Can AI personalisation remain practical and human in iGaming?
In a feature interview with Viktoriia Grygorenko, CEO at The Playa, published in SiGMA Magazine issue 34 and distributed at SiGMA Euro-Med earlier this month. The focus of the feature turns to how AI personalisation can remain practical and human in European iGaming, and what operators must do to build measurable, secure, one‑to‑one experiences that drive retention and long‑term value.
AI in The Playa’s structure
As CEO, Grygorenko leads The Playa’s AI-powered personalisation platform for iGaming operators, aligning machine learning, behavioural profiling, and product design to increase retention and revenue through one-to-one experiences rather than broad segmentation. She frames the company’s mission as building technology that is advanced yet immediately usable, supported by close collaboration between product teams, data analysts, and ML engineers to make personalisation both practical and secure. Her leadership draws on prior experience in consulting and investment, shaping a culture where trust, curiosity, and clarity enable teams to deliver consistent results for operators from fast-growing platforms to enterprise clients.
“Two things always guide us: making The Playa practical and keeping it secure.”
What personalisation means
“True personalisation means delivering a unique, one-to-one experience, not a one-to-many approach,” says Grygorenko, noting that advances in AI now make this level of individualisation achievable at scale. “Two things always guide us: making The Playa practical and keeping it secure,” she adds, positioning the product as both a technology and a time-saving solution, which enables faster movement and revenue capture. She cautions that effective personalisation is iterative and resource-intensive, often taking a year or more to validate and refine just a couple of high-performing models. Still, the payoff is tangible when teams commit to the process.
Regulation to advantage
While European regulation can tighten acquisition and bonus-led retention, Grygorenko views constraint as an opportunity to build intrinsic engagement that stands on its own, particularly in markets where personalisation has been underused. She notes one operator’s performance after adopting The Playa’s solutions, reporting a 19 percent increase in turnover and a 9 percent uplift in player retention-evidence that targeted personal experiences can reduce reliance on incentives. “We quickly discovered that personalisation works just as well, and sometimes even better, in smaller geographies,” she says, where attention to local nuance creates outsized impact.
Who the player is
The Playa’s personal touch extends to demographic insight, with Grygorenko urging operators not to overlook Millennials as their purchasing power grows and expectations favour transparency, tone, and thoughtful experiences. “While Gen Z may drop off immediately after a failed payment, Millennials are more likely to stay, especially if you respond with transparency, a little humour, and a personal touch,” she explains, arguing for service models that map distinct generational behaviours. The approach aligns with The Playa’s promise to help operators become more player-first and future-ready by turning raw data into stronger, longer-lasting relationships.
“The good-to-great leaders never wanted to become larger-than-life heroes.”
Leadership in practice
“For me, leadership is about finding the right people and helping them amplify their superpowers so we can achieve great things together,” says Grygorenko, reflecting on a journey informed by McKinsey’s obligation to dissent and pragmatic operating systems built in high-pressure environments. Guided by mentors and grounded in the view that effective leadership creates conditions for others to excel, she cites Jim Collins: “The good-to-great leaders never wanted to become larger-than-life heroes,” a reminder to focus on enabling extraordinary work over grandstanding. Her scope at The Playa spans sales, client relationships, product shaping, and internal systems to support scalable growth while keeping outcomes front and centre.
Personalisation in action
“We want to see personalisation done right,” with operators delivering engaging, player-centric experiences that turn AI into a practical advantage and build long-term loyalty across Europe, supported by secure, iterative implementation and a humanised service model that treats personalisation as a measurable route to growth rather than a short-term tactic.
With that focus in mind, SiGMA Central Europe takes place from 3 to 6 November, convening industry leaders to address practical AI, regulation, and the next phase of player engagement; operators and suppliers can register interest to connect with The Playa and peers shaping personalisation standards, and revisit the original feature in SiGMA Magazine issue 34, distributed at SiGMA Euro-Med earlier this month, for deeper context.
