The overlooked basics behind modern igaming growth 

The igaming industry has become faster and far more crowded over the past few years. New software providers enter the market constantly, automation dominates industry conversations and operators deal with continuous pressure to expand quickly.

From the outside, that pace can easily create the impression that growth simply comes from moving faster than everyone else. But according to Dmitri Volkov, chief revenue officer at NuxGame, the reality is much more about what happens inside the operation. 

EGR: Many businesses still associate growth with acquisition and expansion speed. From your perspective, what drives long-term performance in igaming today? 

Dmitri Volkov (DV): Sustainable progress today depends much more on understanding your client properly. You need to identify what slows their operation down and whether your product genuinely helps their business perform better.

We always approach development very realistically at NuxGame. Before launching new functionality or expanding certain areas, we ask ourselves one question first: does this improve the operator’s ability to manage and scale? If the answer is no, we do not move forward simply because the idea is trendy.

Operators today need partners who understand where revenue is being lost and where teams are wasting time. A lot of companies in igaming still think too short-term. Their priority becomes quick monetisation and immediate visibility. 

At NuxGame, we look at it differently. Long-term growth comes from the basics: reliable infrastructure, strong service, fast communication and product consistency. That may sound simple, but commercially those fundamentals are extremely important. If communication is slow, the operator loses time. If product delivery is inconsistent, the operator loses confidence. If support becomes reactive instead of proactive, small issues can start affecting retention, payments, reporting or the overall player experience.

That back-to-basics approach has translated into stable commercial performance for NuxGame. Over the past year, the company increased its client base by 30%, EBITDA grew 40% and API partnerships expanded by 80%. 

EGR: Is looking beyond dashboards and analytics important in igaming? And if so, why? 

DV: Metrics matter, obviously. We analyse conversion funnels, retention, revenue performance, traffic behaviour – all of that is necessary. However, certain issues are not visible in reporting at all. 

A dashboard can show you that performance changed, but it does not always explain what is holding the business back. It may not show that the payments team is waiting for one decision, the marketing team is pushing traffic before the CRM setup is ready, or the operator is managing too many suppliers that do not communicate with each other.

Analytics alone rarely explains why coordination, communication and execution inside the business start failing. This is especially important during scaling. When traffic, markets, affiliates, payment methods and content providers increase, the small, almost invisible inefficiencies become expensive. 

That is why we try to understand each client’s actual operating reality beyond the dashboard by sitting down directly with them and analysing how they operate day to day.

EGR: What in your opinion still feels disconnected when looking at how igaming software providers position themselves publicly?

DV: One thing that still stands out is when companies try to position themselves ahead of what they are capable of delivering. Some igaming providers have excellent branding and very strong marketing, but when operators begin working with them, the actual experience looks very different. 

Operators usually discover the truth after integration starts. That is when they see how responsive the provider is, how clearly issues are handled, how realistic the roadmap is and whether the provider can actually support the business once real traffic and live-market demands appear. 

At NuxGame, we stay honest about what we promise and what we provide. Reliability means far more than presentation for operators. Suppliers need to stay available, react quickly when issues appear, and prevent small operational disruptions from becoming larger business problems.

I believe commercial honesty is very underrated in our industry. It is better to be clear about what can be delivered properly than to promise everything and damage the relationship later. Operators remember that. 

Technology alone is still not enough. The human side of the industry remains crucial. Operators notice immediately when support becomes impersonal or when suppliers disappear after integration. Relationships in B2B igaming directly affect commercial outcomes. When clients trust their platform provider, they make decisions with more confidence and deal with issues before they become bigger problems. 

EGR: With regulation tightening and competition increasing across igaming, what qualities do successful companies still need to have today? 

DV: Flexibility will always remain important because igaming changes constantly. However, it’s product quality, platform stability, strong customer service and real relationships that still determine whether businesses survive long term.

When it comes to trends, take AI, for instance. Everyone talks about it and I agree that AI is definitely useful. We utilise it internally to organise information and support workflows. AI can support teams very effectively, but people still need critical thinking to steer decision-making.

Companies that chase every trend blindly may become reactive and lose the reliability operators need to count on. If you want operators to still rely on you when the hype settles down, I recommend adapting to changes smartly and knowing exactly which changes genuinely improve the business. 

Integrity and client commitment remain some of the strongest competitive advantages of an igaming company. Trends fade, but operators always return to product and service quality they can trust. 

Dmitri Volkov is chief revenue officer at NuxGame. Working closely with operators in different markets, he supports them through growth planning, infrastructure reliability, strategic partnerships and building long-term business relationships.