While there are so many things to consider when choosing an aggregation partner, some elements can make a real difference
You only have to wander down a couple of aisles at one of igaming’s many industry events to notice how much competition there is in the content development sector. There are so many slot, instant game and crash game providers to choose from, before even looking at games such as plinko. Separate deals between an operator and absolutely every company in this space would maximise the range of content on offer, but such an approach could also be unrealistic.
That is, of course, where aggregation providers step in, striking deals with content suppliers before offering their full arsenal of games to operator partners. The basic idea of igaming aggregation will never change, but neither will it stay exactly the same as the wider industry develops. To discuss the current aggregation landscape and where it will go next, iNTERGAMINGi sought insights from three companies in the space – Relum, Hub88 and Abelson Sports.
AGGREGATION STRATEGY
Relum CEO Edmond Ghulyan says the company is always looking to build on its network of over 22,000 games from more than 270 providers.
“Our strategy is centred on giving operators a wide and highly customisable selection of games, which not only drives player engagement and retention but also strengthens long-term partnerships and supports revenue growth,” he says. Operators looking for aggregation partners are “increasingly focused” on offering a diverse range of games to appeal to broader player demographics, according to Ghulyan. As well as classic slots, gambling brands are looking for innovation in the games and tools they add to their platforms, Ghulyan argues.
Games are one thing, but the chief executive believes player engagement tools such as tournaments, free spins and personalised bonuses can enhance an aggregation deal for an operator. “Data-driven decision making is also taking centre stage, with operators relying on advanced analytics to understand player behaviour, optimise their offerings and maximise revenue,” Ghulyan says. “Our team is constantly monitoring and researching these emerging trends, analysing market shifts, player behaviour and technological innovations to ensure our solutions not only stay ahead of the curve but also anticipate the evolving needs of operators and players.”
However, as Hub88’s managing director Ollie Castleman explains, aggregation is not just about “bulking up” on content itself. Instead, the Yolo Group B2B brand has been focusing on operator experience, compliance and “streamlined access to quality content.”
“Rather than simply adding volume, we’ve been selective in partnering with diverse and innovative suppliers while introducing new tools that make access, integration and management easier for operators,” Castleman says. Recent updates to Hub88’s aggregation ecosystem have included the removal of the IP field from APIs, which, amid “ever-tightening global compliance shifts,” helps partners remain compliant without adding “any additional difficulty, change or complexity to their plates.”
“Meanwhile, the launch of the Product Catalogue and the new ‘Get Enabled Products’ API endpoint empowers operators with greater transparency and control over their game portfolios, helping them tailor offerings more effectively and accelerate decision-making. Backed by enhanced documentation and support, these initiatives highlight our position in the market as more than a content aggregator. We poise ourselves as a partner and business enabler dedicated to simplicity, efficiency and long-term operator success.”
With a wealth of igaming aggregation partners available for hire across the industry, how can operators ensure they work with the right company for their business needs?
Keeping that question in mind, it is also important for aggregation suppliers to ensure they are offering something that differentiates them from competitors.
Hub88’s strategy for attracting new business revolves around “reducing complexity” and creating “smarter, more collaborative workflows,” says managing director Ollie Castleman. The company has revamped the Segments section of its Flagged Activity area in its back office, which allows operators to manage shared filters from a central hub, bookmark the most-used views and share filtered data with colleagues via encrypted URLs.
This “eliminates the friction of manually replicating or explaining filters, making collaboration faster and more efficient,” Castleman says. Hub88 has also been collaborating with Odds88, its sister brand in the Yolo Group B2B arm, by offering a dedicated back-office flow for rewards and campaigns. “By splitting casino and sportsbook tabs, operators can configure prepaid offers, link them directly to campaigns and manage rewards in a streamlined manner,” Castleman says. “When you put this all together, these upgrades position Hub88 not just as a content aggregator but as a partner that simplifies day-to-day operations. For prospective operators, that efficiency translates into a compelling reason to join our ever-growing network.”
Abelson Sports is involved in aggregation but from a sports betting perspective. The company has, in the past year or so, launched a third-party partners program which can open up client access to a range of industry offerings. These include micro-betting technology provider nVenue, which in April became one of the third-party partners on Abelson’s Football Player Markets solution.
The company’s chief betting officer, Jeeve Jeyaratnam, says co-operation is key in the aggregation sector. “While much of the work is conducted on the incoming supplier end to mirror our feed structure, Abelson’s third-party partners team, complete with technical assistance, are on hand to answer queries and assist with end-to-end testing. Abelson will also help assess suitability with its operator and platform partners and help establish introductions to said partners. Abelson’s extensive experience in working with tier-one sportsbooks and platforms comes to the fore here with monthly catch-up calls with third-party partners to help advise, learn and manage expectation. Abelson also promotes its partners and highlights the project during its sales pitches.”
NOT ALL ABOUT GAMES
The breadth of content available to operator partners may well be the element of the aggregation sector held in the highest regard by providers in the space.
In recent years, though, amid a focus on precisely measuring player engagement, the aggregation sector has been thinking about what add-ons and extras it can throw into the bargain for operators.
At Relum, this takes the form of a Tournament Engine, which allows operators to build competitions offering prizes, live leaderboards and a “sense of competition.”
“With fully customisable prize pools and easy integration into existing platforms, operators can tailor tournaments to suit their audience perfectly,” Ghulyan says. “Our Tournament Engine keeps players coming back for more, increases retention and boosts lifetime value by turning ordinary gameplay into a social and competitive experience.”
Relum also offers a Free Spins tool – a “powerful way to make promotions smarter, faster and more engaging,” Ghulyan explains. The solution allows operators to automate bonus rounds and free spins, linking them to actions such as logins, deposits or loyalty milestones.
“It can target specific player segments, delivering personalised promotions that feel thoughtful and rewarding,” Ghulyan says. “This not only encourages longer gaming sessions but also strengthens player loyalty and boosts overall engagement. Accessible via both the API and the back office, the Free Spins tool gives operators maximum flexibility to design campaigns that fit their brand and audience.”
Hub88’s foray into sweetening the deal for operators has led to the creation of the company’s personalisation model, which Castleman says is designed to give operators “granular control over the content and campaigns they deliver” to ensure players receive a “more engaging and relevant experience.”
The personalisation model introduces new API endpoints such as an enhanced product list, meaning clients can access enabled suppliers and their latest games “without the overhead of scanning entire catalogues.” This means fresh content can be highlighted more quickly, leading to more dynamic responses to player preferences, Castleman argues.
“On top of this, the introduction of uniquely identified campaigns enables rewards to be precisely mapped and tracked, from free bets to promotional bonuses, providing both clarity and actionable insights into what resonates with players. “Together, these tools ensure operators not only stay ahead of new engagement opportunities but can also personalise offerings in real time. Ultimately, Hub88’s model combines efficiency with flexibility, helping partners drive stronger retention and player satisfaction.”
VITAL FOR LONGEVITY
Jeyaratnam believes Abelson’s sports betting aggregation model can prove “vital for the longevity and overall ecosystem of the industry.” He admits that the Abelson team, which also includes chief operating officer Simon Temple, initially believed that the third-party partners project would only work with niche suppliers “struggling to get a foothold on operator roadmaps.” However, Jeyaratnam adds that what they soon realised was that all suppliers, no matter their size or offering, need help.
“It’s expensive for start-ups, especially so to operate for lengthy periods while waiting for an integration, and we have seen some high-profile examples of quality suppliers who have been forced to cease operations. Therefore, solutions such as Abelson’s, while not always elegant – in terms of adapting schemas to fit – can prove vital for the longevity and overall ecosystem of the industry.”
Indeed, Jeyaratnam says Abelson knows from experience just how hard getting a foothold in the sports betting industry can be. “When the original Goalscorer product was conceived back in 2005 between Abelson and Super Soccer, it took almost two years for the first client to come on board; it was a slog. “Luckily, both businesses had diverse revenue streams and could afford to play a longer game which ultimately paid off. The concept of partnering with other tech stacks was pretty alien back then as technology and system architecture constraints meant that feeds were simple at best, but now with capabilities much improved all round it is a totally different environment.”
SEAMLESS DELIVERY
Games and extra features are key to a partnership in the igaming aggregation sector, but APIs are the vehicles that drive them. Without a suitable API, partnerships would become cumbersome and inefficient. Leading in the aggregation game may be about refining the games and extra offerings provided to operators, but it is also about refining your API.
“Relum’s API is built for speed, reliability and seamless integration,” Ghulyan says. “Its streamlined architecture allows operators to connect to a vast library of games through a single, simple integration, removing the complexity of dealing with multiple suppliers. Behind the scenes, the API is continuously refined and optimised to ensure lightning-fast load times and smooth gameplay. This means players experience minimal delays, and operators can deliver content instantly and reliably.”
Hub88 focuses on “flexibility” and “operational efficiency” when looking to improve its API, Castleman says. “Continuous updates over the summer months suitably reflect our commitment to this cause,” he starts. “Support for supplier-issued promotion payouts means operators can now process delayed rewards, whether that be tournament or jackpot winnings, even if the original round has already closed. This ensures promotional experiences remain uninterrupted and players receive winnings without friction, regardless of an unusual timing.”
Hub88 has also upgraded its Operator API transactions endpoint with new parameters that allow clients to retrieve gameplay data in “more precise ways,” Castleman says.
“Whether pulling complete activity across a set timeframe or drilling into a single game round, these improvements reduce time spent on manual queries and provide greater clarity on player activity. By constantly refining our API architecture, we not only accelerate content delivery but also empower operators with tools as smart as ours to maintain smooth, responsive gameplay experiences for their customers.”
While Abelson is continually looking to refine its sports betting aggregation service, Jeyaratnam insists the company always needs to assess whether potential partners are right for the project. “Following an approach from a potential partner, research from Abelson’s end is conducted to establish whether, reputationally, Abelson Sports is comfortable hosting said partner on its third-party partners platform. Should all be well, a meeting is organised to establish technical suitability and fit.
“The technical piece is important because in order to benefit from our distribution, suppliers must be able to meld their feed schema to Abelson’s. This requires careful thought, planning and documentation but has proven achievable for the vast majority of our conversations.”
MEASUREMENTS AND METRICS
The breadth of offerings and complex technology involved with igaming aggregation means companies in the space want to accurately measure whether their partnership is giving them value for money. This is where reporting tools come in.
For Relum CEO Ghulyan, these tools go “far beyond” simple numbers, instead offering operators a “complete understanding” of how their games and players are performing.
“With these tools, operators can identify the most popular games and see which promotions are driving engagement. They can also monitor revenue trends and spot opportunities to optimise their offerings. What makes Relum’s analytics truly powerful is their customisability,” Ghulyan adds. “Operators can focus on the metrics that matter most to their business, tailoring reports to their needs. By turning raw data into actionable insights, operators can make smarter, data-driven decisions that improve player experiences, boost engagement and maximise profitability. In short, it’s like having a real-time compass guiding operators toward success.”
Hub88’s back-office reporting tools are designed to give operators “clear, actionable insights” while reducing the friction of managing large-scale content and transactions, which Castleman says is “simple in theory but tough in practice. A prime example is the recently launched Flagged Activity page, which automatically highlights transactions that may require closer review. By centralising these cases, operators can more easily prioritise potential issues, track their progress through statuses such as ‘Flagged,’ ‘Investigating’ or ‘Resolved’ and ensure compliance is met without excessive manual effort.” Elsewhere, Hub88 is expanding its HubConnect suite of tools including product catalogues, free bet support and software for managing promotions and jackpots. “Crucially, in parallel with these imperative engagement perks, operators can have quick access to key compliance data points such as restricted countries and supported currencies and languages,” Castleman says. “Together, these reporting functions turn raw data into practical workflows, empowering operators to act faster, reduce operational overheads and make more informed decisions that drive both player trust and business performance.”
FUTURE OF AGGREGATION
With all elements of igaming aggregation considered, where does the sector go next?
For Hub88’s Castleman, there is a “clear trend” of moving towards compliance-first solutions and personalisation. “Very closely knitted into that, aggregators, we believe, are wise to invest in API flexibility and speed, ensuring that new content and promotional features can be integrated seamlessly without burdening operators.” Castleman also notes how tools such as automated Flagged Activity monitoring are becoming “central” to operational efficiency. “The sector is broadening beyond casinos to embrace multi-vertical support, and we’re not immune to that either. Together, these trends point to an aggregation model that is less about sheer volume and more about delivering smarter, more operator-friendly ecosystems that attract and retain long-term partners.”
For Abelson, Jeyaratnam ideally wants an operator to integrate the company’s Football Player Markets feed “primarily to access one or more of our partners – as well as benefit from our football props offering. Without really advertising, bar a number of press releases, we have organically accumulated a steady stream of interested parties and current partners. We look forward to further traction with new and existing clients and hope to really see the fruits of our efforts to make this work for all.”
Casino games aggregation is a competitive sector, with suppliers aiming to broaden the reach of their titles and aggregation partners looking to offer a vast array of game themes, mechanics and tools to operators. But what about the sports betting sector?
Abelson Sports is one company involved in aggregation for sports betting tools via its third-party partners solution. The company collaborates with third-party providers to offer their pricing and settlement, a project which Abelson says has diversified the business and improved the recognition of its technical capabilities. “The project is still very much in its infancy following its launch just 12 months ago,” says Abelson’s chief betting officer Jeeve Jeyaratnam. “We have now onboarded five clients who are up and running, with a further partner working on an integration as we speak.” Existing clients within Abelson’s third-party partners remit include Ellipse, which offers betting lines and data models through its CricViz, TennisViz, FootballViz and RugbyViz solutions. “We have successfully launched with an operator that is rapidly expanding the offering, with another platform also finalising work to be up and running,” Jeyaratnam says. “We have also recently signed a new platform client that has, in part, chosen to work with us because of our third-party connections. Overall, we feel the service has raised the profile of Abelson Sports and helped highlight Abelson’s status as a respected and mature supplier with integrations into the very top tier of sportsbooks.”
