Yevhen Krazhan, GR8 Tech: “ICE sets the tone for the year: operators arrive with plans, budgets, and very specific problems to solve”

Focus Gaming News spoke with Yevhen Krazhan, Chief Sales Officer at GR8 Tech, regarding the company’s preparations for ICE Barcelona and the launch of its new Crypto Turnkey solution.

Exclusive interview.- As ICE Barcelona kicks off the 2026 expo calendar, GR8 Tech is entering the show with renewed ambition and a clear strategy to set the tone for the year.

In this exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, Yevhen Krazhan, chief sales officer at GR8 Tech, explains how the company is evolving its brand with the launch of Champions Club, debuting live demos, educational frameworks, and high-energy experiences at booth 1C50.

Krazhan also details GR8 Tech’s new Crypto Turnkey solution, the importance of localisation for Tier 2 and 3 markets, and how precision in payments, personalisation, and operational readiness will define success in igaming throughout 2026.

How is GR8 Tech preparing for ICE Barcelona? What does the company expect for the start of the expo calendar 2026?

GR8 Tech treats ICE like the season opener, so the preparation is very intentional.

First, the Heavyweight Club becomes Champions Club. Same performance DNA, but broader than boxing—more sports, more “arenas,” and a wider definition of what a champion looks like in igaming. That idea sits behind everything: the campaign creative, the stand experience, and the conversations the team wants to have with operators.

Second, Champions Club at booth 1C50 is set up around three things: live demos, expertise, and big energy. Visitors will be able to see how the solutions connect in practice, and alongside that, there’s Acceler8 Lab, an educational space co-delivered with Gaming Operations Academy, where the team will share practical frameworks operators can take back to their businesses. And then Lee McFarland (Behind the Gloves) will be on-stand with short pad sessions, because people should feel the “champion mindset.”

For the start of the 2026 expo calendar, the expectation is higher intent and higher standards. ICE sets the tone for the year: operators arrive with plans, budgets, and very specific problems to solve. GR8 Tech expects strong demand for conversations that combine product, operational execution, and partnership fit. The goal is to leave ICE with a packed pipeline of serious follow-ups and with Champions Club clearly established as the next chapter of the brand.

What can visitors expect to see from the company? Are there any special releases for the event?

There is a special release for ICE: Crypto Turnkey. That’s the new talking point the team expects a lot of interest in, especially from operators looking at crypto-forward audiences and wanting a faster route to market without stitching together multiple vendors. For operators targeting crypto-forward audiences, it’s a direct way to improve payment flexibility and speed up go-to-market, while keeping the operating model clean and scalable.

Could you share more details about the new crypto solution?

Crypto Turnkey is a big step for GR8 Tech because it gives operators more control over payments and growth. Some of the important advantages it provides are:

• Payment provider independence: less reliance on third-party PSPs that can delay launches or interrupt operations—payments stay live 24/7 without waiting on approvals or risking sudden freezes.
• VIP capture: VIPs drive outsized revenue, representing only 1 per cent of the player base; on GR8 Tech’s platform in 2025, VIP turnover was 49.7 per cent in casino and 44.2 per cent in sports. Many of these players prefer crypto, so offering it helps operators win and retain them.
• Better economics + speed: 0.5 per cent fees, zero chargebacks, and typical settlement in 10–30 minutes versus higher fees and multi-day settlement with many traditional methods.
• Geographic flexibility: supports expansion into markets where banking/PSP coverage is limited, while keeping KYC and responsible gambling controls through existing modules.

“Crypto Turnkey is a big step for GR8 Tech because it gives operators more control over payments and growth.”

Yevhen Krazhan, chief sales officer at GR8 Tech.

What trends do you think will shape the igaming landscape during 2026?

Operators will win on precision—faster launches, tighter compliance, better personalisation, and smarter market execution:

• Tier 2 & 3 markets will continue their upward trajectory, driven by localisation speed. In 2026, expansion will keep coming from Tier 2 & 3 markets, where the winners will be the ones that can launch fast, localise properly, and adapt week-to-week. Operators will lean harder into geo-specific setups because “one global setup” doesn’t convert the same way outside the most mature regions.
• Payments will be one of the biggest separators in 2026, especially in emerging markets: deposit conversion, payout speed, and trust are now core growth levers. Crypto, in particular, keeps moving to a segment strategy because it can reduce friction, improve settlement speed, and open access to audiences that already operate in crypto rails.

That’s a big reason GR8 Tech is launching Crypto Turnkey now. Operators want crypto as an operationally ready layer that helps them control payment uptime, reduce dependence on third-party providers, and compete for players who already prefer crypto. It’s about timing the solution to where the market is heading.

How important is localisation for the company? How do you localise content for specific markets?

Localisation is one of the most important growth levers for GR8 Tech. For us, localisation is building operations that feel native: payments that actually work locally, content that matches local habits, and UX that converts. Our approach is why GR8 Tech supports 100+ live brands, maintains ~80 per cent client retention, and sees around a third of clients expand into new markets with our platform, after seeing its capabilities.

GR8 Tech localises through a mix of geo-presets and market-specific execution with operators. Geo-presets package the essentials—payment mixes, content configurations, and commercial settings—so teams can launch quickly, then refine based on live data. Payments are treated as the first localisation priority; the platform is designed to support combinations of global gateways, local processors, and alternatives like crypto or agent-based cash flows where that fits player behaviour, so operators can add a faster, more resilient, and more flexible payments layer. On content, casino localisation means adapting game selection, volatility, and promos to local preferences, while sportsbook localisation focuses on the events and markets players actually follow. Finally, GR8 Tech uses behavioural data and AI to move from static localisation to dynamic personalisation, improving conversion and retention in-market.

“Localisation is one of the most important growth levers for GR8 Tech.”

Yevhen Krazhan, chief sales officer at GR8 Tech.

What are GR8 Tech’s main goals for the next few months?

Over the next few months, GR8 Tech’s goals are to keep accelerating:

• Push deeper localisation and platform performance, expand data/AI capabilities, and roll out new layers, starting with Crypto Turnkey as a major step in payments independence and higher-value player capture.
• Scale harder in Tier 2–3 markets, with a clear focus on MENA and LatAm.
• Open 2026 strongly by debuting Champions Club at ICE Barcelona as the next evolution of the brand’s performance positioning.