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What is Shōgun?
SOFTSWISS’s CTO gets candid on AI hype, Tech Race and why the room matters more than the stage.
In July, iGB announced the media partnership between SOFTSWISS and World Gaming for Tech Race Summit 2026 in September.
Recently, Margaret Dunn, portfolio director at WorldGaming, interviewed Sergey Kastukevich, chief technology officer at SOFTSWISS, in a primer of both Tech Race and ICE Hall 7. The pair also shared their perspective on the development of AI in the industry.
About Shōgun
Candidates from the VVD party urged the government to take a “harder stance” against these big tech platforms.
Some politicians stated their opinion that the legal gambling age in the Netherlands should be increased to 21 from the current barrier of 18 years old.
This isn’t the first time this policy has been mooted in the Dutch parliament. A 2025 bill proposed raising the age for “higher-risk” activities like online slots.
About Shōgun
But that isn’t the case according to Richards: “We are not signalling plans to re-enter B2C elsewhere; Africa is a distinct case: a high-growth, underpenetrated region where owning a local operator makes strategic sense in a way it may not elsewhere.”
There’s also a financial constraint, with Ahlberg noting that GiG has used its available cash and is raising additional capital to fund the 888Africa transaction, meaning he doesn’t expect the company to pursue further B2C acquisitions in the short term.
Robinson takes a more expansive view, however, arguing that the acquisition could mark the beginning of a broader shift in GiG’s strategy. “I’d read it as the start of something, not a one-off,” he says. “GiG’s survival as an independent business depends on consolidating in emerging markets where it can own the P&L, not just supply the technology.
