Fincore, the engineering-led technology partner behind leading gaming, iLottery and sports betting platforms, has launched Break Clean, a public call for higher standards in system architecture, integration quality and long-term platform reliability across the sector.
To support the initiative, Fincore has released the Break Clean Manifesto, which examines the industry’s growing dependence on ageing technology and the rising operational cost of maintaining it. According to the Manifesto, 38% of technology budgets in the gaming sector are now tied up in legacy maintenance, leaving many operators “spending more to stand still than to move forward.”
The manifesto acknowledges that technical debt is rarely caused by lack of effort or skill. It’s a natural outcome of real-world pressures: deadlines, inherited architectures, shifting requirements, and the demands of live operations. Break Clean gives commercial teams, engineers and operators a way to reset without losing momentum.
Mateja Popovic, CEO of Fincore, said the industry must confront the true impact of technical debt.
“Too many operators are held back by messy stacks and fragile integrations that slow them down. What concerns me most is the amount of budget being spent simply to keep systems on life support instead of moving the business forward. Technical debt happens naturally in fast-moving environments, it’s not a failure of the people doing the work. But it does compound. Break Clean is about giving teams the clarity and confidence to start fresh, without disruption or blame.”
“Break Clean is our call for a higher standard. If this industry wants real progress, the backbone systems must be engineered clean, transparent, and reliable from day one. Operators deserve clarity, not codewashing; confidence, not compromise.”The Manifesto highlights that many operators still rely on outdated platforms for essential processes such as onboarding, payments and compliance, with three-quarters citing legacy infrastructure as a leading cause of downtime and poor player experience. It also notes that global technical debt now exceeds $1.5 trillion, placing regulated sectors under growing pressure to modernise without disrupting live operations. Break Clean positions meaningful progress as a shift toward clean, modular and auditable architectures that reduce integration risk, accelerate delivery and rebuild trust in core systems. It frames modernisation not as a disruptive overhaul, but as a disciplined move away from brittle, patch-driven designs. Fincore supports this stance through its long-standing delivery record, powering more than 20 national and state lotteries and over 30 commercial gaming brands across 25+ regulated jurisdictions with all contracts delivered successfully.
