Industry Truths and No Gatekeeping: An Interview with Mihail Criclevit

The iGaming industry is notoriously fast-paced, highly competitive, and, at times, fiercely exclusive. Breaking through the noise requires more than just a solid resume - it takes a sharp mind for numbers and an uncompromising approach to authenticity.

In this exclusive interview for Chase the Scatter, Borna Valent sits down with Mihail Criclevit, the founder of OnlyiGaming.com. With over a decade of hands-on experience building iGaming enterprises from the inside out, Mihail has transitioned from the world of affiliate marketing and acquisition to creating a decentralized, unbiased B2B hub for the entire sector. Known for his unfiltered insights on LinkedIn, Mihail shares his thoughts on dismantling industry gatekeeping, the shifting landscape of player acquisition, and why reputation remains the absolute highest currency in the business.

Q: Who is Mihail Criclevit?

A: I spent over a decade building iGaming businesses from the inside before I built one for the industry itself. My background is affiliates and acquisition. These days I run OnlyiGaming.com. I say what I actually think on LinkedIn, which keeps things interesting.

Q: What initially drew you into the fast-paced world of iGaming?

A: Honestly it found me. I came up through affiliate marketing and iGaming was where the volume and the money actually were. What kept me here is that it’s a pure results business. Nobody cares about your CV or where you went to school. They care whether you can move the numbers. That suited how I work. It’s fast, it’s competitive, and it punishes people who coast. I like that.

Q: Can you walk us through what OnlyiGaming is and the core problem you set out to solve?

A: OnlyiGaming is a B2B platform for the iGaming industry. A directory, company profiles with real reviews, news, a jobs board, and a community. The problem I set out to fix is that this industry is fragmented and most of it is pay to play. Other directories charge you to be listed and rank whoever pays the most. Media outlets push whoever advertises with them. So as a buyer you never really know if what you’re looking at is honest.

We do it differently. Listings are free, anyone can leave a review, and the goal is one place where operators, suppliers and affiliates can actually find each other and trust what they see. No barrier to entry, no agenda.

Q: How important is creating an inclusive, collaborative space where everyone can connect without bias?

A: It matters more than anything. iGaming has a reputation for being closed and cliquey. Same faces, same circles, and if you’re new you have no idea where to start. The community I built is the opposite of that. Four hundred plus people now, operators, suppliers, affiliates and people hunting for jobs, all in one room helping each other.

No gatekeeping. Knowledge in this industry shouldn’t be locked behind who you happen to know or how much you spent on a conference badge. The whole point is to open the door for people who’d otherwise be stuck outside it.

Q: How do you see the broader iGaming and affiliate landscape evolving over the next 3 to 5 years?

A: Regulation keeps tightening and that’s not reversing. The markets that matter will be regulated markets and the grey era is ending. Affiliates feel this hardest. The old spray and pray SEO affiliate is finished. If you’re an affiliate now you have to become a real media business or you disappear.

On the operator side, expect more consolidation and fewer independent brands. And the industry has to grow up about player safety and treat it as a real metric, not just hide behind GGR and NGR. On top of all that, AI is going to change content and acquisition faster than most people in this space are ready for.

Q: What role do you envision OnlyiGaming playing as these shifts happen?

A: My job is to be the place people trust while all of that plays out. When the noise gets louder, neutral and reliable becomes more valuable, not less. I want OnlyiGaming to be the first place someone checks when they want to find a partner, hire someone, or just understand what’s actually happening, without a sales pitch attached to the answer. The definitive B2B platform for the industry. That’s what I’m building toward and I’m not in a rush, because this kind of thing is earned, not bought.

Q: What is the single most important piece of advice you’d give someone stepping into iGaming today?

A: Pick one thing and get genuinely good at it before you try to do everything. This industry is full of people doing ten things badly. And remember that reputation is the only currency that compounds here. It’s a small world, everyone talks, and the work you do today follows you for years. So be someone people want to work with twice. That’s the whole game.

Final Thoughts: The True Currency of iGaming

Success in a hyper-competitive field isn’t built on a polished resume or exclusive club memberships; it is driven entirely by transparency, relentless focus, and a track record that speaks for itself. As tighter regulations and shifting acquisition strategies redefine the sector, the value of an unbiased, trustworthy space becomes undeniable.

Building a lasting presence means focusing on mastering your niche and recognizing that in a tightly-knit, fast-moving environment, your reputation is always your most valuable asset. Delivering consistent, high-quality results is the only definitive way to stay ahead of the game.