Oversaturated lobbies, fragmented regulations, and the unique demands of markets such as the UK and Italy are reshaping how the industry approaches growth. Xanthos Ioannou, Director at Sevenex Solutions Ltd, argues that the days of retrofitting a single product across Europe are over. In this interview, she details why hyper-localised curation and technical agility are the only ways to unlock value in an increasingly difficult landscape.
European markets are the most mature across the global industry. From the perspective of Sevenex Solutions, what are the defining trends shaping the region right now?
Europe is clearly moving into a phase where growth is harder earned and far more operationally complex. Regulation continues to tighten, but the bigger challenge for many operators is navigating an oversaturated content landscape. There is simply too much content being produced, and not nearly enough clarity around what actually performs in specific markets.
Access to content is now no longer an issue and the real challenge is decision-making. When hundreds of new titles are released every month, identifying what genuinely increases engagement, retention, and long-term value becomes increasingly difficult. This is especially true in Europe, where player behaviour, regulatory frameworks, and commercial realities differ significantly from market to market.
Another defining trend is that regulation is no longer something operators can treat as a single, uniform hurdle. Each jurisdiction has its own technical, reporting, and content requirements. As a result, content needs to be modular and adaptable by design. Building a single product and attempting to retrofit it across multiple markets is becoming less viable. Flexibility at both a technical and commercial level is quickly becoming a prerequisite rather than a differentiator for Sevenex Solutions and our partners.
Content saturation is a recurring topic across the industry. How should operators approach portfolio strategy in such a crowded European market?
The days of “more content equals better performance” are behind us. In reality, oversized portfolios often work against operators by diluting player attention and making lobbies harder to optimise. What we’re seeing across Europe is a shift towards more selective, performance-led portfolio building. Operators want fewer games, but they want the right ones.
This is where aggregation needs to evolve. The value isn’t only in distribution, it’s in helping operators navigate complexity. At Sevenex Solutions, we believe that means providing tools and insight to curate content intelligently, rather than simply offering scale for its own sake. In a saturated market, personalisation and curation become an essential competitive advantage.
Regulation varies widely across Europe. How does this influence the way platforms and content providers should be thinking about scalability?
With so many regulatory frameworks and regional requirements, true scalability in Europe now depends on adaptability. Each market brings its own regulatory expectations, technical standards, and operational realities. Content and platforms need to be built with that in mind from the outset. Modular architecture, configurable features, and flexible compliance workflows are essential if operators want to move efficiently without constantly rebuilding or stripping back products.
From an operational perspective, this also reduces risk. A platform provided by Sevenex Solutions that can adjust to regulatory change without disrupting the player experience gives operators far more confidence when entering or expanding within regulated markets.
Which European markets do you see as particularly important to watch as we move through 2025?
The UK remains a cornerstone of the European slots market. Despite regulatory pressure and ongoing scrutiny, it is still the benchmark for content performance, player sophistication, and operational standards. At the same time, we’re seeing growing momentum across Central and Eastern Europe. Markets such as Romania and parts of the Balkans continue to develop rapidly. These regions are becoming more competitive, but they still offer room for growth when approached with the right local understanding.
Italy is another market that deserves special attention, particularly because of its strong land-based heritage. The retail casino culture remains deeply ingrained, and that has a direct impact on online player preferences.
How does the strong land-based culture in markets like Italy influence online strategy?
Italy is a good example of why market context matters. Its legacy is unique compared to the rest of Western Europe. Players have been engaging with land-based gaming for decades, and that shapes expectations around game design, volatility, and session behaviour. Online strategies that work well in purely digital markets don’t always translate directly.
To convert players to online, operators need to think carefully about how they introduce content, how familiar it feels, and how it aligns with established habits. This is a core focus for Sevenex Solutions when we advise on market entry. A rushed rollout or a portfolio that ignores land-based preferences can quickly miss the mark.
Looking ahead, what are your broader predictions for the European iGaming market in 2025?
2025 will be a year where discipline matters more than ambition. Operators that succeed will be those who focus on sustainability, performance, and operational clarity. One trend we’re also seeing across the board is that content strategies will continue to tighten with fewer launches and more optimisation in terms of what players actually want to see.
Regulation will remain a defining factor, but it will also act as a filter, rewarding businesses that have invested in proper infrastructure and adaptable platforms. From a platform and aggregation perspective, the role will increasingly be about simplification. The priority for Sevenex Solutions in Europe is to help operators manage regulatory complexity and build portfolios that actually perform. In a mature European market, progress will come from doing the fundamentals well and doing them consistently.
