Top iGaming Payment Challenges: What Operators Are Really Struggling With (Sigma Rome Takeaways)

By Ivan Milpetrov, Head of Business Development, and Stefan Zisov, COO - CatalystPay

This year’s Sigma Rome was a reminder that iGaming isn’t just about great affiliate traffic, UX, odds, or content. It’s also critically about the moment a player hits “Deposit.”
That’s where the entire experience and revenue either starts or stops.

Across dozens of conversations with operators and partners, one thing was clear: igaming payments processing are still one of the biggest obstacles between ambition and actual growth. Below, we outline the key pain points we kept hearing on the ground  and how forward-thinking operators are addressing them.

Top iGaming Payment Challenges (as seen from our conversations in Sigma)

1. Fragmented Payment Setups Are Slowing Expansion

Most operators we spoke to are juggling multiple PSPs and acquirers across markets. What starts as a diversification strategy often ends up as a management nightmare: overlapping fees, inconsistent reporting, and disjointed compliance processes.

It’s not uncommon to see teams spending days reconciling transactions or waiting weeks for new acquirer onboarding. The result? Slower launches and hidden costs eating into margins.

“Having five providers doesn’t mean having five times the flexibility. It often means five times the friction.” notes Stefan Zisov.

The smarter approach: Consolidating through a multi-acquirer setup managed centrally, allowing flexibility and redundancy, but with unified control, visibility, and support.

2. Localization Gaps Are Hurting Conversion

Even mature operators underestimate how local payment preferences impact player conversion at deposit stage. From PIX in Brazil to Trustly in the Nordics, or Apple Pay adoption among Gen Z bettors, friction starts when the “right” method isn’t there.

Players don’t wait. They move to the next brand that lets them pay instantly in their own currency, with their preferred method.

“In regulated markets, localization isn’t optional anymore. It’s part of the player experience.” adds Ivan Milpetrov.

Pro tip: Combine local acquiring with like-for-like settlements to eliminate unnecessary FX losses and create a familiar, trustworthy experience for players.

3. Compliance Is Becoming a Growth Bottleneck

Several operators said their biggest frustration wasn’t fraud, it was paperwork. Onboarding with new banks or acquirers in 2025 still often means months of KYC, AML, and risk documentation.

That delay can cost market opportunities, especially when entering new EU jurisdictions or regions like LATAM, where speed to market defines success.

The reality: iGaming is high-risk by nature. But compliance doesn’t have to be slow if you work with partners who already have pre-vetted acquirer relationships and offer Compliance-as-a-Service models that shorten onboarding cycles dramatically.

4. False Declines Are Eroding Player Trust

In an effort to reduce fraud, many operators have gone too far - blocking legitimate transactions and driving players away. Each false decline costs more than a failed deposit; it costs lifetime value and brand credibility.

“The real risk isn’t only fraud anymore. It’s losing good players because of poor risk logic,” Stefan observed.

Dynamic risk scoring and smart routing logic are changing that. By distinguishing between genuine risk and trusted users, operators can safely boost approval rates, sometimes by as much as 5–7%.

5. Withdrawals Are the New Frontline of Player Retention

At Sigma, we heard this repeatedly: players forgive a failed deposit once; they don’t forgive a slow payout.

Withdrawal delays, especially across borders, are a major reason for churn. Many operators still rely on outdated banking rails or centralized settlements in EUR/USD, forcing unnecessary FX conversions.

The solution: Faster, localized payout options often through multiple acquiring relationships with settlement in the player’s preferred currency.

“Fast payouts are critical for success. They’re part of the product,” says Ivan.

6. Scalability Is Being Tested by Big Events

Traffic spikes around major sports tournaments, esports events, or casino promotions continue to expose system weaknesses. Operators relying on single-point payment setups still experience downtime or declined transactions during volume peaks.

What’s working instead: Building redundancy with multi-acquirer architecture and smart routing triggers that automatically redirect failed transactions to alternative routes without the player even noticing.

This approach not only protects uptime but also safeguards brand reputation during the highest-visibility moments of the year.

7. Lack of Payment Intelligence: Decisions Without Data

Many operators still lack real-time visibility into why transactions fail, which payment methods perform best, or where drop-offs occur. Without actionable analytics, they’re flying blind, unable to adapt to changing player behaviour or regional trends.

Modern payment stacks should offer live dashboards, performance analytics, and automated reconciliation to turn every transaction into insight, not just a number.

Where the Industry Is Headed

The iGaming sector is evolving fast: new markets, stricter regulation, and higher player expectations are rewriting what “good payments” mean. From our discussions at Sigma Rome and beyond, one clear takeaway stands out - operators who treat payments as strategy, not infrastructure, are winning.

Payments now shape:

• Player trust and first impressions
• Conversion and retention metrics
• Compliance agility and market expansion speed
• Operational efficiency and cost control

In short, payments are not the back office, they’re the business.

How CatalystPay Helps iGaming Operators Stay Ahead

At CatalystPay, we work as your Payment Officer on Demand - designing scalable, compliant, and conversion-driven payment setups tailored to iGaming realities.

Our igaming payment solutions support:

• Multi-acquirer orchestration across 30+ acquiring partners
• Local and like-for-like settlements in 150+ processing and 15+ settlement currencies
• Smart routing and redundancy for peak performance and uptime
• Compliance-as-a-Service for faster market entry
• Real-time reporting and reconciliation for full control

Whether expanding into new markets, adding new payment methods, or rethinking existing infrastructure, our team helps operators turn payment complexity into competitive advantage.

Contact the CatalystPay team to discuss how we can help strengthen your iGaming payment operations.