As 2025 draws to a close, there is no doubt that the iGaming industry already has its sights firmly set on 2026 and beyond.
But to make the most of a new year, it’s vital that companies fully embrace the trends that will shape the future of the industry, according to SOFTSWISS’s CMO, Valentina Bagniya.
“Every year, there is a new wave of trends that everyone talks about, but let’s be honest, most of them don’t really change anything. The real question isn’t what’s trending, but what truly matters,” said Bagniya, reacting to the company’s 2026 iGaming Trends report in a recently released video.
“A trend only becomes valuable when you can translate it into real decisions, actions and measurable results. The sooner you see trends as tools for foresight rather than reaction, the closer you are to leading the market instead of chasing it.”
Released in November, the fourth edition of the report is based on interviews with more than 350 iGaming professionals, quantitative research conducted by Kantar, and the market analysis of more than 120,000 media headlines.
At the heart of the ebook is the continued dominance of AI within the iGaming zeitgeist.
According to SOFTSWISS’s report, the perceived importance of AI has grown from 8.15/10 to 8.41, with 56% of surveyed companies listing AI integration as one of their top three business priorities.
AI-based tools are also at the centre of ‘responsible gambling 2.0’, as new efforts are being made to identify at-risk behaviour in real-time. A step that is now expected by regulators in jurisdictions such as Ontario and Greece.
“The importance of AI continues to rise. Almost everyone now sees AI as a stable long-term driver rather than a passing trend,” explained Bagniya. “In the report, we share real use cases from our own teams where AI helped to cut workload in half, improve fraud detection and strengthen operational efficiency.”