Kalamba CTO Warns: Why the Monolith is a Liability in Modern iGaming

The online casino world is undergoing a technological shift that goes far beyond mere game visuals. While players search for the next big win, software providers are battling behind the scenes in an architectural debate that could determine their long-term survival. Michał Ochman, CTO and co-founder of Kalamba Games, is sounding the alarm regarding traditional monolithic structures. In these systems, the entire platform operates as a single, rigid block, which Ochman views as a massive threat to the scalability of modern gaming platforms. What might seem like a purely technical concern at first glance is actually a critical business risk for operators and developers alike.

In a traditional monolith, the game engine, random number generator (RNG), wallet integrations, and reporting tools are inextricably linked. This means that even the smallest change to a single game, such as adjusting a paytable on a basic fruit slot, can require a complete rebuild and extensive testing of the entire system. For companies with catalogs growing into hundreds of titles, this situation becomes unsustainable. Complexity does not increase linearly but exponentially, leading to a waste of resources on maintenance rather than innovation.

Numbers and facts

The scale of the problem is clear when looking at the numbers. While smaller teams managing around 100,000 lines of code can still function well with a monolith, platforms expanding into the territory of millions of lines of code reach their breaking point. Michał Ochman emphasizes that at Kalamba Games, switching to microservices allows for new games to be deployed in minutes rather than days. This is due to the strict separation of core infrastructure from individual game logic. Furthermore, this architecture enables targeted load balancing. If a game goes viral, the entire Remote Gaming Server (RGS) does not need to scale; only the specific instances for that title are spun up. This saves significant costs on cloud infrastructure by only scaling what is actually under load.

“In a Monolith, your RGS is a ‘black box’. If you want to change the paytable on a single fruit slot or create a new report based on updated regulatory requirements, you have to rebuild the whole package.” - Michał Ochman, CTO and Co-founder of Kalamba Games

Background

However, moving to microservices brings its own set of challenges. Ochman warns of the "distributed monolith," where code is broken into 20 pieces but remains so tightly coupled that they must still be deployed all at once or in a specific order. The solution lies in asynchronous, event-driven communication using technologies like Kafka. Instead of services calling each other and waiting for a response, they should emit events that other components process independently. This also requires a shift in staffing: companies must stop hiring just coders and instead look for platform developers who understand the entire ecosystem. A single bet can travel through 5 to 25 different services, requiring high levels of monitoring and API management.

Why it matters for German players

For German customers playing at casinos licensed by the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), these technical developments have a direct impact on stability and speed. According to the Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2021 (GlüStV 2021), all transactions and gameplay must be accurately recorded and reported to the LUGAS system. A microservices architecture ensures that even if a non-critical service fails, such as a tournament leaderboard, the core gameplay and the 1,000 Euro monthly deposit limits remain uninterrupted. The separation of math and graphics also allows for faster visual updates without altering the mathematical models strictly audited under German law.

What it means for GGL-licensed casinos

German operators benefit from higher reliability. Since loading times are a critical factor for user retention, edge computing combined with microservices offers the chance to bring processing power closer to the player in cities like Frankfurt. This reduces latency that could negatively affect the gaming experience. Additionally, it simplifies compliance with strict German rules, such as the 1 Euro limit per spin, as these verification mechanisms can be implemented as isolated, highly available services. For GGL-licensed providers, this means a faster time-to-market for new titles and more robust adherence to player protection requirements.