In the early days of iGaming, owning as much of the operation as possible felt like the obvious strategy for any ambitious operator looking to grow.
Building technology in-house, assembling internal teams and developing expertise across every function gave operators a sense of control over how their business performed.
Warren Jacobs, CEO of Betable, argues that while this logic still has merit, the reality of running an operator has changed considerably since those early days.
Technology has grown more sophisticated, regulatory requirements have increased, and operators are now managing a growing number of products, suppliers and markets simultaneously.
Behind every player experience sit teams covering trading, risk, compliance, CRM, payments, customer support and technology infrastructure, among other critical functions.
Jacobs acknowledges that building deep expertise across every one of those areas is possible, but questions whether it is necessarily the right approach for every operator in the current landscape.
That tension brings one question sharply into focus heading through 2026: what does an operator actually need to own in order to remain competitive and effective?
Jacobs is clear that this should not simply become a conversation about cutting costs or reducing headcount within iGaming businesses.
As he frames it, the better question is where internal teams can create the most value and where external expertise allows them to concentrate on those higher-priority areas.
Trying to own everything, Jacobs suggests, can spread resources surprisingly thin across an organisation, sometimes limiting focus rather than strengthening it.
Choosing not to manage certain functions internally can, counterintuitively, give a business greater clarity and operational focus in areas where it genuinely excels.
Outsourcing is frequently viewed as surrendering control, but Jacobs challenges that assumption directly and with some confidence in his argument.
The operators with the greatest control in 2026, he suggests, may not be those doing everything themselves, but those with a clear understanding of what they need to own.
Equally important is knowing what operators are comfortable entrusting to specialists, and having the freedom to adjust that balance as the business evolves over time.
Regardless of what is outsourced, Jacobs maintains that operators must still understand how critical parts of their business function at a foundational level.
Visibility over performance and the ability to make informed decisions about how the operation is run remain non-negotiable responsibilities for any operator, whatever structure they adopt.
