Award-winning disruptor, iGaming tech and service provider Fast Track, is leading the industry into a new era of digital transformation – one defined by its innovative, AI-powered natural language CRM platform, writes Lauren Harrison.
Designed to better understand and communicate with players while simplifying internal processes, the platform might just be the next level of AI evolution.
By freeing up CRM departments to focus on what really matters–getting creative without technical barriers–, it elevates product and service to better retain consumers and protect against risk.
Leading the way into this new era is CEO and Fastrack co-founder Simon Lidzén.
Often described as a “visionary leader”, Simon earned his stripes at leading industry names such as Betfair and Betsson, where he held senior roles, including Head of Innovation, honing his expertise before founding Fastrack in 2016.
Welcome Simon.
In a previous interview with IGF, you described Fast Track’s new AI-powered natural language CRM as “CRM re-engineered for the natural language era”. How do you see natural language understanding impacting operator workflows, both in terms of campaign creation and ongoing player communications over the next few years?
“I was recently on a panel with the CEOs of Flutter, Super Group, Betsson, and Betfred.
“They all emphasised the same point: Workflow automation and the adoption of advanced AI technologies are now core priorities for the industry. So this isn’t just my perspective, it’s a clear direction shared by some of the largest operator groups in the world.
“It’s not a module or a feature; it’s a platform. And it’s the industry’s first natural language CRM platform, connected to real-time and transactional-level data covering every aspect of the customer journey.
“The platform also integrates with our Singularity Model, which allows operators to essentially build algorithms for one-to-one experiences directly inside the platform.
“It is going to fundamentally change how operators work.
“This vision has been a long time coming, and it’s been difficult to achieve. But for the first time ever, operators can create an incredibly elevated customer experience and a new way to engage players.
“The technology enables a dramatically improved customer experience, empowering CRM professionals and managers to unleash their creativity, without the constant technical barriers that have historically slowed them down.”
How is Fast Track handling the balance between maximising personalisation and ensuring that players are treated fairly, without promotions being exploited?
“One of the biggest hurdles for operators when they start working with us is ensuring they can stream real-time data and maintain a high level of data quality.
“Once that’s achieved–which Fast Track helps organisations do–the next challenge is preventing issues like bonus abuse or incorrect player targeting.
“To avoid this, we built Greco, a gameplay risk engine which analyses transactions in real-time and uses advanced AI models and machine learning to evaluate how generous an operator should be towards a player. This makes it very easy to manage.
“Of course, effective scaling also requires strong data and customer modelling, but Greco makes managing these risks much easier. Most operators don’t have the in-house data science capabilities to build such systems themselves, so we’ve made that part of our solution.
“We’re developing advanced value modelling capabilities further and are now working on a new model called True Value, in partnership with Greco, which we’re hoping to launch later this year.
“True Value will help operators better understand how generous they can be with bonuses, identify problematic player behaviours, and even decide whether a campaign should be sent at all.
“It can also optimise acquisition sources by showing which traffic performs best.”
As AI continues to advance, do you expect it to reshape what a CRM platform delivers? Could it evolve beyond traditional CRM functions to include areas like responsible gaming, adaptive bonus systems, or player safety?
“I think the biggest shift that we’re going to see in the near future is to workflows: How we get from idea to execution.
“The AI advancements and technical disruptions happening right now are completely redefining how we approach work as organisations. Fast Track AI is already fundamentally changing things, and its capabilities will only continue to expand.
“In the future, AI modelling will definitely be used for responsible gambling markers, adaptive bonuses and many other proactive areas. It’s going to get more progressive and innovative over time.
“But right now, the focus for most organisations is on workflow automation and streamlining labour-intensive tasks, which significantly increases productivity.”
With the extra time and resources saved through AI automation, how can operators best leverage this new capacity to drive growth and increase player value?
“Different organisations will approach this in their own unique ways.
“At Fast Track, we’ve always believed that every business has its own unique identity and values that should guide how it uses technology.
“Most organisations are not looking to replace people; they’re excited about using AI to create a next-gen experience. That said, people and teams do need to be adaptable, embracing new technologies and changes. Those who lean in will prove to be an asset.
“The industry is entering a period of major digital transformation, and it is a tremendous opportunity for organisations and for every individual within them.”
Editor’s Note:
As the iGaming industry races towards ever greater levels of AI adoption, Fast Track is busy keeping the human edge alive.
In creating the industry’s first natural language CRM platform, connected to real-time, transactional-level data across every aspect of the customer journey, Fast Track is offering operators a genuinely elevated consumer experience.
This is what Simon calls “the natural language era”. And, in his view, it’s about to change everything.
When integrated with the company’s Singularity Model, the platform enables operators to create individualised player journeys. Combined with Greco, Fast Track’s gameplay risk engine, it also mitigates concerns around fraud or inaccurate bonus targeting.
And, with the forthcoming True Value model, Fast Track will soon be offering operators the ability to determine exactly how generous to be with each player, based on real-time data.
This vision of an AI-based natural language platform is a version of CRM that is not just intelligent, but intuitive.
