04-21-2025 
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Prague is a city I will always hold close to my heart. Fifteen years ago, we celebrated the launch of CalvinAyre.com in Prague with a legendary ‘Mad Max’-themed party (IYKYK), the second best party I’ve been to in my life (who can guess what number one is??) The launch party occurred during the first iGaming SUPER Show, which was rebranded as iGB Live! several years later, an event that is still thriving today and will be taking place in London this coming July.
The memories I have associated with Prague are priceless, and they all came flooding when I attended Hipther’s Gaming & TECH Summit in March. This event brings together professionals from the online gambling space and those more focused on blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and Fintech. The organizers purposefully cap attendance numbers to keep a more intimate feel, creating a networking and learning atmosphere different from the larger iGaming expos. Plenty of thoughtful touches also make the event special, such as on-site massage therapists, colorful vegan catering, a jazz night and early morning yoga and running sessions.
My main objectives at the summit were to participate in the “Keeping the iGaming Spirit Alive” panel and moderate the “Blockchain Revolution: Unlocking the Potential of Web3 Across Industries” and “Cross-Sector Collaboration: Lessons from Fintech, AI, Gaming, and Blockchain” panels. My secondary objectives were to enjoy time with iGaming friends—old and new—and share my perspective on the blockchain space with those interested.
Here are my top five takeaways from a few unforgettable days in Prague to give you an idea of what went down during my three panels and around the conference:
Good things come in small packages
Bigger is sometimes better, but it’s not always the case. In a world where posting about record-breaking numbers at conferences year after year is the norm, there is still a need for smaller events. The same goes for companies. Take, for instance, the “Keeping the iGaming Spirit Alive” panel I participated in…this was a concept that was discussed at Hipther’s European Gaming Congress several months back, and they made it happen just like that. No red tape, just an on-the-spot decision. Smaller companies can do that. This subject matter also made sense for a smaller event as it focused on a strong sense of community, which is exactly what you get at a well-organized, intimate conference like the Gaming & TECH Summit.
Your network is everything
Thinking of our Spirit of iGaming panel, if I could share one piece of wisdom with someone just starting in iGaming, I would say, ‘It’s who you know’ because this is an industry based on connections. There were not many of us back in the mid-2000s, an advantage we iGaming old-timers had because it was easy to make new friends and connections. Attending today’s iGaming conferences with record-breaking numbers of attendees can be daunting—it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. If you’re new to the space, I suggest starting with the smaller, niche events such as the Gaming and TECH Summit, secure your contacts and then expand that base at bigger events. Work hard on maintaining and growing that network. It could be years later when one of your connections opens a new door for you, just like Calvin Ayre did for me.
Regulation, regulation and more regulationDealing with (over) compliance in Europe was one of the hottest topics at the summit, with almost every panel— including all three of mine—touching on regulatory compliance in some way. Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, AI Act, Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA), Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and the list goes on. Overregulation stifles innovation—we know this from our iGaming history—so we must do our part to educate regulators on frontier tech, such as AI and blockchain, so they understand how it can help our industry, not hurt it. In the meantime, it’s important to work within the regulations as best we can, or you can test your luck in grey markets, but it’s likely regulation will eventually make its way to those markets, too.
AI is old school, but barrier to entry has plummeted
Another hot topic was artificial intelligence (AI), AI and more AI. So much AI!!!
While AI has been around for a long time—even within the iGaming industry—at this moment, the tech is accelerating exponentially, and the barrier to entry has been lowered massively. Wide access to AI means implementing reporting and advanced analytics is more affordable for operators. Thanks to AI agents, two specialists can do the job of five data engineers, allowing companies to reallocate funds where they are needed most. It’s exciting times in AI with so much more to come, but educate yourself on how the tech can help your business versus just focusing on the hype.
Blockchain beyond payments!
The iGaming industry still uses PSPs for processing digital currencies (aka crypto)—why aren’t we utilizing Bitcoin’s peer-to-peer payment functionality, as stated in the whitepaper? Why involve all these middlemen? How is this different from traditional payment methods? I don’t have the answer here, but the purpose of paying with digital currencies is defeated when we use PSPs in the middle. Perhaps it is better to think of utilizing blockchain tech beyond just getting money in and out, letting it run in the background to guarantee trust with RNGs, using it for data transparency to guarantee compliance, using smart contracts to pay out suppliers, affiliates and players instantly, or at least consider a stablecoin like MNEE to simplify payments. Even if blockchain-powered casinos failed in the past, let’s try again with a protocol that works, such as BSV, a public blockchain with low fees that is reliable and massively scales.
Watch Malta Gaming Authority: Blockchain regulation in the gambling space
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