Mariya Davydova: “Fantasy sports, VIP segment, and loyalty programs will grow”

At this year’s ICE Barcelona 2025, Casino Guru News ran a series of live interviews with influential industry stakeholders.

In one of these conversations, the publication sat down with Mariya Davydova, Head of Sport Domain at PIN-UP, to talk about fantasy sports, the VIP segment, and the role of loyalty programs in driving sector company performance and business decisions.

The conversation explored different and hard-pressing topics from across the industry, addressing things such as gamification, personalization, and the role artificial intelligence already plays in creating a world dominated by technology and laser-focused on each individual user.

Davidova stresses that 2025 is going to be a year during which operators must focus on customizing their products and addressing specific player preferences. Other technical matters come into play in shaping a strong product, including speed and overall performance.

No small issue Davidova points out to is the clarity of content and message that companies want to get across to their player bases, arguing that the target audiences should understand what a company’s intent is.

In the meantime, AI has indeed played a pivotal role in other day-to-day business activities at PIN-UP as well, including fraud detection and enhancing customer support, enabling the company to pursue a growth course that is founded on putting players and clients first.

The conversation steered towards sports streaming and the potential of esports as well as the advancement of virtual sports as its own distinct category. Virtual sports have a very specific regional profile or are more popular when mainstream sports are not available due to an off-season or another reason.

Casino Guru News’ full conversation with Davidova is well worth watching in its entirety and available on the Casino Guru News YouTube channel.

Image credit: Casino Guru News