The Lisbon event brought together experts from SOFTSWISS, Amazon Web Services, Pentasia, WorldGaming and Google to discuss artificial intelligence, regulation, new markets and the future of digital growth.
SOFTSWISS brought together international media, influencers, technology experts and industry representatives in Lisbon to explore some of the key ideas behind its 2027 iGaming Trends Report.
Held ahead of the SBC Summit and moderated by Elliott Gotkine, an Emmy-winning journalist and former CNN and Bloomberg TV presenter, the event focused on a central question: what can iGaming contribute to other digital industries, and what can the sector learn from other markets?
Beyond specific online gaming trends, the discussion addressed challenges shared by digital businesses across industries, including artificial intelligence adoption, cybersecurity, regulation, customer acquisition and trust.
Beyond iGaming: A Wider View of Digital Growth
One of the new sections of the report is “Beyond iGaming,” which compares the development of the sector with other digitally driven industries, including e-commerce, sports, film, gaming, streaming, e-pharma and crypto.
This broader perspective was also reflected in the Lisbon discussion, where speakers examined how different industries are responding to similar challenges and what approaches can be transferred from one sector to another.
Alexandra Kavelich, Deputy CMO at SOFTSWISS, explained that one of the new elements of this year’s report is the Digital Maturity Index, which assesses industries across six areas, including AI adoption, mobile-first infrastructure, digital customer acquisition, payments innovation, RegTech and data-driven decision-making.
According to the results presented by SOFTSWISS, iGaming achieved a score of 4.67 out of 5, the highest among the eight industries assessed.
Kavelich noted that the results show how industries can learn from one another, particularly in the ways they develop and adopt technology and respond to rapidly changing environments.
From AI Experiments to Business Value
The discussion also addressed a growing question for digital companies: how can artificial intelligence translate into measurable business value?
Denis Romanovskiy, Chief AI Officer at SOFTSWISS, said companies are currently focusing their AI investments on three main areas: employee productivity, secure infrastructure and product development.
He also pointed to the wider use of autonomous AI agents within business processes as a potential next step.
Speakers discussed applications of AI in areas such as fraud prevention, cybersecurity, risk management, compliance and customer support. At the same time, they highlighted the importance of governance, security and human oversight as these technologies become part of critical business processes.
Regulation and New Markets
Regulation and international expansion were also key topics during the discussion. Speakers explored whether strong compliance capabilities could become a differentiating factor for companies entering new markets.
For businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions, the discussion highlighted that international expansion requires more than a global product. It also depends on local market knowledge, market-specific execution and the ability to adapt to regulatory changes.
Olga Resiga, CBDO at SOFTSWISS; Robin Harrison, Global Content Director B2B at WorldGaming; and Kristina Medvedeva, Head of B2B Marketing at Google, discussed potential next growth markets, how AI is changing the way consumers discover and choose brands, and the evolving regulatory landscape in Brazil.
The Lisbon event extended the ideas presented in the 2027 iGaming Trends Report, broadening the conversation around the future of iGaming and its relationship with other digital industries while exploring different perspectives on the next stage of business growth.
The SOFTSWISS 2027 iGaming Trends Report is available to download for free.
