White Labels hold utility in era of cost control

Cost control is not a glamorous term and is certainly not an enjoyable business discipline. Yet it now sits at the top of every executive team’s vernacular, in an era of relentless corporate adjustments as they simply aim to maintain growth.

These are testing times for all iGaming incumbents, competing in the backend of an already disruptive 2020s, in which the only assurance is that everyone is skating on thin ice.

As of April 2026, the UK has entered the “40% era” on iGaming taxes, not quite joining the frosty ranks of France, Germany and Poland, but positioning itself amongst the highest-taxed regimes of Western Europe.

Yet tax increases are only one point of harm, as all business accounts detail the heightening costs of compliance, customer onboarding, marketing, supplier fees, social responsibility and customer care.

Anxieties are topped as investor pressure demands that leadership keep those operating margins from thinning. Yet no executive can retort that in the 2020s those margins have hit the Ozempic needle.

Once more, it’s back to the drawing board, as a revision of all costs is undertaken, in which platform and value chain come under renewed scrutiny. However, this tough environment gives us the opportunity to test an industry dogma: that white label models are no longer fit for purpose?

EveryMatrix: Redefine the model

The view was put to Richardt Funch, our Global Commercial Director, who believes that while white labels’ “all-in-one model” may be stained in status, it still offers utility in tougher market conditions… just don’t call it a “white label”.

“White labels have been around for some time but are far less common today. We decided to relinquish our operating licences in the UK and Denmark in 2019 to focus on advanced platform technology via turnkey delivery,” Funch explains.

“Since then the business has gone from strength-to-strength, working with some of the largest regulated tier-1 operators and lotteries in the world and recording our best-ever year for new turnkey business in 2025/2026 in 18 years.”

Funch’s argument is less about revival and more about redefinition. The industry may have turned its back on the traditional white label model, citing that it was always a “cookie-cutter approach that has been proven to no longer work in regulated markets”. Instead, focusing on turnkey delivery that is bespoke to the needs of individual operators and lotteries.

In an era where operators are reassessing every layer of their cost base, the question is no longer whether white label “works”, but whether elements of its efficiency can be repackaged into something more sustainable.

Funch points to a “changed philosophy” prioritising turnkey delivery and optimisation.

“White labels may sometimes offer quick wins, but rarely do they offer more than that, compared to turnkey delivery that offers a long-term, sustainable approach enabling consistent growth.”

The focus on optimised delivery of customised solutions has proved fruitful for EveryMatrix, which now views itself as a pioneer of turnkey delivery to improve margin control on core services.

“We’ve proved this model works for the most respected brands in our industry, with year-on-year growth and leading market positions,” adds Funch, framing what he calls the “EveryMatrix Effect” as operators increasingly opt for turnkey over traditional white label.

The original version of this article was published by iGaming Expert.