Partner Insights: Marketing Challenges & Strategies in Regulated iGaming Markets

Watch four key Optimove partners discuss the top challenges in regulated iGaming:

Regulated Markets Are Not One Size Fits All

Regulated markets present a constantly evolving challenge for operators: What is allowed in one jurisdiction can be restricted in another, and what works today may need to change tomorrow.  

The question is: How do you keep growing in a constantly evolving, regulated landscape while adapting to ongoing shifts? 

To help get the answer, we asked four key partners about the top challenges in regulated iGaming. 

Here’s what they said: 

Brian Forth, Commercial Director at Finnplay: 

"There are a lot of requirements on the marketing restriction side of the technology delivery and reporting, which require us as a platform provider to do a lot of heavy lifting on the development side. 

There are plenty of instances as well where it's not maybe adding the benefit that the regulators are hoping for, but it creates an awful lot of work and compliance pressure on the operators and on the technology providers, and it's unique to each jurisdiction, so it's not a one-size-fits-all."

And that's just the beginning.

When "Simple" Communication Stops Being "Simple"

In regulated environments, the moments that look easiest on paper are often the ones that become hardest in execution.  

Bjørnar Heggernes, CCO at The Mill Adventure, explains:  

"Simple things as transactional emails, in some jurisdictions, Sweden for example, you can do a welcome offer. Beyond that, how do you communicate?  

So, your transactional emails suddenly now become: What tone of voice do you bring into this, how do you automate and tap into education more than anything else." 

In other words, how do you deliver valuable communication that also complies with local regulations? How do you ensure your messaging is focused on educating and building trust, rather than driving promotions? 

The answer lies in smarter CRM. Operators can automate jurisdiction-aware journeys at scale and serve educational content where promotions are restricted, in the right tone at the right moment. They can also do this without rebuilding campaigns market by market. The result is communication that builds player trust and stays fully compliant without adding operational complexity.

The Budget Squeeze: Licensing, Certification, and Taxation

Regulation not only limits what operators can do, but also what they can afford to do. Costs tied to operating legally in a jurisdiction often rise, forcing teams to rethink how they manage spend and where they expect growth to come from. 

Adéla Hrudnakova, Sales Manager at Synot Interactive: 

"The high cost of licensing and certification and also taxation, can impact the marketing budgets for operators, and we need to find the most effective solutions for each operator in their specific market.”  

When budgets are squeezed and promotional options are limited, operators need to shift focus from spending more to getting more value from the players they already have in their database.

The Flexibility Advantage in Regulated Markets

When marketing channels dry up and budgets tighten, the growth question turns inward. This is the point where budget pressure connects to the broader reality of marketing.  

As Moshe Adir, Founder at Vegas Kings, explains:  

"How do you find ways to extract value from the players you already got? You have to look inwards. And inwards is CRM, inwards is Optimove." 

When every market requires different rules, different messaging constraints, and different reporting standards, flexibility becomes the factor that determines whether marketing can move fast without breaking compliance. Operators need a platform that can be configured to match the jurisdiction. 

Brian Forth from Finnplay explains the flexibility advantage:  

“You need a really flexible CRM tool that you can use inside your jurisdiction to maximize the kind of performance of your platform and your player value."  

Turning CRM Flexibility into Market Advantage

Brian Forth from Finnplay continues to say:

“Optimove is such a flexible and configurable tool, so it's really up to the operator to configure it and use it in a way that is suitable for their market.” 

"And it creates a lot of efficiency when operators can unlock the full capabilities of Optimove." 

Bjørnar from The Mill Adventure reinforces that operators need a full stack to compete, not a single tool.  

“Operators need support, platform, payments, and CRM solutions, but taking a brand from being great to the best is where Optimove comes in.” 

Why Do Partnerships Matter in Regulated Markets?

Partnerships matter in regulated markets because it is challenging for operators to manage compliance, payments, platform requirements, and CRM execution effectively in isolation.

The regulated landscape creates significant work, and compliance pressure is felt across both operators and technology providers. 

That is why partnership matters. When platform, payments, and CRM are aligned, operators can execute responsibly, automate compliant communication, and keep improving player value, without reinventing processes in every market.

Optimove's partner ecosystem is built on the belief that the best outcomes for operators come from combining specialized solutions.  

To learn more about partnering with Optimove, visit Optimove Partners. 

In Summary

Regulated markets are not one-size-fits-all, and they never stand still. Communication becomes constrained, budgets face pressure from licensing and taxation, and the path to growth shifts inward toward CRM.  

That is why the message from partners is consistent: Flexibility is what makes compliant marketing scalable, and CRM is what keeps player value improving when external levers are limited. 

In this era of evolving regulation, operators need a tech stack that can do anything and be everything. This is what Optimove calls Positionless Marketing: Giving teams the freedom to execute smarter, compliant, player-led marketing at scale.

For more insights, contact us to request a demo.