ZBD, the payments innovator powering real-money rewards for games, has introduced embedded in-game rewards, an evolution in how mobile games use real-money rewards to engage players, alongside launch partners including TapNation and Fumb Games.

Embedded rewards are a new approach to rewards in the mobile gaming industry, taking lessons learned from the rise of rewarded play apps to give any game the ability to incentivize users to play more, for longer and more profitably. Players can now earn real-money rewards inside the game, not a separate app, resulting in triple-digit retention boosts.

This solves an issue inherent in rewards apps which, while undeniably effective, limit the scale at which games can benefit from rewards by only applying rewards systems to users sent to a game from a specific app. Additionally, this system mostly performs well for IAP-monetized games due to the high cost of rewarded users, which are difficult to absorb for ad-monetized titles.

ZBD’s solution changes that. Already successfully integrated into titles such as Idle Bank, an idle tycoon hit by TapNation with more than 12M downloads, it embeds rewards directly into the gameplay experience. Powered by a lightweight SDK, the ZBD model drives improved retention and monetization for titles that monetize with ads as well as IAPs.

Philippe Lenormand, Head of Web3 at TapNation said:

“ZBD is taking a bold approach to boosting game monetization while keeping players happy, which comes at a good time for the industry. Embedded rewards have the potential to transform performance for games, especially those that partly rely on ad monetization.”

Beyond TapNation, the new SDK is already live in 20+ games from 7 other partners, including Fumb Games, PlayEmber and Hazmob. This includes a mix of older games, like Merge Monsters from Fumb Games, which saw a +181% increase in D7 retention after years of little activity, as well as new titles geared towards rewards, like Crypto Idle Tycoon by Ruleks Games, which saw its D30 retention climb by +355% and ad revenue per user by +124%.

Ben Cousens, Chief Strategy Officer at ZBD said:

“Rewards are proven beyond doubt to improve the value exchange between games and gamers, leading to powerful upticks in engagement, retention and monetization. With embedded rewards, we’re unlocking that potential beyond the constraints of rewarded UA channels. We’re using real-money payments to make a game more worth playing. And removing all the complexity that usually comes with payments to create a solution tailor-made for mobile game studios.”

Rewards powered by ZBD are always real money, not just in-game points. To facilitate this kind of money movement for amounts as small as a cent, ZBD uses the Bitcoin Lightning Network. But developers can choose whatever icon and currency name they want to show for the rewards, the Lightning Network is just the underlying payments layer that enables the transactions in real-time all over the world. ZBD has long offered a powerful payments API for studios to craft bespoke reward systems with custom logic, interfaces, and UX flows. The SDK builds on that foundation, transforming what was once an extensive technical integration into a ready-to-deploy layer that gets games live with rewards in less than a week.

Last month, ZBD announced its payments technology had been approved by Apple to enable native Bitcoin microtransactions in the mobile game SaruTobi, making it the first iOS game to integrate in-app purchases using Bitcoin. Now, embedded rewards are making it easy for any game to send microtransactions to players and gain massive performance boosts.

SOFTSWISS, a global tech provider of iGaming software solutions, has unveiled its latest report on Latin America’s iGaming landscape, providing a comprehensive, data-rich guide for operators navigating one of the industry’s fastest-evolving regions. 

After becoming the first certified iGaming software provider in Brazil and obtaining further approval in Peru, SOFTSWISS has deepened its regional expertise to help operators, regulators, and stakeholders better understand and operate within the dynamic LatAm iGaming market.

As the iGaming sector turns its eyes toward emerging markets, Latin America stands out as both a challenge and an opportunity. The newly released Latin America’s iGaming Market Overview from SOFTSWISS offers a detailed, country-by-country analysis of the region’s regulatory frameworks, market potential, and player behaviour. 

The report serves as a starting point for understanding gambling regulation across Latin America. It helps analysts, governmental institutions, and operators solve the problem of scattered and unclear information about the market peculiarities of the region’s countries, equipping stakeholders with the knowledge to build strategies grounded in local realities.

What’s Inside the Report?

The iGaming in Latin America Market Overview examines 19 jurisdictions and outlines their licensing conditions, taxation models, local ownership requirements, and digital infrastructure, which collectively shape the operating landscape. The 2025 edition offers:

• Detailed regulatory snapshots for land-based and online gambling in LatAm countries
• In-depth assessments of mobile penetration, payment infrastructure, and demographic trends
• Analysis of traditional betting culture and its impact on online product strategies
• Insights into upcoming reforms and their competitive implications

Many local experts note that the Latin American market is highly fragmented, with each country presenting its own unique regulatory landscape for iGaming. From Costa Rica’s legal grey zones to Paraguay’s border casinos and Brazil’s regulatory leap with Law No. 14.790, the report underscores how nuanced and fragmented the market remains. Understanding distinct frameworks is critical for any operator looking to succeed in the region, whose potential is really powerful when approached strategically.

Magnho José, President of Instituto Jogo Legal (IJL), comments: “Costa Rica’s open licensing model has positioned the country as a global hub for online gambling, serving operators from both Latin and North America. Meanwhile, border zones like Ciudad del Este in Paraguay host some of the region’s most established land-based casinos. Latin America’s market isn’t just growing, it’s geographically layered and commercially diverse.”

The SOFTSWISS overview gives operators a clear, data-informed view of where the region stands today – and where it is headed next.

Dario Leiman, Head of Business Development in Latin America at SOFTSWISS, shares his excitement: “With Brazil’s full-scale iGaming regulation now in place, SOFTSWISS is fully ready to operate in the market. In parallel, we’ve been evaluating opportunities in other Latin American countries. This report is more than a regional snapshot – it’s a practical tool for any operator looking to eliminate the guesswork from market entry and make informed decisions.”

The Latin America report is part of a broader effort by SOFTSWISS to deliver strategic, market-specific intelligence for iGaming professionals. Earlier this year, the company released the iGaming in South Africa 2025 report – an in-depth analysis of one of Africa’s most promising regulated markets.

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 35,000 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team counts over 2,000 employees.