As IGT PlayDigital enters 2026, it is poised for a pivotal year of global expansion and accelerated digital growth. In conversation with iGaming Expert, CEO of Digital, Gil Rotem, shares his perspective on how IGT PlayDigital is building on the momentum of 2025 to shape its next wave of international opportunities.

Looking ahead, he outlines IGT PlayDigital’s approach to tailoring strategies for diverse regions, the role of top-performing game families in global expansion, and its commitment to delivering world-class online gaming experiences as it scales across new markets in 2026 and beyond.

iGaming Expert: What were the major takeaways from 2025 from IGT? What key achievements would you say shaped the year for yourselves?

Gil Rotem: 2025 was a particularly important year at IGT. In July, Apollo completed the simultaneous acquisition and merger of Everi and IGT’s gaming and digital businesses. This created a premier platform for driving innovation and delivering exceptional content and scalable solutions across the global gaming ecosystem. In December, Hector Fernandez joined as Incoming CEO and he quickly established a strategic plan for the enterprise across gaming, digital and fintech.

In terms of IGT PlayDigital milestones in 2025, not only did we enter new international markets like Brazil, but we also cemented our vision for the future of the digital business. From jackpot titles to synchronized land-online game releases, no other supplier offers a true omnichannel experience the way we do at IGT, and we’ll continue to draw upon these strengths as a core component of our roadmap in 2026. 

Entering the Brazilian iGaming market in 2025 gave us valuable insights on navigating complex regulatory requirements and the importance of offering localised, market-attuned content. These lessons helped shape our roadmap and strategic expansion throughout the year.

Alongside the strategic growth we experienced last year, we also won industry awards such as the EKG Slot Awards 2025 for Best Overall Supplier and Digital Product of the Year at the Global Gaming Award Americas for the second year in a row for our Engagement Platform. We also launched proven, player-favorite hits like Whitney Houston and Tiger and Dragon that were immensely popular in the market and continue to drive results for our customers.  

iGX: How has this helped to set the stage for the current year? What are your overarching ambitions for 2026?

GR: When Hector joined IGT, he defined what he calls the “5 Cs” for the company: culture, content, capabilities, commercialisation and cash flow. These five principles will help guide our strategic priorities, define how we operate internally and shape how we interface with our customers.  

IGT PlayDigital has a bold vision for 2026. Some of our goals include expanding our portfolio of proven omnichannel performers, enhancing our engagement platform toolkit, and making strategic investments that position us for growth. Ensuring that we have top talent in our game studios is foundational to fueling growth and strengthening our ability to better serve our customers with localised and innovative roadmaps.

Across industries, digital engagement is accelerating faster than ever, and this is creating strong player demand for elevated iGaming experiences. To support this trend, we’ve developed a robust content roadmap and expansion strategy. 2026 is the year we create more high-quality content and deliver more value than ever to our customers. 

iGX: Looking at things from a geographical point of view. Where do you view as the prime targets for yourselves looking ahead, and why?

iGX: Our core focus will remain on our existing customers, but we are also constantly looking at new, high-potential markets. As part of our expansion strategy, our legal, compliance, commercial, and product teams work collaboratively to assess growing digital ecosystems, engaged player communities, and favorable long-term market potential.

As the digital arm of IGT, we already have the recognition and a trusted brand reputation that helps us enter new markets. We’ve found that this early market access is a differentiator for IGT – operators know they can launch their iGaming programs with many of the most popular online game titles in the world.   

With Maine and Alberta slated to introduce iGaming in 2026, we have some meaningful expansion opportunities in North America. The United Arab Emirates pose an interesting market to watch for future growth opportunities, as does South Africa. These are each unique markets with different regulatory frameworks, but at IGT we have the experience and scale to seamlessly navigate these regulatory differences.

iGX: What do you envisage will be the top performing titles/brands that will lead the charge within these new markets, and why?

GR: Many of our classic games and collections have become ubiquitous across markets due to their global popularity. Games like Cleopatra, Blackjack, and Fortune Coin tend to be top-performing titles that engage players, drive continued play, and reinforce our reputation for world-class game experiences. These games aren’t necessarily new, but they’re long-term performers because of the themes, win potential, and exciting gameplay. 

Iconic IGT PlayDigital brands like Cash Eruption also play important roles in leading the charge on market expansion. The ability to enter a new market with proven performance data helps us build trust with our partners and demonstrate the power of the IGT PlayDigital portfolio.

iGX: In a wider sense, what does the roadmap look like for IGT through 2026?

GR: We are positioned to deliver more games than ever in 2026, and we’re now moving closer to a 50/50 split between online original titles and proven omnichannel performers. We recently launched the highly anticipated land-based hit Tiger & Dragon Multiplier online, and next we’ll be rolling out Money Gong Emperor, a title that shows strong online potential based on its proven offline popularity.

To balance out our portfolio, we’ll offer online-only Cash Eruption titles and jackpot games that we know players will love.

What this means for our customers is a stronger, more diversified roadmap informed by player data and operator feedback. We listen to our customers to get a deeper understanding of what they’re looking for and create more of it. We know what works, and we’ll continue to do more of it.

iGX: Regarding the company vision for 2026 and beyond, what does this include and how will you reach these heights?

GR: We have a commitment to delivering best-in-class online gaming experiences to players around the world. We’ll prioritise Hector Fernandez’s ‘5 Cs’ and our focus will continue to rest on delivering more, proven omnichannel and online original games, elevating the player experience with our engagement platform, listening to operator feedback, and pursuing responsible expansion.

In summary, we’ll continue doing what we do best. IGT PlayDigital is known as a trusted brand that delivers top performers, and 2026 will be no different.