SOFTSWISS 2027 iGaming Trends Report Examines AI’s Impact on Jobs, Cybersecurity and Regulation

Now in its fifth year, the annual report was produced in partnership with WorldGaming, formerly Clarion Gaming. The research draws on a survey of more than 500 iGaming professionals, insights from 65+ industry experts, desk research and proprietary market data, alongside contributions from companies including AWS, Pentasia, BGaming and FinteqHub.

One of the central arguments of the 2027 report is that iGaming can increasingly act as an early indicator for changes likely to affect other digital industries.

With operators handling real-time transactions, fraud prevention, personalisation, payments and multiple regulatory environments simultaneously, the report describes iGaming as a useful testing ground for technologies and operating models that could later become more common across fintech, SaaS and e-commerce.

iGaming market projected to reach €461.84bn by 2031

According to H2 Gambling Capital data cited in the report, the global iGaming market is expected to generate €307.3 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2026.

The sector recorded a compound annual growth rate of 29.95% between 2019 and 2026 and is forecast to grow by a further 9% annually between 2027 and 2031, reaching approximately €461.84 billion in GGR by 2031.

SOFTSWISS also gives iGaming a score of 4.67 out of 5 in its Digital Maturity Index, the highest among the eight industries assessed. The index considers areas including AI adoption, mobile-first infrastructure, digital customer acquisition, payment innovation, RegTech adoption and data-driven decision-making.

Alexandra Kavelich, Deputy Chief Marketing Officer at SOFTSWISS, said the technology supporting iGaming addresses many of the same challenges faced across the wider digital economy, but often at greater speed and intensity.

This combination, according to the report, makes the sector particularly relevant when examining how businesses may respond to the next phase of AI adoption.

AI is beginning to change traditional product teams

One of the report’s key findings concerns the impact of AI on organisational structures.

AI proficiency is increasingly becoming a baseline expectation across product, marketing, technology and operations. At the same time, businesses are operating with leaner teams and introducing roles including AI product managers, AI artists, heads of AI and AI engineers.

The report also points to a change in traditional product leadership structures. Dedicated Chief Product Officer positions are becoming less common in some organisations as product responsibilities increasingly overlap with technology, marketing and the wider C-suite.

The trend is not simply about companies adding AI tools to existing workflows. It suggests AI adoption may begin changing which roles companies hire for, how responsibilities are divided and what skills employees are expected to have.

Cybersecurity becomes a connected business risk

The report also highlights cybersecurity as an area where AI is increasing both the sophistication and scalability of attacks.

Impersonation and social-engineering attacks can become more convincing with AI, while iGaming businesses already operate in an environment involving substantial payment, identity and fraud risks.

Data from Qrator Labs cited by SOFTSWISS shows that fintech accounted for 44.2% of recorded DDoS incidents during Q1 2026, while betting was among the three most frequently targeted sectors.

SOFTSWISS argues that cybersecurity, fraud, payments, anti-money laundering and identity can no longer be viewed entirely as separate functions.

When those areas operate independently, individual teams may see only one part of an attack. The report therefore points towards more integrated security models capable of connecting risk signals across different parts of the business.

AI assistants introduce a new regulatory question

The report also looks beyond how gambling companies themselves use AI.

Consumer-facing AI assistants are increasingly becoming part of the way people discover products and services, introducing another potential regulatory challenge for the industry.

Research cited in the report found that major general-purpose AI assistants could be prompted to recommend unlicensed offshore casinos. At present, there is no universal formal requirement for general-purpose AI assistants to verify a gambling operator's licensing status before recommending it.

At the same time, regulators are adopting AI themselves. The report states that 85% of financial-sector authorities in advanced economies already use AI-powered supervisory technology, according to research it cites.

This creates a developing intersection between AI adoption, consumer discovery and regulatory oversight. SOFTSWISS expects greater scrutiny around filtering, suppression and licence verification as AI becomes more involved in the way consumers find digital services.

From technology adoption to organisational change

Taken together, the report suggests that the next phase of AI adoption in iGaming will extend beyond deploying new technology.

Workforce structures are changing. Cybersecurity functions are becoming more interconnected. Regulators are adopting AI, while consumer-facing assistants introduce new questions around discovery and licensed operators.

For SOFTSWISS, these developments make iGaming particularly relevant outside the gambling industry itself.

The same infrastructure questions emerging today around AI, payments, identity, cybersecurity and regulation could increasingly affect fintech, SaaS, e-commerce and other highly digital sectors.

The 2027 iGaming Trends Report by SOFTSWISS is available online.

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international technology company providing software solutions for the iGaming industry. Founded in 2009, the company operates an integrated product ecosystem supporting online casino and sportsbook businesses across multiple markets.

According to company information, SOFTSWISS works with more than 1,500 brands and has over 2,200 professionals internationally. Its wider ecosystem includes more than 40,000 games from 300+ game providers, more than 300 payment methods and certifications covering over 25 markets.