After a couple of years focused on expanding its portfolio with aggregation and lottery offerings, iGP is deliberately shifting the spotlight back to its foundations. For Michael Baker-Mosley, Chief Marketing Officer, the 2026 message is clear: platform comes first.
“We’ve been big on the aggregator, we’ve been big on lottery,” Michael explains, “but this year is about going back to our core – platform and turnkey.” That return isn’t nostalgic. iGP has fully recoded its platform, stripping out years of accumulated technical debt to create something cleaner, faster and more flexible.
At the heart of that rebuild sits VIBE – the Value Incentive Bonus Engine – a reimagined loyalty and promotions layer designed to tackle what Michael sees as one of iGaming’s biggest structural weaknesses. “Margins are under pressure everywhere. Affiliates, CPAs – everything’s going through the roof. The blind spot is retention and loyalty.”
VIBE brings together every promotional mechanic – jackpots, Twist of Luck, free spins, free bets – under a single engine, alongside a rebuilt loyalty system and bonus shop. The goal is simple: give operators the tools to manage the entire player journey without relying on fragmented systems or external fixes.
That philosophy runs through the broader platform story. iGP’s strength, Michael underlines, has always been depth rather than surface simplicity. “One of the biggest competitors to third-party platforms is operators building in-house. They usually do that because they can’t do what they want on someone else’s platform.”
By contrast, iGP’s platform is designed to let operators build almost anything in one place. From acquisition mechanics to AI-driven content discovery and long-term loyalty, the emphasis is on control. “Operators can map out the player journey end to end,” he explains, outlining scenarios where free lottery tickets, opt-in jackpots, AI recommendations and loyalty rewards all work together rather than in isolation.
That flexibility also underpins iGP’s turnkey positioning. With casino, sportsbook, lottery and PAM delivered through a single back office, operators avoid the complexity – and cost – of stitching multiple systems together. “Too often, operators pay heavily upfront to acquire a player, only for them to leave shortly after,” Michael observes. “That model isn’t sustainable.”
The pressure to control costs has also reignited interest in building platforms in-house, particularly in markets like the UK. But Michael is cautious. “It’s not the upfront build cost that catches people out – it’s the ongoing maintenance.” With 200 people working daily on iGP’s platform, the scale of continuous development is easy to underestimate. “What happens when you’re two years behind and can’t afford to rebuild again? For some it works, but for most, it doesn’t.”
While platform remains the strategic priority, iGP’s aggregation layer plays an important supporting role – even in a market Michael readily admits has become commoditised. “When we built the aggregator, we knew exactly what we were walking into.” The differentiation lies in functionality: powerful reporting, high-quality APIs, and full access to promotional tools that many aggregators simply can’t support.
“Some aggregators give you the games but none of the bonuses,” Michael explains. “With us, features like Twist of Luck, free spins and free bets work seamlessly – even for operators on legacy platforms.” It’s a deliberate hedge, offering operators a way to access modern functionality without committing immediately to a full platform migration.
On the player side, discoverability has become a growing concern. With more than 22,000 games available across the industry, “it’s stupid, really,” Michael laughs. iGP’s AI recommendation engine, currently in testing, is designed to surface relevant content and spread engagement beyond the usual top titles. “If we can move players to games they’ll actually enjoy – not just the biggest brands – that’s better for everyone.”
Crypto, meanwhile, sits apart as a vertical in its own right. “It’s a completely different world,” Michael describes, pointing to new communities, arenas and original game formats. iGP already supports crypto-first operators, some of whom are pushing genuine innovation. “The word ‘innovation’ gets overused in this industry, but some of what we’re seeing is real.”
What’s happening in crypto, he believes, will eventually influence the fiat space. “Crypto is experimenting. Not everything works – and that’s the point. Innovation requires failure, even if regulation makes that harder elsewhere.”
That spirit of unexpected evolution is also shaping iGP’s approach to lottery. Initially developed with traditional operators in mind, the product has found surprising traction among crypto brands. “We’re about to launch lottery on a crypto operator,” Michael reveals. “That wasn’t the plan – but demand pulled us there.” From bitcoin raffles to custom mechanics, the use cases are expanding quickly.
At the same time, iGP is working with legacy lottery operators looking to digitise and modernise. What began as a clearly defined product has diversified into multiple paths – a reflection of iGP’s broader strategy.
“Operators don’t just want more tools,” Michael concludes. “They want the freedom to build experiences that actually work. That’s what we’re focused on delivering.”
https://g3newswire.com/margins-under-pressure-igp-returns-to-platform-roots/
