Guilherme Graziani, Oddsgate: “Adding value to the operation is the key core objective”

Shows & conferences - 24 November, 2025

During the latest edition of SiGMA Central Europe 2025, Focus Gaming News spoke with Guilherme Graziani, Head of Business Development, LatAm at Oddsgate, about the company’s long‑term strategic research, the role of AI and blockchain in future‑proofing the industry, and how Oddsgate positions itself as a value‑driven technology partner rather than a traditional vendor.

Oddsgate recently released a major piece of research projecting 25 years ahead, far beyond the typical two‑ to five‑year plans that are standard in the sector. Graziani explained that the company wanted to be “future ready” and to “understand new technologies like AI [and] blockchain… mainly to give more security for the player for an industry that keeps growing.” He noted that the study was carried out “very thoroughly with key industry leaders as well as primary research” to identify “what’s going to impact the industry” up to 2030 and beyond.

A key focus is how artificial intelligence will reshape CRM and player engagement. Graziani said AI “gives you the possibility to understand exactly what the player wants, whenever he wants – the timing, the games, what kind of markets, what he’s into, what he’s not into, what works.” While much of this could theoretically be done manually, AI will “just improve year on year” and allow operators to deliver extremely personalised experiences at scale.

Oddsgate is already working with AI but is moving carefully. “Now we are… still in the testing phase,” Graziani said, explaining that the company is “checking the AI to understand exactly the usability of it and also how secure it can be because of course we’re dealing with data and that is something that we need to be very careful on.” He stressed the importance of robust guardrails and sandboxing, particularly given the risks of AI tools being misused or compromised.

Beyond AI, Graziani – a self‑described “crypto enthusiast” – underlined the transformative potential of blockchain. He highlighted “the transparency of it – you have everything locked in a ledger in a blockchain,” which supports a more decentralised and trustworthy market. “We need transparency,” he said, noting that this must still go hand in hand with “complying by the regulatory measures to make sure it’s safe [and] we’re applying by the rules.” He believes blockchain will bring “a lot more transparency and trust, which is something that sometimes lacks in this industry from the player to the user to the operator.”

Discussing the broader evolution of payments, Graziani referred to the expected roll‑out of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and the need to manage transaction costs. He acknowledged that “there is a high gas fee for certain blockchains [and] certain cryptos” and that keeping fees “as close to zero as possible” is crucial to protect operators’ margins and their partners’ revenues. However, he argued that developments in the crypto sector will “impact directly in the gambling industry, the iGaming [space]” and that the challenge is shared by “everyone that uses crypto”. Overall, he said he is “very, very happy that the industry is moving this way.”

Graziani also believes that Oddsgate’s long‑term research gives the company a strong positioning advantage when talking to operators. “Of course, this is one of our approaches,” he said. “We try to understand what the customer wants and what he needs to be successful. We work more as a partnership. I even joke sometimes it’s a bit of a marriage.” He described growth as happening where the operator’s needs and Oddsgate’s capabilities “match”, and said the research helps identify “future problems, future challenges [and] future opportunities” that Oddsgate can bring to operators as added value.

This philosophy shapes how Graziani views his own role. “I’m head of business development but I don’t really like the word ‘sale’,” he admitted. For him, “sales happen when you’re looking for something and you give them what they want and exceed the expectation.” As he put it, “adding value to the operation is the key core objective of Oddsgate.” With that mindset, he joked that if Oddsgate brings enough value, “you’ll find another 15 fiancées this weekend” among operators at the show – a prospect that, he confirmed, “is the plan.”