Local Insight Over Generic Expansion: Taluana Muscat’s View on Regulated Growth

In regulated iGaming markets, expansion is often reduced to licenses, certifications, and timelines. However, in her NEXT.io Spotlight interview, Taluana Muskat, Lead Sales Manager in Amusnet shared a clear and practical view: true market success goes far beyond securing approvals.

For suppliers, the real challenge begins after gaining access: how to become genuinely relevant in a new environment with its own regulations, player behavior, and commercial culture.

You cannot treat one market as the others... Understanding the market better makes you feel more local and offers what is relevant for the players.

Muscat emphasized that expansion starts with deep preparation — business research, compliance alignment, and especially local insight — long before the license is granted. Even markets in the same region can demand completely different approaches. Local relationships, cultural understanding, and tailored execution ultimately decide whether a supplier thrives or simply exists in a regulated market.

Regulated Growth Starts Before the License

Successful expansion into regulated markets is not primarily about securing a license or certificate — it begins much earlier with deep, proactive preparation.

According to Taluana, a dedicated business and research team starts evaluating markets as soon as regulatory signals appear.

This goes far beyond legal and technical compliance. It involves:

• Understanding local player behavior, maturity levels, and preferences (slots, live casino, crash games, etc.)

• Assessing whether the market is ready — including payment systems, operator readiness, and responsible gaming expectations

• Evaluating what content will actually resonate locally rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach

• Building relationships with regulators, local consultants, and on-the-ground partners

Regulation itself is viewed positively — it builds trust and confidence for both operators and players by ensuring fairness and responsibility. However, treating it as a mere checkbox leads to generic solutions that fail to connect.

Amusenet’s approach emphasizes localization and human relationships over pure data. While research and consultants provide valuable insights, nothing replaces being "there with your own eyes'' and developing authentic cultural understanding. AI and data have limits when cultural nuances and trust are involved.

Regulation Adds Complexity

While entering regulated markets undeniably adds layers of complexity, it is far from a purely negative factor. In fact, strong regulation serves as a foundation for sustainable growth by creating confidence among operators, players, and stakeholders.

In the interview, Taluana from Amusenet highlights this balanced view:

“Regulation gives the operators and players confidence as well... it’s not a negative thing. It can add complexity but it’s not a negative. Not at all. We depend on the regulations to offer something that is fair for the players as well and is responsible.”

Practical Realities of Regulation:

• Strict rules can limit room for certain innovations in some jurisdictions.

• Compliance requires close coordination between business, legal, and technical teams.

• Content must be adapted to local responsible gaming standards and player expectations.

• Yet, these requirements force suppliers to deliver higher-quality, fairer, and more responsible products.

This relationship-building helps navigate complexity more effectively while speeding up time-to-market where possible.

The Trust Multiplier

Regulation levels the playing field. It reassures players that games are fair and protects operators by establishing clear standards. In emerging markets where regulation is still developing, the presence (or imminent arrival) of rules often signals commercial readiness.

This dual nature — complexity paired with credibility — is why leading suppliers like Amusenet invest heavily in compliance not just as a cost of entry, but as a strategic advantage that strengthens long-term market positioning and player loyalty.

Emerging Markets Need a Readiness Check

When discussing emerging markets, Taluana focused on practical readiness rather than just opportunity size.

She highlighted several key checks suppliers must make:

• Are players familiar with slots, live casino, or similar games?

• Is the market mature enough?

• Are operators ready to deliver content responsibly?

• Are payments straightforward?

• Is regulation emerging or was the activity previously restricted?

An emerging market may look promising, but success requires a tailored approach. Early entry without proper understanding often fails. Suppliers should prioritize local partnerships, selective content, and deep market insight before scaling.

Data Shows the Market, but People Explain It

One of the strongest parts of the interview was Muscat’s distinction between data and interpretation. Research matters, and she described how the company works with internal teams, local people, and consultants to understand markets more deeply. But she also made clear that data alone is not enough.

As she put it, “Data shows you what is happening.” The real challenge is understanding why it is happening.

That is where local relationships become important. A person who knows the market can explain cultural signals that may not appear clearly in performance data. A word, product theme, or game mechanic can carry a different meaning from one culture to another. A supplier looking only at numbers may see the result but miss the reason behind it.

A word that has a meaning on paper... culturally can mean something completely different. So only if you are from the culture... you can understand. The machine cannot learn that yet unless we have a lot of data for them to understand.

Localization Is a Product Decision

Localization is not just a language or marketing task — it is a fundamental product decision. Taluana emphasized that "localization is very important", explaining that suppliers must understand whether clients need bespoke games and whether a product category fits player behavior in that specific market.

She highlighted that Amusenet focuses on its core strengths in slots, live casino, and crash games rather than chasing every new trend. This approach requires real cross-functional collaboration, with product and technical teams joining conferences and client discussions when relevant. Only through this alignment can suppliers adapt their offerings effectively and deliver content that truly feels local to players.

What Suppliers Should Stop Doing

Taluanа’s final advice was direct and clear:

Stop treating your market like one market as the same market as everyone... stop treating it as generic.

Suppliers must stop applying the same approach across different territories. Regulated growth requires a deep understanding of each market to make the right decisions in product, commercial strategy, and compliance. Licenses open the door, but they do not create relevance on their own. True success comes from proper research, local relationships, cultural insight, and the willingness to adapt offerings to each specific market.

For more insight into regulated market growth and iGaming expansion strategy, read our new interview with Taluana in Linkedin