As players settle into the festive period between Christmas and New Year, iGaming platforms see heightened activity, with player engagement holding steady across logins and deposits. Seasonal promotions are visible across inboxes, apps, and game lobbies, keeping digital channels busy and competition for attention strong. In this lively holiday environment, delivering engagement that feels thoughtful and relevant becomes increasingly important. Instead of relying on broad seasonal campaigns, many operators are using artificial intelligence (AI) to personalise player experiences in real time. By tailoring content, offers, and interactions to individual behaviour, AI is helping platforms sustain holiday engagement in a way that remains responsive and aligned with player expectations.
AI-driven personalisation is playing a growing role in how operators manage engagement during busy periods, while also supporting efficiency and responsible play. With better real-time data tools, machine learning, and automation, platforms are now able to respond to player behaviour as it happens rather than relying on fixed segments or pre-set campaigns. During the festive season, when players’ attention is more divided and expectations tend to rise, having a more responsive approach becomes particularly important.
Rather than relying on blanket promotions, operators are increasingly using AI to tailor content, offers, and interactions to individual players. From personalised lobbies to targeted rewards and automated safeguards, AI is influencing how player journeys are managed during the busiest weeks of the year.
Speaking on how AI supports personalisation during holiday traffic spikes, Keith Zammit, CEO of Elevate AI, said high-traffic periods demand systems that can react faster than manual decision-making. “High-traffic periods require architecture that moves faster than human decision-making. At Elevate AI, we help operators deploy Real-Time Recommendation Layers that sit on top of their existing platforms. This allows us to build a dynamic ‘Player DNA’ profile that updates instantly with every interaction.”
He explained that one practical application is dynamic interface management. “We often implement Dynamic Interface Reconfiguration. Instead of a static holiday lobby, the AI automatically rearranges the game thumbnails for each user. If a player shows a preference for high-volatility mechanics, the lobby will surface high-volatility holiday games immediately.”
Zammit also highlighted the importance of context in delivering timely offers. “We also focus on Contextual Triggers. The AI analyses the player’s current environment, such as mobile device type or time of day, to deliver offers when they are most likely to convert. This ensures the festive content feels like a curated service rather than a generic blast.”
On being asked how AI changes the way operators approach festive campaigns, Zammit pointed to a shift away from traditional segmentation. “The biggest shift we facilitate is moving from ‘segmentation’ to true Generative Personalisation. Blanket promotions fail because they treat thousands of players as a single group.”
He said generative AI allows creative content to be tailored to individual interests. “Our approach allows operators to use Generative AI for Creative Assets. Rather than sending one standard ‘Merry Christmas’ email, the AI can generate unique banner images and copy tailored to individual player interests. A sports bettor might see a holiday-themed football creative, while a slots player sees a festive reel.”
AI also plays a role in controlling promotional spend during busy periods. “We also enable Predictive Budget Allocation. Instead of wasting bonus spend on players who would have deposited anyway, the AI predicts the ‘lift’ of an offer for each user. It calculates the precise bonus amount needed to motivate a specific player, ensuring marketing budget is invested where it yields the highest return.”
Discussing the most effective AI-driven tools currently being adopted, Zammit said operators are focusing on three key areas. “As an R&D partner, we are helping operators integrate three distinct categories of tools right now.”
The first involves interactive engagement mechanics.“First are AI-Driven Gamification Engines. These tools go beyond simple bonuses by creating interactive ‘missions’ or ‘tournaments’ in real time. For example, the system might trigger a personalised ‘Santa’s Sleigh’ challenge where a player earns points for specific in-game achievements.”
He also highlighted advances in conversational AI. “Second is Conversational AI. We are moving past basic support chatbots to deploy ‘VIP Hosting Agents.’ These are AI assistants capable of natural, unscripted conversation. They can proactively reach out to high-value players with tailored holiday greetings or exclusive offers, mimicking the service of a human host at scale.”
The third area focuses on retention. “Third is Churn Prediction Modeling. During the holidays, player attention is fragmented. We build models that detect micro-signals of disengagement, such as a missed login streak, and trigger an automatic ‘win-back’ offer before the player actually leaves.”
Reflecting more broadly on the holiday period, Zammit said the season presents a significant opportunity for operators, but one that requires moving beyond static campaigns towards ecosystems where interactions can be personalised in real time. He noted that by integrating technologies ranging from generative creative tools to immersive gamification engines, operators can turn standard seasonal promotions into more tailored, value-driven player journeys.
Zammit also stressed that heightened engagement during the holidays must be supported by proactive behavioural analysis to ensure player safety is not compromised. He said navigating this increasingly complex technology landscape is where companies such as Elevate AI work closely with operators, helping bridge the gap between emerging innovation and practical, scalable implementation.
While discussing responsible engagement during the festive season, Zammit said that protective measures should be built directly into AI systems rather than introduced at a later stage. “We believe responsible gaming must be an automated safeguard rather than a manual afterthought. We assist operators in launching or building Proactive Behavioural Analysis systems.”
He explained how these systems monitor risk in real time. “These systems use Real-Time Risk Scoring to monitor markers like increased deposit frequency or chasing losses. Because the model learns from historical data, it can distinguish between healthy holiday enthusiasm and problematic behaviour.”
When thresholds are reached, AI-driven interventions are triggered. “If a risk threshold is crossed, the AI executes a Subtle Intervention. This could be a gentle ‘cool-down’ suggestion, a simple chat intervention or a temporary pause on marketing messages.”
Zammit said that automation helps operators maintain a balance between engagement and player protection during the busiest period of the year. “By automating this protection, we ensure that the operator captures the holiday upside while maintaining a safety net that protects the player without disrupting their enjoyment.”
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