바카라er-funded jackpots in iGaming are changing the game, but are they understood?
The battle for player engagement is entering a new phase, and the jackpot may no longer be just a marketing gimmick. When bonuses blur the lines and gamification loses its charm, players start to switch off. From complex rollover conditions to bonus expiry traps, traditional promos often frustrate more than they convert. 바카라ers come for the bonus. They stay for the thrill. But hidden conditions and vanishing rewards leave a trail, not of loyalty, but of disillusionment. Thats why player-funded jackpots in iGaming are quietly taking the spotlight with more substance and less spin.
ThrillTechs recent integration with platform provider Pragmatic Solutions has brought this mechanic into sharper focus. Unlike traditional jackpots, which are often funded by the operator and loosely regulated under promotional tools, player-funded systems use real side bets, placing them under full B2B licence obligations.
And that, says ThrillTech, is exactly the point. Faye Williams, Head of Business Development at ThrillTech, shared exclusive insights with SiGMA News.
Compliance meets conversion
바카라er-funded jackpots make you fall under the same regulatory requirements as a slots supplier, explains Williams. The moment you accept a bet and resolve it, you need to get a B2B licence or certification. This logic is broadly agnostic when it comes to jurisdictions. Thats because it hinges not on promotional design but on the core act of processing a bet a financial transaction that triggers regulatory oversight, regardless of the market.
ThrillTech , MGA, Spelinspektionen, and ONJN, with plans to expand its regulatory footprint by the end of 2025.
With regulators calling time on opaque promotional tools and with player trust at an all-time premium, operators are under pressure to find engagement models that are both transparent and effective. And with tighter restrictions on traditional gaming machines looming in the UK and beyond, as explored in a recent SiGMA News feature on Britain’s arcades, the search for scalable, compliant engagement tools is only intensifying.
Platform power and player trust
ThrillTechs flagship tools, ThrillPots and ThrillDrops, sit above the game layer and connect to the operator environment through flexible, modular APIs. ThrillTech shifts jackpot logic out of the game and into the platform, giving operators control to configure pots across brands, verticals, and strategic goals.
Unlike game-locked jackpots, which often require developer support and lengthy QA cycles, ThrillTechs model enables operators to quickly pivot strategies at the platform level. For instance, an operator could instantly roll out a holiday-themed jackpot across all slot titles or deploy a limited-time prize pool for a newly launched game category without changing the games themselves.
Through its new partnership, Pragmatic Solutions open PAM platform can now support these jackpot mechanics natively. With one plug-in and many pots, operators can ripple jackpots out brand-wide or across their whole network, picking up real gains without starting a fight with compliance. This architecture reduces integration strain, allowing centralised control over multiple jackpot campaigns, real-time adjustments, and market-specific configurations from a single interface. The flexibility it provides is central to the growing popularity of player-funded jackpots in iGaming, as operators seek tools that deliver impact without compromising regulatory alignment. At a recent SiGMA Africa summit, industry experts examined the regulatory complexities of African markets and the pressing need for safer business frameworks.
Clear rules dont just keep the watchdogs happy. They keep players coming back. When people trust what theyre playing, they stay longer, bet smarter, and turn up tomorrow, too.
Where architecture meets engagement
Partnering with Pragmatic Solutions gives us the opportunity to bring our jackpot-first technology to a broader network of licensed operators, Williams said in the original partnership announcement. Our side bet mechanics are designed to deliver measurable revenue gains while meeting strict regulatory standards. A key driver of our success is our ability to craft bespoke, sophisticated jackpot models tailored to each clients objectives, target markets, and operational scale.
In a statement from the original partnership announcement, Dean Peters-Wright, Director of Product at Pragmatic Solutions, said, ThrillTech brings a unique and regulated approach to jackpot deployment that complements our open platform strategy. Their innovative side bet mechanics and track record of boosting operator revenue make them a valuable addition to our partner network.
The monetisation argument is persuasive. ThrillTech reports that its clients regularly see a monthly uplift of over ten per cent on jackpot-integrated games without cannibalising core revenue or overloading the player journey. The uplift often comes from subtle but powerful behavioural shifts: longer sessions, increased return play, and slightly elevated bet values driven by the extra thrill layer without relying on bonus abuse or flashy incentives.
Numbers dont lie, but they dont play either. If your jackpot feels like homework, players will find their fun elsewhere.
Sophistication without the gimmicks
But complexity, if not managed carefully, can be a risk. In an industry increasingly sceptical of over-gamified UX, ThrillTech is leaning towards clarity and simplicity rather than layered bonuses. Think cluttered dashboards, relentless pop-ups, and reward mechanics that feel more like a slot machine than a game strategy.
Less is more when it comes to establishing this type of product, says Williams. The success of this product is bound to a seamless integration into the core player experience and flows. We are not big believers in gamification, rather in amplification. Amplification focuses on enhancing the emotional highs already present in gameplay, giving wins more weight, moments more meaning, and progression more purpose. It doesnt add layers; it deepens the impact.
That philosophy extends to the design of jackpots themselves. ThrillTech builds bespoke models for each operator based on a three-pronged brief: regulatory context, brand scale, and desired volatility structure. This localisation-first model ensures player-funded jackpots in iGaming are not only compliant but also perceived as credible and attainable by the players they serve. For instance, a smaller brand focused on casual players might opt for frequent, low-stakes win mechanics, while a high-roller vertical could structure jackpots for infrequent but high-impact payouts across VIP segments.
Theres no use in building something with an exorbitant number that nobody ever wins. This just has a negative psychological effect on the player, Williams conveys. From a regulatory point of view, a jackpot must be available to all players for fairness reasons, so combining segmentation and player-funded logic isnt an option. Regulators require that all players funding a pooled jackpot have an equal chance of winning. Segmentation by wager size, geography, or behaviour would undermine the fairness of that shared pool.
Clarity for players and auditors
With many regulators tightening their grip on opaque payout systems and chance-based gamification, transparency is no longer a nice to have. Its a compliance imperative.
ThrillTech addresses this through its operator onboarding process. As part of the standard implementation, the company collaborates with partners to create tailored terms and conditions (T&Cs) that clearly outline jackpot mechanics, contribution logic, and win conditions. Its not just plug-and-play. ThrillTech typically holds working sessions with partners, digs into the UX, and helps shape market-ready terms and conditions that hold up under scrutiny.
These terms contain the core parameters of the jackpot model and state all the mechanics at play, says Williams. 바카라ers have a full overview of specifications at any time. Its about giving visibility, not just bells and whistles. These might include the jackpots minimum qualifying bet, the percentage of each side bet that goes into the prize pool, and the exact reset amount after a win, all displayed clearly in the UI and T&Cs.
Whats next for player-funded jackpots in iGaming?
While this current wave focuses on online 바카라s and slots, ThrillTechs ambitions extend well beyond. The tech, Williams declares, is event-agnostic, meaning it could theoretically link to crash games, sportsbook slips, and even deposit events or withdrawals.
Imagine a crash game where side bet wagers trigger real-time pooled jackpots or a sports wager where a surprise win unlocks a live tournament-style drop. Thats the direction this tech is capable of heading. The limitation is often regulation, not the technology, Williams adds. In many cases, current frameworks dont yet account for jackpot-style pooling in sports betting or financial transaction triggers, especially where affordability checks and AML thresholds complicate prize-based incentives.
As player behaviour continues to shift and regulators place pressure on bonus fairness, its clear the industry is moving into a new phase of engagement design, one rooted not in a flash but in function, compliance, and contribution logic.
Whether or not player-funded jackpots in iGaming become the new normal, the model is proving theres room for smarter, cleaner innovation in the mechanics of chance.
