When we say ICE Barcelona 2025 was the biggest online gaming industry gathering on record, we’re not exaggerating. This year’s event was 20% larger than the previous one in London, featuring over 1,000 exhibitors across an incredible 120,000 sqm space. If there’s one place to take the pulse of iGaming trends and challenges, it’s here.
During my time speaking with operators, payment providers, and turnkey solutions, a consistent narrative emerged: iGaming payment teams are under more pressure than ever to simplify, secure, and scale their operations.
Gone are the days when offering one or two payment methods was enough; players expect to deposit quickly, in their local currency, using methods they trust. Operators, in turn, are hungry for solutions that reduce fraud, raise approval rates, and make their players’ deposit experiences as frictionless as possible.
One of my biggest takeaways from the event is that Payment Orchestration is no longer a buzzword - it’s now the backbone of any serious iGaming payment strategy.
ICE wasn’t just a gathering of the industry’s biggest names; it was a glimpse into the future of iGaming and a litmus test for which solutions truly matter. In every discussion about rising player expectations, global expansions, and the fight against fraud; Payment Orchestration emerged as the unifying solution.
Here’s what we heard:
Player Experience Over Everything
As soon as inputting payment details creates friction or the first deposit is declined by the player’s card provider, gamers abandon ship. One-click deposits, insufficient funds retry, recurring top-ups and seamless authentication are increasingly viewed as make or break to player experience and retention.
Rapid Market Expansion
With iGaming growing in Latin America and continuing so across Europe, there’s mounting pressure to launch in new markets fast. But developing brand-new payment integrations and updating deposit pages can take months - time that high-growth businesses simply don’t have.
More Local Payment Preferences
The world of online gaming is not only global but also deeply localized. Traditionally players preferred to use Visa and Mastercard, however the growing trend is seeing players shift towards local methods such as PIX in Brazil, e-wallets in Southeast Asia or the extensive suite of alternative payment methods (APMs) that are offered throughout Europe. The sheer variety of methods can overwhelm operators.
Escalating Fraud & Chargeback Concerns
High transaction volumes often become prime targets for fraudsters. At ICE, many operators echoed a need for embedded risk mitigation tools that protect their bottom lines without alienating genuine players.
In conversations about these pain points, Payment Orchestration seemed to be the only true all-in-one solution. A single, centralized platform that can:
- Integrate hundreds of PSPs and local payment options
- Offer smart and dynamic routing to boost approval rates
- Protect revenue with chargeback and fraud prevention
- Features that kick in if a payment fails, offering alternative methods
- Provide unified reporting & analytics to support reconciliation
We’ve been addressing these merchant needs for years, and there’s now a momentous shift from having to explain what orchestration is to operators, to them actively asking, “Who can deliver the orchestration features I need, fast?”
Myself and my team talked at length to businesses on how our Payment Orchestration Platform can unify their entire payment ecosystem - especially when dealing with large transaction volumes, multiple regions and countless payment methods.
The consistent message is that orchestration cuts through the complexity, letting you focus on growth and player satisfaction, rather than firefighting integrations, managing failed transactions and not being able to execute against your business strategy.
For us, the event solidified what we’ve always believed: orchestrating payments is the most direct path to higher conversion rates, smoother operations, and happier players. And judging by the enthusiasm at ICE, the industry agrees.
If you’re looking to learn more or see the difference for yourself, we’d love to continue the conversation.
