Giorgio Dolce from Uplatform: "Our participation in ICE Barcelona 2026 was fantastic"

“Our participation in ICE Barcelona 2026 was fantastic” said  Giorgio Dolce, Sales Manager at Uplatfrom and added "From a commercial exhibition perspective, our standout booth, combined with the unique touch of having our own beer at the expo, attracted significant attention. As always, the merchandise played a key role in drawing visitors in and creating a memorable brand presence.

From a personal perspective, it was also very positive: whenever I mention that I work for Uplatform, people immediately respond with comments like, “Ah, the guys with the cool stands and merch.” This clearly shows how strong and recognizable our brand presence has become.

In terms of commercial and business opportunities, the visibility generated by the stand resulted in a strong flow of traffic and high levels of engagement. Many visitors stopped to inquire about our products, leading to meaningful conversations and genuine interest from potential partners and clients. Overall, the event proved highly effective in building brand recognition and opening new business opportunities".

How do you evaluate the quality of the audience and the profile of the contacts generated during the event?

"The quality of the audience and the profile of the contacts generated were excellent. The stand had a strong presence thanks to its colors, cocktails, and merchandise, which naturally attracted a wide range of visitors. As with most expos, a large portion of the traffic consisted of payment providers and SMS providers, which is typical for industry events and not specifically related to the stand itself.

That said, at ICE this time, we saw a significant increase in operators visiting the stand, which created a truly positive atmosphere. The booth’s strategic location played a key role in this, as it was easy to find and highly visible, driving up both foot traffic and engagement. Overall, we nailed it with our strong stand presence and thoughtful placement. It sparked numerous high-quality conversations with operators, and we are confident these discussions will translate into valuable, long-term partnerships".

Products, solutions and services  

"At this edition, we showcased our turnkey solution and sportsbook, while also putting a strong spotlight on our new casino aggregation offering. What really resonated with visitors was the platform as a whole and how all the components work together in a single solution. Many operators were interested in how quickly they could launch using a setup that combines a high-coverage sportsbook, a rich casino portfolio, built-in CRM tools, and payment methods adapted to local markets.

The sportsbook attracted a lot of attention thanks to its coverage of 260+ sports and esports, thousands of markets, and more than 1.5 million pre-match and live events per year, all designed to drive strong bettor engagement. At the same time, the casino aggregator sparked interest as a straightforward way to access a wide range of games from multiple providers through a single integration".

Overall, the discussions were very practical and business-focused, which aligns perfectly with our goal at Uplatform — helping operators go live faster and stay competitive with flexible, market-ready solutions".

From your perspective, what trends or debates seen at ICE Barcelona 2026 will set the course for the industry in the short and medium term?

"ICE Barcelona has always been a strong indicator of the trends that will shape the industry throughout the year, and the 2026 edition was no exception. A major topic of discussion was LatAm, particularly how the region is continuing its shift from largely unregulated markets toward more structured and regulated frameworks. This transition is clearly creating new opportunities while also raising important discussions around compliance, localization, and long-term sustainability.

Another noticeable trend was the growing popularity of crypto casinos. This interest has been further fueled by the emergence of new features such as prediction markets within casino platforms, which many see as a natural evolution that blends gaming, trading, and entertainment. These developments suggest that in a short time or few years, the industry will continue to advance in regulation, alternative payment methods, and new hybrid gaming models to meet changing player preferences".

 Uplatfrom main strategic priorities for this year

"After attending the event, the company’s main strategic priority for this year is to continue launching new projects through our turnkey solution, this will enable our partners to enter the market quickly and efficiently.

At the same time, we will strongly keep pushing the casino aggregation offering, building on the interest and feedback received during ICE Barcelona. In addition, we are exploring further opportunities in the crypto casino space, given the growing demand and increasing relevance of crypto-based gaming models. Overall, the focus will be on expanding our product offering while staying aligned with emerging market trends and operator needs".

To conclude, Do you plan to address new markets or strengthen your presence in key jurisdictions during 2026? What factors influence that decision?

"As mentioned previously, a key objective for 2026 is to strengthen our presence in LatAm, especially as the region continues its transition toward more regulated markets. The increasing clarity around regulation, combined with strong growth potential, makes LatAm a strategic focus for us.

In addition, we are interested in exploring the African market. There is a noticeable increase in investment in this region, with many operators launching projects under local licenses and focusing on traditional fiat-based casino models. While we are not currently active in these markets, the momentum and long-term potential make them worth closely monitoring.

It will also be interesting to observe how social casinos evolve once they become regulated, particularly how regulation may impact user behavior and where traffic will shift as a result. These factors, regulatory developments, investment activity, and changing player trends are key influences in shaping our market expansion strategy".