Once the story of a startup’s transformation into a global giant has been told, the most interesting part is just beginning. Soft2Bet has ceased to be just “another iGaming company” and is increasingly resembling a tech ecosystem where new formats of entertainment, monetization, and player interaction are being tested. In this sense, the journey of Uri Poliavich is just the first chapter of a larger story: how the company is changing the very logic of the market in which it grew and is attempting to set the rules of the game, rather than simply follow them.
From operator to ecosystem: what’s next for Soft2Bet
When Soft2Bet was just entering international markets, the key objectives were to obtain licenses, expand its game portfolio, and establish integrations with providers and payment systems. Today, this is already basic business hygiene. The real challenge lies elsewhere: retaining player attention in a world where iGaming projects have become so numerous that brands are virtually indistinguishable from one another visually and functionally.
The next logical step is to transform the platform into an ecosystem. Not just provide access to thousands of slots and sporting events, but create a motivating environment around them: missions, progression, personal stories, social elements, and a “game layer” on top of the game itself. This is precisely what Soft2Bet is doing through its approach to gamification and proprietary technological solutions.
While the first story focused on how the company grew, the sequel addresses a different question: why it needs to grow further and what role it wants to play in the industry.
MEGA as the “engine” of new iGaming
Soft2Bet’s flagship idea is to transform a regular website or casino brand into a vibrant environment where players always feel like they’re in the action: moving across the map, discovering cities, completing quests, leveling up, and receiving rewards not only for winning but also for their activity.
A MEGA-style platform is no longer about a “casino as a set of games,” but rather about a “gaming universe” in which slots and bets are merely tools. This approach has several long-term implications:
- Loyalty ceases to be an abstraction. Players stick around not because they’ve “gotten used” to the brand, but because they’re integrated into its internal progression system.
- Marketing is becoming more in-depth. Campaigns can be built not around one-time bonuses, but around storylines, seasons, and in-game events.
- The product is easier to scale. New markets receive not just a “localized website,” but a localized universe where the story, characters, and quests can be customized while preserving the platform’s core.
The future of Soft2Bet’s story will largely depend on how deeply the company can develop this “meta-level” above classic iGaming.
Soft2Bet Invest: Why the giant should help startups
At first glance, launching an investment fund seems like just another step in a successful business: “We’ve made money, now we invest in others.” But in the context of Soft2Bet, it’s a logical evolutionary step.
The fund allows us to solve several problems at once:
- Seek fresh ideas faster than the market. Small studios and startups in iGaming and casual games often take more risks and move more boldly than larger companies. Instead of waiting for them to grow into competitors, Soft2Bet has the opportunity to join them at the experimental stage.
- Test new technologies “on the periphery.” AI tools, UX analytics, and innovative user retention mechanics are all easier to test within separate projects and then integrate into the main platform.
- Build a “ring of allies” around itself. The more companies that are connected to Soft2Bet’s technological, operational, and marketing infrastructure, the stronger the ecosystem’s position in the market.
Thus, the Soft2Bet story extends beyond a single brand—it is now the story of a network of projects connected by shared technologies and interests.
Regulation: Not just a restriction, but also a competitive advantage
A global presence in iGaming isn’t just about scale, it’s also about complexities: different licenses, responsible gaming requirements, local advertising restrictions, customer identification and verification methods, and anti-money laundering regulations.
At the initial stage, a company’s growth often looks like a gradual “conquest” of new jurisdictions. But at the next level, regulation becomes an opportunity for strategic advantage:
- Companies that have learned to quickly and flexibly adapt to new rules are launching products in new regions faster;
- Brands that are able to communicate honestly and transparently with regulators are less likely to suffer from sudden restrictions;
- Operators investing in Responsible Gaming are not perceived as a threat, but as partners sharing responsibility for the market.
The future of Soft2Bet will inevitably depend on how the company will engage with regulators: not simply “following the letter of the law,” but helping to shape a more mature market where the interests of players, businesses, and the state are not in constant conflict.
Player of the Future: Not “Income,” but a Participant
Once an iGaming company goes global, its core resource isn’t just licenses, technology, or a game portfolio, but an understanding of its audience. Yesterday’s player was someone who came to place a bet on their favorite club or spin the reels of a slot. Tomorrow’s player is someone who:
- accustomed to personalized content in streaming, social networks, and applications;
- expects not just a “game session”, but a holistic experience: plot, atmosphere, visual style, internal logic of the world;
- sensitive to the brand’s integrity: how it deals with losses, addictions, its own mistakes and failures.
If Soft2Bet has already mastered building brands for specific markets, the next challenge is to learn how to tailor experiences to specific users. This doesn’t just mean game recommendations, but also the dynamics of difficulty, in-game mission formats, and communication with users during victories and defeats.
An ecosystem in which players are perceived not as “ARPU” but as participants in a story has a better chance of lasting. And it seems that’s exactly where Soft2Bet is heading.
What does this story mean for other entrepreneurs?
It’s useful to consider Soft2Bet and its founder’s continued journey beyond the iGaming lens. It offers several universal lessons:
- Initial growth is just the start. Entering new markets and increasing turnover is an important stage, but not the final one. The next question always arises: what role does the company want to play in the industry?
- Technology without vision quickly becomes obsolete. Platforms, gamification, AI—they’re all tools. Without an understanding of why and for whom they’re used, any technological breakthrough becomes a short-lived blip.
- Investing in the ecosystem strengthens the core. By supporting startups, partners, and technology providers, a large company also strengthens its own position: the best flow of ideas, talent, and solutions flows to those with room for growth.
- Responsibility isn’t a buzzword, but a survival strategy. In regulated industries, those who take safety, transparency, and sustainability seriously gain an advantage.
Instead of a conclusion: a chapter that is still being written
The story of Soft2Bet and its founder is a good example of how an entrepreneur’s journey doesn’t end when “we’ve become a global company.” Quite the contrary: at that point, it only begins to truly become more complex.
The most interesting thing about the sequel is not the final revenue figures or the number of licenses, but whether the company will be able to:
- transform your technology platform into a real ecosystem,
- build an honest dialogue with regulators and society,
- find a balance between fun, responsibility and innovation,
- and, most importantly, to maintain the vibrant entrepreneurial mindset that started it all.
This chapter is still being written – and it looks like it will be companies like these that will shape how we see online gaming and digital entertainment in general in the coming years.
