ICE Barcelona 2026: Between Poker Wins and Talks on QA in iGaming

February 03 12:46 2026 by Yuliia Starostenko Print This Article

ICE Barcelona 2026 felt like a live arcade for grown-ups — playful, busy, and very on-brand for iGaming. Booths ran live demos back-to-back; visitors stayed engaged through interactive formats, and conversations quickly moved into practical questions. QATestLab stayed close to what teams are building and captured what matters for release readiness as products operate under regulatory constraints.

Event Overview

ICE Barcelona ran at full speed across three days. Large halls, long lanes, active demos in booths, and a steady stream of activities and giveaways kept the expo floor in motion from one zone to the next. Slots, online casino solutions, lotteries, and betting ecosystems were represented across the venue. Products were showcased live, and visitors actively engaged with the teams building them.

Planned meetings blended with ad-hoc chats across the halls and booth lanes. Requests were specific, and discussions quickly centered on delivery questions, release routines, and quality expectations.

Our Team at ICE Barcelona

We came with a focused delegation to connect with teams and capture the questions and priorities that kept surfacing on the floor.

Anton Yefimenko — Delivery Director
Tetiana Avramova — Key Account Manager
Nataliia Hrushka — Program Manager

AI in iGaming: What Changes in Release Readiness

AI has become a growing part of iGaming delivery workflows. Teams discussed AI use across product and operational routines, and the conversation quickly moved to release readiness. The QA angle focused on what must be verified before changes go live, how readiness criteria remain clear, and how teams maintain consistent outcomes across iterations and updates. A recurring point was review discipline: AI-touched output goes through validation and sign-off before it becomes a production decision.

That focus on verification is naturally connected to delivery pace. Many discussions then shifted toward automation and AI-enabled routines that keep release execution structured and predictable.

How Teams Try to Ship Faster

Delivery speed came up repeatedly during floor conversations. Teams discussed pace as a practical necessity and automation as the primary lever to keep it manageable amid frequent change. Process and test automation came up in the same breath, with AI often cited as a way to eliminate repetitive effort and keep release routines moving.

Scaling pressure was part of the backdrop, with teams aiming for higher release volume and tighter timelines. Ambitious rollout expectations surfaced, along with the need for sequencing that holds over time — maintainable automation, stable signals, and checks that remain repeatable from release to release. Many requests were niche-specific, and teams sought partners with proven experience in their segment when internal confidence in QA coverage was uneven.

Launches Start with Compliance Coverage

Compliance kept surfacing as a daily delivery factor for iGaming teams. Regulatory changes influence what teams build, how releases are planned, and which quality criteria become non-negotiable. Market expansion made this even more concrete: new regions introduce new constraints, and teams include compliance coverage in launch preparation.

A careful theme inside these conversations was confidence in execution. Teams value a structured approach that turns requirements into a clear verification scope, keeps coverage consistent across release cycles, and stays current as rules evolve. Live casino testing fits naturally into this space, since real-time gameplay adds public-facing pressure on stability and correctness, with limited room for uncertainty once users are already in the session.

Poker Tables, Rainy Streets, and One Lucky Number

ICE Barcelona created an atmosphere that suits iGaming, where entertainment blended seamlessly into the expo experience and the three days flowed naturally between demos, focused conversations, and energizing moments.

Our team decided to test our luck and were genuinely thrilled with the results. We celebrated three wins that added excitement to the schedule: a satisfying card game victory, an adrenaline-pumping roulette spin on black 13 that actually landed, and a branded cap from a client conversation that became our unexpected hero when Barcelona’s rain started pouring during our walk from the venue. While navigating the massive venue, we squeezed in spontaneous poker rounds that were just as memorable as the official programming.

Wrap-Up

ICE Barcelona 2026 highlighted where iGaming teams are putting attention right now. AI is becoming a familiar part of delivery workflows and keeps raising expectations for release readiness. Automation remains a core lever for speed, with teams seeking routines and checks that stay reliable as release pace increases. Compliance continues to shape launch plans as products expand into new regions.

If you want to discuss iGaming release readiness, compliance coverage, or testing support for fast-moving delivery cycles, contact QATestLab. We’ll align on scope, clarify priorities, and help you move toward controlled, predictable releases.