“Retention is not about driving players into making unwise decisions; it’s about providing consistent entertainment, keeping players engaged”

Ahead of iGB L!VE, Relum Chief Product Officer Răzvan Haiduc discusses the company’s strategy as it arrives at the London event with a newly secured UK licence and an expanding regulated footprint across Europe. The interview covers product priorities, operational efficiency in aggregation, AI applications, responsible gaming and the company’s growth outlook. 

Exclusive interview.- As iGB L!VE approaches in London, Relum arrives at the event at a key moment in its expansion, following the securing of its UK licence and a broader push into regulated European markets. 

In this exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, chief product officer Răzvan Haiduc outlines Relum’s current priorities going into the fair, including how the platform is evolving in an increasingly competitive aggregation space. He also discusses the role of AI and data, the balance between retention and responsible gaming, and where he sees the most important growth opportunities for the industry over the next 12–18 months.

What’s the importance of iGB L!VE for Relum this year?

Honestly? I could wax poetic about how iGB L!VE is one of the core European expos of the year (and I’d be correct), but for Relum this time around the main goal is to celebrate getting our UK licence and expanding our European regulated footprint. Relum is now available across many more markets, with a lot more to come in 2026.

And for me personally, I love London, so an excuse to visit is always welcome.

What upgrades or new features are you planning to showcase, and how do they address operator pain points?

We thought about this long and hard. We could showcase our gamification and talk about the uplift in turnover and GGR it brings to operators that embrace it. We could talk about the vastness of our portfolio, one of the biggest in the market.

But the real pain point facing operators is friction. How can we be as fast and as efficient operationally as a direct integration between a provider and an operator? If we can solve that, then we’ve solved aggregation. And that’s what we plan to showcase.

With the aggregation space becoming increasingly competitive, how is Relum differentiating its platform in terms of content depth, performance and partner support?

Content depth is now expected in the aggregation space. Where we differentiate is in execution—how consistently that content performs, how easily it can be managed, and how quickly operators can respond to market changes.

We also place strong emphasis on partner support. We are now onboarding new providers almost every week, and we work closely with operators as long-term partners, ensuring they are not only integrating a platform but also actively using it as part of their growth strategy.

How do you balance player retention goals with sustainability and responsible gaming standards?

This is an ongoing challenge. Generally, the regulator wants players to play less, to spend less and to be more mindful of their time and finances. Retention, on the other hand, focuses on encouraging players to return, engage with content, and enjoy the experience over time. The end goals are seemingly at odds. But they are not.

Retention is not about driving players into making unwise decisions. It’s not about dark design practices devised to entice players into playing above their means. It’s about providing consistent entertainment, keeping players engaged, but doing so within the bounds of player protection frameworks.

How is Relum incorporating AI or machine-learning tools into its systems?

We are integrating AI and machine learning in a targeted and practical way. The focus is on improving operational efficiency, such as identifying patterns in player behaviour, supporting anomaly detection, and enhancing data interpretation for operators.

As an aggregation, we have an advantage here. We have vast quantities of anonymised player playing behaviour and patterns we can leverage into our products. So while now our focus is squarely on improving operational speed and removing friction, there is something cooking that will really get the turnover and GGR moving. Stay tuned!

“We are integrating AI and machine learning in a targeted and practical way.”

Răzvan Haiduc, chief product officer at Relum.

Which regions or verticals do you see as the biggest growth opportunities over the next 12–18 months, and how is the company positioning itself to capture them?

Generally, prediction markets will make a bigger and bigger buzz, especially in Europe. Yes, they will be regulated to within an inch of their life, but they will not disappear, and they will just move into the grey market. Humans love to gamble, and they love to gamble even more against other humans. We also love to be right, and “putting our money where our mouth is” is a natural follow-up.

For Relum specifically, we will continue on our path. AI (or what passes for AI for now) will continue to be a big focus. We have the data to train our models, and that’s what we’re preparing for. Other than that, the goal is to keep expanding our presence: more content, more markets and more provider gamification features. This is the core of Relum, this is what we’re good at, and this will continue to be our focus for the near future.

“Prediction markets will make a bigger and bigger buzz, especially in Europe.”

Răzvan Haiduc, chief product officer at Relum.