Mykhailo Zborovsky: Algorithms Are Changing the iGaming Industry's Growth Model

In recent years, the iGaming industry has become one of the most technologically saturated areas of the digital economy. Machine learning algorithms, automated personalization systems, and behavioral analytics are already used to predict user actions, manage content, and make decisions in real time.

As Mykhailo Zborovsky, an expert in the strategic development of iGaming products, notes, the key change is not in the volume of technology implementations, but in their impact on the market structure. According to him, the issue of the impact of algorithms on user behavior and the compliance of such solutions with new regulatory requirements is gaining increasing attention.

As a result, the industry is gradually moving to a new growth model, where, along with activity and revenue indicators, attention is paid to risk control, process transparency and long-term stability of iGaming.

Technologies That are Already Rewriting iGaming: From AI to NFT

AI, gamification and blockchain/crypto are shaping the new iGaming architecture in 2025. These technologies are seen as a tool to influence behavioral patterns and the level of trust in operators. According to Mykhailo Zborovsky, while working with Cosmobet, it became clear that the industry is gradually moving out of the phase of extensive growth, where MAU and GGR were key. This logic is being replaced by a stage of quality control with an emphasis on responsible gaming, process transparency and reducing systemic risks.

Today, algorithmic solutions underlie personalization, anti-fraud, dynamic odds, and game recommendations. Research from 2025 shows that deep personalization affects risk perception and increases persistence in betting. The Mindway AI GameScanner is an illustrative example. His solution is able to identify up to 87% of problem gambling cases based on behavioral patterns.

In this model, artificial intelligence takes on a dual role:

• A tool for preventive control;
• A potential catalyst for behavioral compression.

According to Mykhailo Zborovsky's logic, algorithms either help reduce risk through early warnings, limits, and pauses, or, conversely, reduce the time between impulse and bet. This is easily explained by analogy with Netflix, which does not just recommend content, but adjusts it to the user's mood. In iGaming, AI can also manage the level of risk by selecting games and limits for a specific player.

In parallel, there is a shift in the field of gamification and financial infrastructure. Affiliates are increasingly working in the format of gamified programs with levels (bronze, silver, gold partner) and bonuses for achieving KPIs, which is an example of B2B gamification. Blockchain provides transparency in transactions, cryptocurrencies provide fast payments, and NFTs are used as status rewards within the brand ecosystem around the world. In 2025, these tools will be evaluated primarily on whether they enhance trust, not just conversion.

Regulation 2025: When Rules Catch Up With Technology

In 2025, iGaming regulation will focus not on the game itself, but on the economics and mechanics of engagement. Mykhailo Zborovsky draws attention to the relationship between regulatory requirements and operators' product decisions. This is not about banning the game as such, but about assessing which tools of influence are used to stimulate player activity. As a result, operators – including platforms like Cosmobet – are forced to review product logic not because of bans as such, but because of new requirements for player influence mechanics.

In practice, this means that business models with high engagement intensity will increasingly need additional review from the point of view of compliance with the rules. Models that accelerate the frequency of bets and increase GGR in a short cycle automatically increase the regulatory burden and the risk of violating advertising standards. From now on, the emphasis is shifting to the potential impact of tools on user behavior.

The following areas of attention are increasingly appearing:

• Increased frequency of actions is considered a factor that requires additional restrictions and control within the product;
• Messages like 5 minutes left or last chance to win fall into the zone of increased attention and can be interpreted as manipulation;
• Offers (bonuses) that are activated after a loss are considered in the context of responsible gaming;
• Personalized offers require additional safeguards to avoid overstimulating vulnerable groups;
• Campaigns without segmentation by age, time or context are increasingly perceived as an area of increased regulatory risk.

In this model, according to the logic of Mykhailo Zborovsky, responsible gaming ceases to be a separate element of communication. It is considered as a structural condition for long-term business stability. Regulation in 2025 adjusts not to individual slogans, but to the design of technologies themselves, defining the limits of permissible influence and forming a balance between innovation, trust, and risk control.

From the Race to Scale to Managed Growth

When describing technological trends, the industry often talks about opportunities – AI, personalization, new markets. Mykhailo Zborovsky focuses on a different issue. Under what conditions does this growth not undermine trust in the market? Technologies in themselves are neither a positive nor a threat. The key is what metrics are considered success and how exactly the operator manages them.

In 2025, global online gambling is estimated at more than $100 billion with double-digit growth rates until 2030. However, in Mykhailo Zborovsky's logic, the volume of GGR cannot be the only indicator of the health of the industry. Managed growth involves taking into account the risks that accompany scaling.

In this framework, the following key KPIs are added:

• Proportion of players who voluntarily set limits;
• Number of sessions where AI warnings are triggered;
• Proportion of revenue from lower-risk products;
• Retention without aggressive bonus pressure.

Thus, growth is measured not only by size, but also by sustainability. In practice, the managed growth model is already being used by some Ukrainian operators, including Cosmobet, which integrate preventive algorithms and risk-based metrics into daily product work. Research itself shows that personalization is able to manage motivation and risk perception. At this point, a simple distinction is proposed:

• AI as an influence tool, used only to increase time in the game and betting frequency;
• AI as a prevention tool, where loss chasing, various behavioral changes and pauses or limits are detected.

For example, two platforms using the same AI models. One to keep a player for another 20 minutes after a losing streak. The other to offer a short break. Both can remain profitable, but only the second invests in long-term trust. Why is this model important for the iGaming market? Managed growth allows us to mitigate these risks without abandoning development itself. In this framework, user trust and the sustainability of the business model become as important assets as technology.