from our competition in the space, because we’re directly partnered with the four major rights holders in horse racing, which reinforces our position as a trusted partner. Horse racing is still a massive revenue driver for sportsbooks, often second only to soccer, and for one of our clients, regularly their highest trading volume sport. Offering an exciting and engaging experience for our customers is key and through the use of our new plug-and-play iFrame, running alongside our API integration, this new partnership will deliver a tier-one racing product for all our clients. These different delivery routes allow clients the flexibility to choose what best suits their needs for a horse racing and greyhounds solution.

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Can you tell us a bit about how the overall Racing1 and Racing1 Markets alliance works and what Pythia’s role in it is?

Racing1 was put together by the four main global rights holders; 1/ST Content, Arena Racing Company [ARC], Racecourse Media Group (RMG), and Tabcorp. Those companies formed an alliance to consolidate their rights and deliver their content together internationally. Racing1 then agrees distribution deals for their content around the world.

Racing1 Markets is a fully outsourced racing solution, and Pythia is the risk management component of the partnership. When you combine Racing1’s core content package and Pythia’s racing solution, operators have a product that gives access to all the rights from those four rights holders, along with our pricing and risk management services, uniquely and exclusively via just 1 contract and 1 integration – making it the only one-stop shop solution on the market.

Did you have an existing relationship with ARC before the launch of Racing1 Markets? If so, how has that changed?

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Yes, we have a long-standing relationship with ARC. The rebrand simplifies it so that it’s clear to operators they can find everything under one roof.

All the rights are now being packaged into one integration. That means sportsbooks don’t have to go and speak to each rights holder individually. They can simply speak to Racing1 and can then have a fully-packaged racing operation ready to go.

How does this tie in with Pythia Sports’ ambitions as a company this year?

We have very big ambitions this year and this is certainly the first step towards achieving those. Ideally, we want to take the product to as many partners as possible. We now have the iFrame solution, which is new for us and makes the integration process smoother and quicker for those with no front end solution for horse racing. We’re in the middle of exploring lots of exciting partnerships right now, and we should be in a position to announce those in the not-too-distant future, so watch this space.

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What makes Pythia Sports’ pricing and risk management stand out above similar solutions in the market?

We’ve always been known for our specific expertise in the fields of horse racing and greyhound racing. We’ve been delivering healthy margins to operators as a B2B supplier for more than five years now but as a business we have experience that spans decades. In my opinion, our pricing algorithms are the strongest in the market, and we also want to make sure we offer the best customer experience. We’re excited to introduce several additions to our offering in 2025 and look forward to showcasing them to our current and potential partners throughout the year.

What are some current trends that Pythia Sports should be aware of?

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We’ve witnessed the growth in revenue that our award-winning in-play product has been able to bring to the industry, and we’re excited to build on that growth, not just with additional markets, but also with greater on-screen content to support the in-play experience and make it easier for customers to make judgements during the race.

Following that theme, we’re focused on a mantra to “simplify and inform” across our product offering. Racing can be a challenging problem for customers to solve, so we want to place all the information at their fingertips. Early this year, in both greyhounds and horse racing, we’ll be rolling out enhanced form guides by aggregating race history into useful stats, badges and comments, while giving customers better data on which to make informed betting decisions.

SGP and Bet Builders have grown turnover and profitability in many sports, and our new Bet Builder product will be launching this year too. This will offer new opportunities for growth, both for avid fans, who can construct a bet based on exactly how they see a race playing out; through to more recreational bettors, who want the opportunity to win big from smaller stakes. That will work hand in hand with our enhanced form, highlighting market trends and opportunities in real time, and allowing bettors to really build a bet for any narrative.

How was exhibiting at ICE 2025 for Pythia Sports?

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This year was the first time we’ve had a stand as part of Racing1, which was a great experience. As part of Racing1 Markets, we are the only provider to offer the complete package of data, risk management services and media rights, in just 1 contract and 1 integration. That is our USP and ICE provided the perfect setting for us to be able to discuss that. The interest in horse racing was as high as it has ever been, and there remains a global appetite for it among companies who clearly appreciate its importance as a product.