A recent survey highlights a significant reliance on outdated practices among VIP account managers in the online gambling sector. The study reveals that these professionals primarily utilize spreadsheets and manual decision-making processes, eschewing more modern automation or AI solutions. This dependency raises the alarming possibility of "silent churn," where high-value players become inactive without notifying the operator, thereby presenting a challenge for sustained player engagement.
Titled "The State of VIP Operations," the report was developed by The Playa, in partnership with Gaming Operations Academy and WarriorLab. Conducted in 2026, it surveyed 70 professionals directly involved in VIP management, including account managers and department heads, with 64% working for gambling operators.
Examining daily management strategies, the study uncovered troubling findings about data management. While 75% of respondents rated their VIP data as good or very good, 71% indicated that their information was dispersed across various systems. Notably, half of the participants acknowledged making decisions based on incomplete or outdated information.
The phenomenon of "silent churn" was particularly concerning, as nearly half (46%) of respondents stated that VIP players frequently became inactive without prior warning. Additionally, around 48% reported lacking signs of player behavioral indicators or health. Viktoriia Grygorenko, co-author of the report and CEO at The Playa, referred to these findings as the "clearest commercial case in the report." She emphasized that every other issue — from portfolio overload to fragmented data — ultimately contributes to lost revenue from players who slip away unnoticed.
The survey also pointed to a strong demand for prioritization tools; 75% of respondents rated the importance of receiving daily action guidance for each player at an 8 out of 10 or higher. However, 38% expressed concerns that implementing AI might compromise the personal touch that is crucial in VIP management.
Despite the potential benefits of AI, not a single respondent indicated it as their primary tool for managing VIP accounts. Instead, 30% relied on spreadsheets and business intelligence dashboards, while 24% used CRM platforms. AI and automation were utilized in some capacity by only 15% of participants, primarily as supplementary tools.
The challenges associated with managing large portfolios were evident, with 64% of managers overseeing 100 or more VIP clients. One in five reported managing over 500 VIPs. This intense workload implies that a manager responsible for 250 players would have roughly 100 seconds to dedicate to each player daily, should the time be evenly allocated. Data quality and fragmentation also emerged as critical concerns.
Grygorenko called attention to prioritization as a vital strategy for managing these larger portfolios. She remarked, "At above roughly 150 players per manager, personal knowledge stops scaling. The fix is not fewer players or more managers – it is showing each manager which few accounts actually need them today."
In terms of tool satisfaction, VIP managers rated their existing systems with an average score of 6 out of 10. Co-author Gali Hartuv, CEO and co-founder of WarriorLab, described this middling level of contentment as "the most expensive kind." While VIP managers expressed interest in AI for inbox prioritization, they prefer to retain human oversight for final decisions.
The report indicated that operators desire improvements in VIP operations, including integrated systems for player data, communication history, and task management. They also seek structured guidelines aligned with key performance indicators and the provision of real-time data alongside predictive behavioral signals. Furthermore, respondents expressed the need for managerial autonomy supported by top leadership.
Grygorenko pointed out that VIP operations are notably human-centric within the iGaming industry, usually managed by small teams with inadequate technology against short-term metrics. “The findings indicate that VIP managers want clearer signals regarding who needs attention, what changes have occurred, and where their judgment can significantly impact,” she said.
Next week, Grygorenko and Hartuv will engage in further dialogue during the iGB webinar titled "How should AI engage high-value players?"
In the UK, the landscape for VIP operations has undergone substantial changes over the past decade. In October 2020, a new code of conduct was enacted, introduced by the Gambling Commission and the Betting and Gaming Council. This legislation mandates rigorous checks on players before they can be classified as VIPs and monitors their betting behaviors closely. Operators are forbidden from incentivizing customers based on their losses, and VIP reward programs must receive oversight from senior management. Furthermore, players under 25 years old are prohibited from participating in such programs.
According to a report by the Gambling Commission from 2025, the number of VIP customers in the industry has decreased by 95% per operator since these stricter regulations were implemented.
