As content and tech become standard in iGaming, the real competitive edge lies in how brands use data to drive smarter decisions and better player experiences.
In this roundtable, The Bet Press spoke with Haig Sakouyan (VP, Partner Success, Incline Gaming Marketing), Eberhard Dürrschmid (CEO, Golden Whale Productions), Freya Buckingham (Marketing Operations Manager, GameOn), David Watkins (CCO, Fincore) and Sue Page (CEO Americas, Neosurf). They explained how data can move beyond dashboards to deliver real impact, the common pitfalls of being “data-led,” and how transparency builds stronger client-agency relationships in a results-driven industry.
The Bet Press: In an increasingly competitive market, how can data-driven insights help differentiate brands beyond the traditional selling points of content and tech? 
Haig Sakouyan: Content and tech are just the ticket to play. The edge is how quickly you can use MarTech and behavioural insight to do something others will not see coming. Behaviour based segmentation uncovers opportunities broad targeting misses. Real time triggers make offers feel personal. Wait for perfect clarity and you will miss the window. Perfect is slow and slow loses players. Most brands say they move fast but internal processes slow them down. Too many still treat insight as a quarterly exercise. Data will not give you a perfect answer, but it will tell you where to place the bet before someone else does.
Eberhard Dürrschmid: Having access to the best – that is to say, the fastest and most accurate – predictions and recommendations for bets, games, engagement options and bonusing is the differentiation factor of the future. As games, tools and even bonusing systems are often similar across the big players that dominate the market, in order to stand out it’s absolutely necessary to deviate from the beaten pathways; especially when it comes to customer-specific treatment and journey design. Ultimately this is where player satisfaction, retention and long-term monetisation is decided, as it dictates whether or not each customer has an experience they’ll really remember.
Freya Buckingham: First, know who you are. Live and breathe your brand values internally and externally—be the brand. Only then can data-driven insights truly differentiate you. Data helps you understand who your players are, what they value, and how they experience your brand across every touchpoint, not just your games. It enables you to personalise player journeys, fine-tune your tone of voice, and develop community and loyalty programs that align with your unique identity. In a crowded market, data doesn’t just show you what to do next; it ensures what you do next is unmistakably you.
David Watkins: Data becomes a competitive edge when it powers relevance. Micro-segmentation and real-time models now let operators anticipate what matters to an individual player, whether that’s surfacing a new game, a big event, or a reward that deepens loyalty. This isn’t about serving more content; it’s about sharper timing and better context. Done well, this use of data enhances the experience, builds satisfaction and, critically, drives retention and better generosity efficiency.
Sue Page: Everyone talks about content and UX, but payments are often where players form their strongest impressions of a brand. Fast payouts, seamless onboarding, and flexible limits, underpinned by smart, integrated data, can be real differentiators. These insights also allow operators to offer features players actually want: spend tracking, budgeting tools and win/loss summaries across platforms. These aren’t just RG features, they show care. In a crowded market, the brands that help players stay in control, not just engaged, will build deeper, longer-lasting relationships.
What are the common pitfalls or misconceptions around ‘being data-led’ in iGaming, and how can businesses course correct?
Haig Sakouyan: Most companies are drowning in data they never act on. Dashboards get built to make reports look good, not to drive change. Vanity metrics and siloed KPIs tell conflicting stories. And no matter how much you collect, data rarely gives a single clear answer, especially with post iOS attribution gaps. The fix is ruthless. Only track what moves commercial goals, make it easy to get to through MarTech, and teach people how to use it. If it is not changing what you do on Monday, it is just trivia.
Eberhard Dürrschmid: A lot of businesses still rely on simple dashboarding, and, in better cases, BI based on historic data. The future, however, really belongs to operations that are running on predictions and recommendations based on them in real time. It’s one thing to have all this data at your disposal, but it’s quite another knowing how to turn it into actionable insights that can optimise your business – and while there are undoubtedly some very talented data analysts out there, even the best of them would struggle to parse such complex information as quickly as an AI can. In short, being data-led is not just about having the data – it’s about knowing how to act on it intelligently.
Freya Buckingham: A key pitfall is analysis paralysis—being overwhelmed by metrics without clear action or context. Another is over-comparing immature markets to mature markets, missing the nuances required for local strategies. Data is a guide, not a replacement for intuition and experimentation. Too rigid a data mindset can stifle innovation. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. Course correction requires creating hypotheses, testing them, and refining strategies based on learnings while allowing creative ideas to coexist with data-driven decision-making.
David Watkins: Optimising for easy-to-measure vanity metrics rather than focusing on what really matters. The other big trap? Too many businesses set up a “data team” and think the job’s done. It isn’t. To optimise performance, data needs to be at the core of each team Course correction means embedding data experts into cross-functional teams so the right metrics drive daily decisions, that actually can impact performance before it’s too late.
Sue Page: There’s a big difference between being data-led and just hoarding data. A truly data-led strategy means prioritising meaningful insights over volume. More isn’t always better, it’s what you do with it that counts. With the rapid adoption of AI, especially for fraud monitoring and risk scoring, we also need to be cautious. If the underlying data isn’t accurate, complete, and current, automated systems can create more harm than good by frustrating legitimate players or missing real threats.
How can transparent and accessible data reporting enhance client-agency relationships in a sector where results often speak louder than process?
Haig Sakouyan: From our side of the table at Incline, transparency changes everything. Share the same numbers you see, with context, so decisions get made together. Working across multiple regulated markets, we know it matters to show not just what is happening but why. MarTech makes it easy to give real time dashboards instead of static decks. That kind of access kills the black box, speeds up fixes, and builds trust. Over time, it stops being us and them and becomes one team looking at the same scoreboard.
Eberhard Dürrschmid: Transparent reporting builds trust. At Golden Whale Productions, we provide clients with clear, consistent access to performance data, which helps to empower collaborative conversations and align expectations. When both sides understand the numbers, a partnership becomes performance-driven, so the key is to ensure that all of the information that you provide is both complete and easy for your clients to digest. By doing things this way, we ensure that of our all partners have complete visibility over where our solutions are having the biggest impact and can adapt their strategy accordingly, guaranteeing that they always receive the biggest possible uplift.
Freya Buckingham: Transparent reporting builds trust, the foundation of strong client-agency relationships. By making data accessible, clients understand not only what happened but why it happened and what we can do next. Sharing learnings—both wins and challenges—fosters open communication and positions the agency as a proactive partner, not just a service provider. It also enables co-learning, allowing the client to better understand their own audience and strategies while empowering the agency to tailor campaigns that drive measurable impact. In iGaming, where outcomes are everything, transparency in the process builds credibility and long-term collaboration.
David Watkins: Data transparency separates true partners from transactional vendors. Sharing raw numbers isn’t enough; agencies and affiliates need to see how those insights are built so they can make smarter bids and better placements. When both sides agree on the models and KPIs that matter, trust follows.
Sue Page: At Neosurf, we talk a lot about the role payments providers play in creating a safer, stronger ecosystem. Sharing data, including self-exclusion status, player-set limits, or fraud indicators across platforms, benefit both the operator and the player. We already collaborate on AML and KYC, so why wouldn’t we extend that same approach to RG and social responsibility?
Our goal is to be the payment partner that offers real-time, accessible reporting, helping operators act faster and with more confidence. That transparency builds trust, creates true partnerships, and ensures that responsibility is shared across the board – not just pushed downstream.
