Ivan Livov, Chief Information Officer at Vivo Gaming, oversees the technology and product strategy behind one of the industry’s established live casino providers. As operators increasingly look beyond traditional live dealer tables toward personalized, branded, and localized experiences, Vivo Gaming has expanded its global studio network while developing flexible products designed to serve diverse player preferences across regulated markets.
In this CasinoRank interview, Livov discusses how player expectations are reshaping live casino, from mobile-first product design and personalized lobbies to the growing importance of localization, branded environments, and long-term engagement. He also explains why understanding individual markets, not simply expanding into them, is becoming one of the industry’s biggest competitive advantages.
Vivo Gaming recently redesigned its live casino lobby with features like favorites and VIP-focused navigation. What does this reveal about changing player behavior over the last few years?
Ivan Livov: Player expectations have evolved significantly over the past few years. Today’s players are predominantly mobile-first, have access to faster networks, and expect a more personalized experience. They want to access their preferred games quickly, continue sessions seamlessly, and spend less time navigating menus. At the same time, we are seeing growing demand from VIP and high-value players who expect a more curated experience tailored to their preferences.
The redesign of our lobby reflects these changes. Features such as favorites, recently played games, and VIP-focused navigation help players find relevant content faster and create a more intuitive and personalized journey. The industry is moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and toward experiences that adapt to individual player behavior.
Vivo Gaming has expanded its studio network across LATAM, Europe, and Asia. Where are operators still underestimating the complexity of scaling live casino across different markets?
Ivan Livov: One of the most common mistakes operators make is assuming that regions such as LATAM, Southeast Asia, or even Europe can be treated as single markets. In reality, each country has unique cultural preferences, player behaviors, payment habits, regulatory changes, and expectations regarding presentation and communication.
Successful localization goes far beyond translating a user interface. It requires adapting dealers, languages, accents, visual presentation, game preferences, promotional strategies, and even branding to local audiences. Operators that invest in genuine localization typically achieve stronger engagement and retention than those relying on global products designed for every market but optimized for none.
Your Promotional Tournament Tool has driven major increases in player activity. Why do so many live casino retention tools fail to create engagement beyond short-term bonus activity?
Ivan Livov: Many retention initiatives fail because they focus primarily on short-term acquisition rather than long-term engagement. Generic promotions often attract bonus hunters without creating meaningful reasons for players to return after the campaign ends. Complicated mechanics, unclear rewards, and lack of localization can further reduce their effectiveness.
What we have seen is that engagement grows when promotions become part of the overall entertainment experience. Tournaments are a good example because they introduce competition, achievement, and recurring participation. Even short events with modest prizes can generate significant activity when they are well designed, easy to understand, and aligned with the preferences of the target audience.
As operators demand more localized, entertainment-driven experiences, how has Vivo Gaming adapted its studio development and product design?
Ivan Livov: The role of a live casino supplier has expanded significantly. Operators no longer want standardized content alone; they want experiences that reflect their own brand identity and help them differentiate themselves in increasingly competitive markets.
As a result, flexibility has become a core part of our product strategy. We invest heavily in customizable environments, private and semi-private tables, dedicated studio setups, and branded experiences. One particularly successful innovation has been allowing operators to integrate their branding directly into our chroma-based environments, creating a seamless and highly recognizable experience for their players while maintaining the operational efficiency of a shared platform.
Live casino players today are heavily influenced by streaming culture, mobile-first habits, and shorter attention spans. Which gameplay formats or table experiences are proving most effective at keeping players engaged for longer sessions?
Ivan Livov: Traditional live casino games continue to perform exceptionally well, particularly Roulette and Baccarat, which remain among our most popular products globally. At the same time, player preferences vary significantly by region, with markets such as India showing strong demand for localized titles like Teen Patti and Andar Bahar. We also continue to see strong engagement from high-value Blackjack players.
Beyond the games themselves, engagement is increasingly driven by the overall experience. Tournaments, localized content, premium dealer interactions, and branded environments all contribute to longer session times. Players are looking for entertainment, personalization, and a sense of connection, not just access to a game.
Which player expectations have changed most over the past two years, and where are operators still relying on outdated assumptions about live dealer engagement?
Ivan Livov: Players today expect much higher levels of personalization, quality, and localization than they did even a few years ago. High-definition video, low latency, mobile optimization, and culturally relevant content are increasingly viewed as standard requirements rather than premium features. Players also expect experiences that feel tailored to their preferences and region.
Many operators still underestimate the importance of localization and continue to rely on the assumption that successful content in one market will perform equally well everywhere else. In our experience, player engagement improves significantly when operators invest in local dealers, local languages, culturally relevant presentation, and market-specific experiences rather than relying solely on global content strategies.
Looking ahead, which areas of the business are you prioritizing most over the next two years, and how do you expect Vivo Gaming’s live casino offering to evolve alongside changing player expectations?
Ivan Livov: Over the next two years, our primary focus will be expanding our studio footprint, increasing our game portfolio, and continuing to enhance the flexibility and customization available to our operator partners. We see growing demand for branded experiences, private and semi-private environments, and localized content that allows operators to differentiate themselves in their respective markets.
More broadly, I believe the future of live casino will become increasingly localized rather than globalized. While technology will continue to improve, the greatest competitive advantage will come from understanding specific player communities and delivering experiences that feel genuinely local. Vivo Gaming intends to remain at the forefront of that trend by combining operational flexibility, strong localization capabilities, and close collaboration with our partners.
With a background in digital media and a keen eye for emerging technologies, Ronaldo bridges the gap between players and platforms through clear, insightful reporting to the iGaming industry.
