Guy Fietz, CEO of Gigadat, breaks down the evolution of payments within the iGaming industry over the last ten years, looks into the future and tells Payment Expert how they have turned into a competitive edge for the segment.
The iGaming industry is one of the most competitive businesses out there, with as many opportunities as challenges for anyone trying to make a name for themselves. Multiple factors can separate a successful company from a failed operation, and payment processing is arguably one of the most relevant of them all.
With over a decade of experience, Gigadat has turned into one of the most successful and trusted companies in Canada, providing seamless integration of local payment methods into gaming platforms.
Guy Fietz, CEO of Gigadat, looks ten years back, when deposits and withdrawals in gaming and betting were a gamble themselves, and recaps how the segment has evolved over the years. With user patience and trust on the line, they have worked to put an end to delays, declines, and compliance bottlenecks, offering frictionless transactions.
However, they still look into the future and ask, not whether payments can move faster in 2026, but if they can move smarter, safer, and still feel effortless.
Then: The wild west years
In the mid-2010s, iGaming payments were still patchwork. Card declines, long withdrawal times, and manual verification were part of the routine.
Operators were expanding into new markets, but the infrastructure hadn’t caught up. Fraud was rising, regulation was tightening, and players were quick to lose trust.
Back then, even reliable methods like INTERAC® were still finding their digital footing. Instant wasn’t a feature; it was a fantasy.
Now: The age of real-time everything
Speed is now the defining standard for the industry, as deposits land in seconds, and withdrawals hit before a player can refresh their balance.
Risk scoring and KYC run silently in the background.
At Gigadat, we’ve helped power that transformation, building payment flows that don’t just process money but protect it. Our INTERAC e-Transfer® integrations made “instant” feel normal, not novel, and helped operators build the kind of trust you can’t fake.
Because here’s the truth: players might forgive a lost bet.
They won’t forgive a lost payout.
The evolution: Speed meets scrutiny
With faster rails came sharper oversight. Regulators worldwide have zeroed in on AML, responsible gaming, and secure player verification.
That pressure forced the industry to grow up.
Today, compliance is part of the UX. Real-time ID, tokenized data, and instant fraud alerts make every transaction faster and safer.
What used to slow operators down now powers their advantage.
What hasn’t changed
For all the progress, some fundamentals never budge:
- Trust still drives every deposit.
- Friction still kills conversion.
- And reputation still rides on how fast players can cash out.
Payments don’t just support the player journey; they are the journey.
2026: The next level
The next evolution of gaming payments won’t just be faster; rather, it’ll be invisible.
Here’s where we’re headed:
- Instant everything. Real-time pay-ins, pay-outs, and balance updates across platforms.
- Smart routing. Payments choosing the optimal rail automatically.
- Embedded compliance. Verification is built right into the flow, not layered on top.
- Localized trust. Payment experiences that feel native to every market, especially to Canadians.
At Gigadat, we see the next wave not as new tech, but as new trust, powered by smarter data, faster rails, and compliance that’s baked in, not bolted on.
The endgame
A decade ago, payments were the industry’s weak link.
Today, they’re its competitive edge.
As we look to 2026, the challenge isn’t just to keep up with players’ expectations; it’s to stay one step ahead of them.
Because in gaming, betting, and sports, speed wins attention.
But trust? That’s how you stay in the game.
