Optimove acquires gamification-led CRM specialist Smartico
- Optimove has signed an agreement to acquire Smartico, the iGaming CRM and gamification platform, with the deal expected to close within weeks.
- Both companies will continue to operate independently, with Smartico’s founders retaining full control over strategy, product roadmap, and day-to-day operations.
- Financial terms were not disclosed.
Optimove has signed an agreement to acquire Smartico, the gamification-led CRM marketing platform, in a deal that consolidates two of the most prominent player engagement solutions in the iGaming industry.
The transaction is expected to close within the coming weeks, according to an announcement published on 6 April.
Independent rivals, shared owner
Despite the acquisition, both companies will continue to function as fully independent businesses. Each will maintain its own brand, team, product strategy, and market positioning.
Smartico’s founding team will retain complete decision-making authority over the company’s direction and operations. Existing clients will see no changes to their product, pricing, or service model.
The deal brings together two platforms with distinct origins. Optimove built its reputation on data analytics and AI-driven decisioning, helping operators segment and personalise player communications at scale.
Smartico made its name by embedding gamification directly into the CRM layer, a combination that represented a genuinely new category within iGaming marketing at the time of its launch.
Optimove will continue developing its own gamification and loyalty product, Optimove Gamify, in parallel with Smartico’s independent roadmap. Both companies have stated that continued competition between the two platforms is intentional, on the basis that rivalry drives innovation.
A $185bn market backdrop
The acquisition arrives against a backdrop of sustained growth in online gaming. According to the Online Gambling Market: Global Trends, Regulation & Forecast 2025–2033 report, the global online gambling market reached $95.3bn in 2024 and is projected to expand to $185.17bn by 2033.
Demand for sophisticated CRM and AI tools has grown together with that expansion. Operators are seeking to improve retention and lifetime player value across increasingly regulated and competitive markets.
Pini Yakuel, Founder and CEO of Optimove, said:
“What impressed us about Smartico is the combination of product strength, service excellence, and the way the company has been built. Like Optimove, they created a strong business that was bootstrapped. What began as a hobby by four enthusiasts driven by the challenge of player retention quickly evolved into something very real.”
“They made smart investments, built an excellent team, and delivered genuine value to clients. Smartico was the competitor that stood out, and that’s because they did something original: they were first to bring gamification and CRM marketing together as a compelling marketing advantage that iGaming operators adopted. The category now has two leading platforms. We built one and we’ve backed the other.”
Arman Gal, CEO and Co-Founder of Smartico, said:
“We’re proud to join forces with Optimove at such an important moment for the iGaming CRM industry. From the beginning, we built Smartico with a clear product vision, strong execution, and a deep commitment to creating real value for customers. We appreciate the trust that Pini and the Optimove team have placed in what we’ve built,” Gal said.
“What makes this step especially meaningful for us is that Smartico remains fully independent, with the same leadership, the same team, and full control over our product strategy and roadmap. That allows us to keep moving forward as ourselves, while benefiting from greater strength and opportunity. This partnership gives us more firepower to scale faster, serve the market even better, and continue innovating in the player engagement space we helped shape.”
Consolidation, not convergence
The deal signals a maturation of the iGaming CRM sector, with consolidation beginning to reshape a space that has historically been fragmented.
For operators, the immediate practical outcome is continuity. Smartico’s product and team remain unchanged. The longer-term question is whether two competing platforms, now under shared ownership, can sustain genuinely independent roadmaps as the market matures.
With both companies publicly committed to separate innovation tracks, operators navigating M&A activity in the vendor landscape will be watching closely to see whether that structural independence holds as the sector consolidates further.
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