To avoid becoming a victim of vendor lock-in, you need to focus on choosing the right partner and ensure transparency in all aspects of cooperation. Clear agreements regarding billing rules, documentation, and other key elements are essential. Read this article to the end to discover simple tips that will help you develop your iGaming platform on your own terms without being dependent on providers.
What is vendor lock-in and what does it involve?
Vendor lock-in is a situation where a client becomes heavily dependent on a single service, product, or solution provider, making it difficult, expensive, or even impossible to switch to another provider. An example of this could be a company developing an iGaming platform without securing its rights to the documentation.
Red flags you should watch out for
Vendor lock-in is often used by providers who are not confident in their service. If you are working with iGaming platform providers who prioritize quality and transparency, you are unlikely to face vendor lock-in.
However, some common tactics used by providers who apply vendor lock-in include:
- Lack of clear and regularly updated technical documentation available to the client.
- Limited or even difficult access to support teams.
- Unclear contract terms regarding access to code upon termination.
- Long-term contracts with restrictive obligations.
- Limited interoperability.
How to protect yourself from vendor lock-in
To avoid vendor lock-in, every iGaming platform operator must be cautious from the very first stage of cooperation with an agency. Decisions should be based on facts and data rather than first impressions. In practice, this means taking simple steps such as: requesting a demo of a previously developed platform or system, having face-to-face meetings not only with the sales team but also with operational and technical experts, and thoroughly analyzing the contract to ensure access rights to code and technical documentation. It is worth starting with a smaller project to evaluate real cooperation at every stage, including formal aspects, work quality and pace, billing, and communication. It is also crucial to establish an exit strategy already at the contract-signing stage.
Examples of vendor lock-in in igaming
- Lack of access to technical documentation.
- Inability to migrate data.
- Difficult communication with the project team.
- Long-term contracts without clearly defined exit strategies.
If you are one of the operators already caught in the vendor lock-in trap and now struggle not only with competition but also with internal technological issues, start with these simple steps:
- Analyze your contract terms – check if you have access to code, documentation, and data.
- Identify key problems – determine which components are most problematic, such as dependence on a specific API, lack of infrastructure access, limited scalability, or low system performance.
- Conduct independent brand monitoring online – use tools that don’t require access to the code. This will provide arguments your current provider cannot dispute.
- Optimize what you can – based on collected data, make improvements in available areas. At the same time, work with your internal team and consultants to develop an exit strategy.
- Check if legal regulations work in your favor – analyze whether current laws can help you gain access to data and systems.
- Estimate costs and losses – determine the cost of potential migration and losses from existing problems. Make decisions based on facts, not emotions or frustration.
- Consider renegotiating the contract – in some cases, changing the terms of cooperation to more balanced conditions may be the best solution.
- Create a gradual independence plan – step by step, reduce dependency on specific system components until you can fully migrate.
Contracts free from vendor lock-in in iGaming
At createIT, we follow a no vendor lock policy, based on the principle: “any code or documentation at any step is your property.” Our clients often choose an activation service package before signing the main contract, allowing us to confirm our expertise in the iGaming industry while helping them optimize their business from day one. The first phase of services that our clients most often choose includes a technical audit extended with SEO aspects, a data-driven UX audit, and business workshops. We also frequently conduct demo sessions, allowing clients to see our solutions in action and evaluate whether they align with their vision and business needs.
