Baltics
The importance of reg-tech for new market expansion
Mark Chakravarti, Investment Director at SportingWin, talks about the operator’s experience of securing a licence in Bulgaria and how it will now use its in-house regulatory platform to enter additional European markets
I would argue that a proprietary regulatory platform is the most important thing for operators looking to drive European market expansion. Without a modern, agile platform that provides the insight that regulators require, licence applications will be drawn out for months and even years.
At SportingWin, we came to learn this the hard way.
When we started the business back in 2019, we identified Bulgaria as being a market of huge potential and one that we were keen to make our debut. Based on our assessment, AGR would hit 20% a year for the next five years, leading to a market value of €500m per year.
We then set about compiling the legal paperwork required by the National Revenue Agency for the licence application – this was a significant task in its own right, but we would soon learn that this was just the very start of the process.
The Bulgarian regulator is one of the most stringent in the world, which of course is a good thing. It ensures that the operators that do secure approval to enter the market are of the highest calibre especially when it comes to responsible gambling.
Under its requirements, operators must be able to deliver certain insights and information to the regulator in real time and this in turn requires a powerful, agile regulatory platform. Ultimately, we took the decision to develop this technology in-house.
While this was the right course of action, it significantly slowed down our licence application process while the regulator and our in-house development team worked together to ensure that it was fully compliant with its requirements.
We eventually reached the point where the National Revenue Agency was happy with the paperwork we submitted and our proprietary reg-tech platform, giving us the green light to enter the market in January 2021. Since then, we have gained incredible traction with players.
As with most operators, we are now looking to take SportingWin into additional markets and our in-house developed regulatory platform will be the foundation for building out our presence across the region. It really is impressive and now that it has been certified in Bulgaria, it can be used elsewhere.
We have identified Romania as our next market and while we have yet to submit our application to the regulator, our proprietary regulatory platform will ensure it is a much easier – and faster – process than that in Bulgaria.
This is for several reasons. Given just how stringent the National Revenue Agency is with its standards and enforcing them, other jurisdictions are happy to approve our platform without subjecting it to the same level of scrutiny again.
The same applies to a lot of the paperwork that we completed as part of our application in Bulgaria – for example, the Romanian regulator is happy to carry this over as well as the technical and software certifications that we were granted.
Of course, local regulators will still carry out their own investigations and will want to test certain aspects of our platforms, tech and software, but much of the hard work has already been done and this will allow us to enter additional markets at pace – we anticipate being live in Romania in H1.
In addition to an in-house regulatory platform, approved paperwork and the experience of having been through a licence application, the final piece of the puzzle operators need is a European trademark for their brand/brands.
We have recently secured this for SportingWin and it really does put us in the driving seat to identify and enter regulated European markets with an incredibly strong brand, superior product offering and a powerful regulatory platform running in the background.
Because of this, SportingWin is an attractive proposition for investors looking to join our success story. Due to the technical foundations we have in place, the investment we secure is pumped into marketing our brand in each country, which in turn allows us to generate significant share quickly.
Despite having been live in Bulgaria for only a year, we have a large and loyal player base and in Q4, generated €500,000 in NGR. This is set to grow significantly off the back of our recently-announced partnership with Pinnacle, allowing us to add a betting exchange to our offering for the first time.
As with most small to medium-sized operators, the team behind SportingWin has a long-term plan for the business and that is to grow it into an exciting acquisition opportunity for one of the power players looking to build their presence in regulated markets across Europe.
Without our proprietary regulator platform, European trademark and growing collection of licences, SportingWin would simply not be on the radar of these organisations, let alone be considered a serious M&A opportunity.
Of course, there is still a lot of work to do before we reach that chapter of our story but given that the founders of SportingWin have built and sold betting businesses before, it is one that I am confident we will write in next to no time at all.
Meanwhile, we will continue to use our regulatory platform to launch our player-favourite brand and superior betting experience into markets across Europe, generating substantial revenues from each of the jurisdictions we target.
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Baltics
PopOK Gaming partners with Lithuania’s TOPsport
PopOK Gaming has partnered with Lithuanian operator TOPsport to integrate PopOK’s content into TOPsport’s platform.
Under the agreement, TOPsport players will gain access to PopOK Gaming’s catalogue, including slots, live casino titles and instant games.
“We are incredibly proud to collaborate with TOPsport, a brand that defines excellence in the Lithuanian market,” said Luiza Melikyan, Head of Business Development of PopOK Gaming. “Our mission has always been to provide high-quality, entertaining content that resonates with players. Partnering with a market leader like TOPsport allows us to showcase our innovation to a massive audience and reinforces our commitment to growth in regulated European markets.”
TOPsport CEO Dainius Gulbinas said: “This collaboration is an important step for both teams. PopOK’s engaging content and dynamic entertainment format are a strong addition to the TOPsport platform, helping us deliver even more variety, quality, and excitement to Lithuanian players.”
PopOK Gaming said the integration supports TOPsport’s strategy to broaden its entertainment offering in the region.
The post PopOK Gaming partners with Lithuania’s TOPsport appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Baltics
HIPTHER Celebrates Estonia’s Startup Ecosystem & Tallinn Homecoming with Eestistartup
HIPTHER is proud to announce a new community-driven initiative for HIPTHER Baltics & Nordics: Tallinn 2026, opening 50 fully complimentary delegate passes for members of Eestistartup.ee, one of Estonia’s largest startup communities, bringing together more than 1,000 startups across the country’s fast-growing innovation ecosystem.
The initiative is launched in collaboration with Daniel Gunba, founder of Eestistartup, long-standing friend of the #hipthers community, and recurring HIPTHER conference speaker. Designed as a friendship project rooted in shared respect for Estonia’s founders and innovators, the initiative aims to support local startup access to international industry dialogue, networking, and business opportunities.
Taking place on 2 June 2026 at Hilton Tallinn Park, HIPTHER Baltics & Nordics: Tallinn 2026 will explore Digital Governance, Startup Innovation, Nordic Market Expansion, fintech, compliance, AI, digital identity, investment, and regulated technology ecosystems — making the collaboration a natural fit for Estonia’s startup community.
Through the initiative, selected Eestistartup members will receive full access to the conference programme, networking sessions, lunch, and the evening networking party, including one complimentary drink.
More than a delegate pass, the initiative reflects HIPTHER’s commitment to opening doors for ambitious builders, connecting founders with decision-makers, and celebrating Tallinn’s role as one of Europe’s most dynamic centres for digital governance, entrepreneurship, and technology leadership.
As HIPTHER OÜ proudly calls Estonia home, Tallinn 2026 carries special meaning for the #hipthers team. The event represents both a regional milestone and a homecoming — a chance to bring HIPTHER’s international community closer to the founders, innovators, and tech leaders shaping Estonia’s next chapter.
“Estonia has always represented something bigger than just a startup ecosystem. It’s a mindset, practical innovation, digital-first thinking, and founders who build without waiting for permission. As HIPTHER OÜ proudly calls Estonia home, creating this initiative together with Daniel and the Eestistartup community felt natural. Tallinn 2026 is not just another conference stop for us; it’s a chance to give back, open doors, and connect local builders with an international network of decision-makers, investors, and innovators. Also, let’s be honest… in Estonia, even bureaucracy somehow feels like it runs on startup logic.” said Zoltan Tundik, Co-Founder & Head of Business at HIPTHER.
The collaboration with Eestistartup strengthens HIPTHER Tallinn’s mission to bring together startup founders, regulators, investors, fintech leaders, gaming and tech companies, compliance experts, and digital policy voices in one focused, high-value environment.
With Estonia widely recognised for its digital-first mindset and startup success stories, Tallinn offers the ideal setting for conversations that move beyond theory and into practical ecosystem growth, cross-border cooperation, and future-ready innovation.
Daniel Gunba, Founder of the Eestistartup Community, commented: “Through the collaboration between the Estonian startup community and HIPTHER, we are opening the doors for industry professionals to connect with our startup founders. This is the moment when the crowd will experience 100% synergy between founders who have been on the market for many years and founders who are ready to create, explore, and grow.
Estonia has always been a talent hub, and I am happy that together with Zoltan and his team, we found a way to empower it even more!”
HIPTHER Baltics & Nordics: Tallinn will serve as the grand finale of the 2026 HIPTHER Baltics series, following the highly successful Vilnius and Riga editions, and will also host the HIPTHER Baltic & Nordics Gaming Awards Ceremony & Closing Party.
Complimentary passes for Eestistartup members are limited to 50 and available through the official application form.
Apply here: https://hipther.com/events/tallinn/eestistartup/
Event information: https://hipther.com/events/tallinn/
The post HIPTHER Celebrates Estonia’s Startup Ecosystem & Tallinn Homecoming with Eestistartup appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Baltics
Kanggiten: From B2C Insight to B2B Performance in iGaming
As TechXperience Stage Sponsor of HIPTHER Baltics: Riga 2026, Kanggiten brings its performance-focused platform and operational expertise to the heart of the event’s technology discussions. We spoke with Ivan Korkin, Head of Account Management at Kanggiten, about translating B2C experience into scalable B2B solutions and driving measurable growth in today’s iGaming landscape.
How would you position Kanggiten today, and what core value does your platform deliver to partners?
– Kanggiten today is a modular iGaming platform built specifically for teams that operate on the B2C side. The core idea behind the product is simple: we take over 10 years of real operational experience and translate it into technology that helps partners turn traffic into measurable revenue.
From a technical perspective, the platform combines all key elements: casino and sportsbook engines, aggregation, payments, analytics, CRM, and affiliate management – within a single ecosystem. This allows operators to manage the entire lifecycle without fragmentation.
Another important aspect is adaptability. The platform is designed to support multi-geo operations, including local payment methods, currencies, and compliance requirements, which is critical for performance in different markets.
In terms of collaboration, we provide flexible models – from white label setups for fast market entry within a few weeks, to more customized turnkey solutions depending on the scale and maturity of the project.
What are your next steps for scaling the business and strengthening Kanggiten’s market position?
– Our current focus is split between product evolution and business expansion.
On the product side, we are actively developing new capabilities, including predictive tools that will help marketing teams make more informed decisions based on data patterns inside the platform.
At the same time, we are scaling commercially. We’re onboarding new clients, launching additional brands, and expanding into new markets. 2026 is already showing strong momentum, especially as our visibility in the market has increased and inbound demand continues to grow.
So in practical terms, our priorities are clear: expand geographically, grow the number of active brands on the platform, and continue investing in product development.
How has your experience with end users shaped your B2B approach, and how is this reflected in your product and results? Could you share an example?
– Our B2C background fundamentally defines how we approach product development. We don’t build features based on assumptions – everything is tested and validated through real user behavior.
There are several areas where this is especially visible.
First is retention. Today, sustainable growth is driven more by retention than by acquisition. That’s why we focus heavily on onboarding flows, CRM logic, bonus structures, and reactivation strategies. Retention is not a standalone tool – it’s a system built on continuous testing and data analysis.
Second is segmentation. Personalization only works when it’s built on meaningful segmentation. We test different traffic groups, analyze behavioral patterns, and create tailored scenarios for each segment. This directly impacts monetization efficiency.
Third is the use of AI. At this stage, AI is no longer experimental – it’s embedded into operations. We apply it in fraud prevention, KYC, content generation, and support automation to improve both efficiency and decision-making.
And finally, distribution channels. We work across a wide range of touchpoints, which allows operators to engage users in different environments and adapt quickly when market conditions change.
If we look at a practical example, GEO-specific behavior plays a critical role. In Turkey, even small UI details like how percentage values are displayed can influence conversion.
In LATAM, on the other hand, fraud patterns are more prominent, so we implement additional AI-driven verification layers. These insights are transferable once validated in one market, they can be applied in others with similar characteristics.
What challenges do operators and affiliates most often face after working with other platforms, where do they typically lose revenue or users, and how do you address these issues?
– In most cases, the issues are not unique – they repeat across different operators and platforms.
One of the main gaps is conversion management. Many platforms generate traffic but lack the tools to properly analyze and optimize the funnel. Without clear visibility into user behavior, improving conversion becomes difficult.
Another area is engagement. Gamification is often either too basic or requires additional development. In practice, it should be a core part of the platform, not an add-on, because it directly impacts retention and revenue.
Scalability is also a frequent issue. Platforms may perform well at a smaller scale but struggle under higher load. Without real operational experience, these limitations often appear too late. Our approach combines stable infrastructure with continuous adaptation, allowing us to maintain performance under growth.
Retention is another critical point. It doesn’t happen automatically – it needs to be engineered through segmentation, personalized communication, and ongoing experimentation. This is where our B2C experience plays a key role.
If we break it down further, operators typically lose performance in four areas:
conversion inefficiencies, lack of GEO adaptation, technical limitations, and slow time-to-market.
We address these by building the platform as a flexible system that evolves continuously rather than a static product.
What factors have the greatest impact on growth and conversion today, and how do you see these evolving in 2026–2027?
– One of the main drivers will be hyper-personalization. Platforms will increasingly adapt in real time to individual user behavior, shaping unique experiences for each session.
At the same time, market expansion will continue to fuel growth. New regions and emerging markets will open additional opportunities for operators, along with new approaches to acquisition and engagement.
Another major shift will come from automation. Operational processes will become increasingly automated, reducing manual workload and improving efficiency.
This will be driven not only by AI in general, but by more advanced, agent-based systems that can handle tasks such as content generation, customer interaction, and fraud detection with minimal human involvement.
Overall, the direction is clear: more data-driven decision-making, more automation, and more adaptive user experiences.
The post Kanggiten: From B2C Insight to B2B Performance in iGaming appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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