Overreliance on legacy VIP systems threatens ‘silent churn’, new survey finds

A recent study revealed that VIP account managers in the online gambling industry predominantly depend on spreadsheets and manual decision-making tools rather than specialised automation or AI systems. 

This reliance places many high-value players at risk of “silent churn”, where VIP players become inactive without warning, posing a significant challenge for operators.

The report, titled The State of VIP Operations, was compiled by The Playa in collaboration with Gaming Operations Academy and WarriorLab.

Conducted in 2026, it surveyed 70 professionals actively engaged in VIP management, including VIP account managers, heads of VIP and consultants, with 64% employed directly by gambling operators. 

The report sought to understand how VIP portfolios are managed daily, how the tools are utilised and other key operational challenges.

The ‘silent churn’

Although three-quarters of respondents rated their VIP data as good or very good, 71% reported data spread across multiple systems. Half admitted sometimes making decisions with incomplete or outdated information. 

“Silent churn” was prevalent, with nearly half (46%) stating that VIP players often or very often became inactive without prior warning. Around 48% had no indicators of players’ behavioural signals or health. Co-author Viktoriia Grygorenko, CEO at The Playa, called this finding the “clearest commercial case in the report”.

“Every other finding – portfolio overload, fragmented data, reactive workflow, no behavioural signal – resolves here, in revenue that walks out without notice, without warning and without anyone getting the chance to intervene.” 

There was also strong interest in prioritisation tools, with 75% placing high value (8/10 or above) on daily prioritised action guidance for each player. 

However, 38% expressed concern that adopting AI might reduce the personal, human touch in VIP management. 

Large portfolios are a sticking point

Within the survey, none of the respondents selected AI or automation as their primary tool for managing VIP portfolios.

Instead, spreadsheets and business-intelligence dashboards each accounted for 30%, and CRM platforms followed at 24%. Only 15% used AI/automation tools in any capacity, and then only as secondary aids.

Large and demanding portfolios were highlighted as a key challenge, with 64% of managers overseeing 100 or more VIPs, while one in five managed more than 500. 

The report highlighted the intense workload by estimating that a manager looking after 250 players would have roughly 100 seconds to commit to each player each day if their time was split equally. Data quality and fragmentation were also issues. 

Grygorenko emphasised that prioritisation was the key to adapting these portfolio sizes. 

“[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,” she added. 

The role of technology and human oversight

Satisfaction with existing tools scored an average of 6 out of 10. Co-author Gali Hartuv, CEO and co-founder at WarriorLab described this “middling satisfaction” as “the most expensive kind”.

While VIP managers welcomed AI for prioritising their workload, the report suggested they remained cautious about delegating a final judgment to opaque automated systems. 

The report’s authors noted that VIP managers “are not asking to be replaced” but desire tools that assist by triaging and pointing out priority players, while humans maintain relationship control and make final decisions.

What do operators want?

Respondents identified several priorities for improving VIP operations. These included an integrated system combining player data, communication history and task management. 

Respondents also requested structured and consistent guidelines with key performance indicators aligned to relationship outcomes. Real-time, detailed data alongside predictive behavioural signals also came up as a frequent answer.

Managerial autonomy supported by senior leadership was also mentioned by respondents.

“VIP operations is the most human function in iGaming, run by the smallest teams, on the least purpose-built technology, against the shortest-horizon metrics,” said Grygorenko.

“The findings show that VIP managers are asking for a clearer signal on who needs attention, what has changed and where their judgment can have the greatest impact.”

Grygorenko and Hartuv will continue the conversation next week with the iGB webinar (How) should AI engage high-value players?

Changing VIP programme in the UK

VIP operations have changed drastically over year last ten years. In October 2020, a new code of conduct came into force in the UK following a consultation process between the Gambling Commission and the Betting and Gaming Council.

This required operators to subject players to rigorous checks before signing up new VIPs, including having their betting behaviour being closely monitored. 

Operators were also banned from incentivising customers based on losses, and reward programmes must be overseen by senior management. The code restricts any player under the age of 25 from taking part. 

According to a GC report from 2025, the number of VIP customers in the market had dropped by 95% per operator since the strengthening of restrictions.