From gaming to innovation: why the iGaming industry must embrace blockchain
According to data from the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and H2 Gambling Capital, in 2024, the gross gaming revenue (GGR) in Europe reached €123.4 billion. This figure alone reflects the scale of a constantly growing industry – but also the great responsibility carried by those operating in the online gaming market. In such a regulated, competitive environment, constantly under the scrutiny of lawmakers and public opinion, technology can become a powerful ally.
That’s precisely the belief of Alessandro Brigato, Project Manager at Blockchain Italia and CEO of TokNox, a document tokenisation platform that aims to revolutionise how companies – including those in the iGaming sector – manage data and digital processes. We interviewed him at the We Make Future event to better understand how blockchain can represent a true turning point for the gaming industry.
“When people hear ‘blockchain’ and ‘gaming’ in the same sentence, their minds immediately jump to Bitcoin, decentralised casinos, or collectible NFTs,” explains Brigato. “But blockchain is so much more. It’s a solid, immutable technological infrastructure that can bring enormous value to business processes in terms of transparency and security”.
TokNox was created precisely to meet this need. It is a platform that allows companies to certify and manage documents, data, and processes through the Algorand blockchain, using advanced notarisation and tokenisation techniques. Essentially, every document can be transformed into an advanced NFT, compliant with European standards like eIDAS 2.0, guaranteeing authenticity, integrity, and traceability.
Why blockchain is crucial for iGaming
The connection with the iGaming sector is immediate. This is an industry where data management is critical – both for regulatory compliance and for building player trust. Think of KYC processes, age verification, license management, or affiliate contracts. Today, these processes often rely on centralised, opaque, and potentially vulnerable systems.
“Blockchain changes all of that,” Brigato continues. “Thanks to Zero Knowledge Proofs, for example, we can prove a player is of legal age without storing or exposing their personal data. Or we can immutably certify a tax document or a license certificate, making it permanently available and verifiable.”
Italian know-how driving global innovation
Blockchain Italia has already demonstrated the real-world potential of these solutions. Since 2018, the company has developed projects such as Itachain for tracing Made in Italy products, the Dedit.io platform – with thousands of active clients for data notarisation – and collaborations with major players like Auditel to certify TV audience data. This expertise now translates into TokNox, designed to bring blockchain into gaming and other highly regulated industries.
Barriers to overcome: culture and regulation
But what are the main obstacles to this innovation? According to Brigato, the first is cultural. “Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of misinformation. Blockchain is often only associated with financial speculation or scams. In reality, it’s a technology just like cloud computing or artificial intelligence, with practical applications that are fundamental for security and transparency.”
The second obstacle is regulatory. Currently, Europe’s MiCA regulation provides a framework for digital assets, but there is still no clear, unified regulatory framework for the widespread adoption of blockchain in document management. Even on the topic of digital identity, despite progress with eIDAS 2.0 and the European Digital Identity Wallet, shared and scalable standards are still lacking.
“We already have technologies ready for use, like Self-Sovereign Identity and Zero Knowledge Proofs,” adds Brigato. “But without a stable and interoperable regulatory framework, companies struggle to adopt them on a large scale – especially in an international sector like gaming.”
TokNox: a reality, not just a concept
Despite these challenges, TokNox is already operational and ready for the B2B market. The platform enables companies to digitise document management with high standards of security, authentication, and traceability, ensuring compliance and reliability.
“We started with the corporate world, where demand is strong and concrete,” explains Brigato. “Now we want to bring these solutions to the end-user as well, making them intuitive and accessible. The potential is enormous, but it requires significant effort in communication and education.”
The journey, however, is not simple. Each company and sector has specific needs, and document tokenisation is an extremely versatile technology. The market needs to be guided case by case, through practical examples and real-world use cases.
“In the gaming industry, for instance, we can start with the most sensitive processes: KYC, affiliate contracts, licenses, auditing. Every document certified and managed through blockchain increases trust, reduces risks, and makes processes more efficient,” concludes Brigato.
The future of iGaming is transparent and digital
In an industry where reputation and compliance are critical, blockchain represents a strategic, discreet, yet powerful ally. Those operating in iGaming can no longer afford outdated approaches to data management. It’s time to look beyond speculative trends and embrace the tangible, practical potential of blockchain – in service of security, transparency, and innovation.
As demonstrated by the experience of Blockchain Italia and TokNox, technological evolution offers concrete tools to build a more reliable industry, where data management becomes a competitive advantage rather than a vulnerability. This isn’t futurism or distant speculation: blockchain is already here, ready to support the transformation of gaming.
And those who seize its potential today will be ready to win the game of trust, compliance, and innovation tomorrow.
This article was first published in Italian on 27 June 2025.
