Asia
NEAR Protocol Completes Gaming Ecosystem by Onboarding Vortex Gaming

NEAR Foundation announced that the onboarding of Vortex Gaming, a Web3 subsidiary of a leading game industry INVEN, into the NEAR ecosystem has been confirmed through a strategic partnership. INVEN is the largest game media community in Korea, with a monthly active user (MAU) count reaching 7.2 million
In addition to onboarding content on NEAR Protocol, NEAR Foundation and INVEN plan to collaborate in supporting the growth of Vortex Gaming and strengthening the NEAR game ecosystem. Moreover, establishing an active collaboration system to enhance brand awareness and business network such as conducting offline hackathons and events to foster developer talent.
INVEN is the largest game media community in Korea. For over 20 years it has served as a leading company in the game industry, driving development as the top online game media platform. Based on content generated in-house, INVEN innovatively continues to expand to industries such as entertainment and Web3.
Vortex Gaming is a content-based game community that builds services optimized for Web3 games and provides a global social media platform and features such as Gaming Guild. Vortex Gaming aims to break stereotypes of current Web3 games by offering specialised content such as thorough analysis of in-game economy and the completeness of the game. By leveraging its successful experience in building Web2 communities, Vortex Gaming plans to establish a robust user base by incorporating both high quality content and INVEN’s existing wide pool of users.
NEAR Protocol is a global Layer 1 blockchain that focuses on usability and scalability. NEAR is also the Blockchain Operating System (BOS), an OS that allows Web2 companies and developers to effortlessly build decentralised apps and experiences for the open web. With BOS features like FastAuth, Web2 companies and developers can experience and onboarding process similar to login via email. These features facilitate the entry barrier present in the current Web3 game industry, and will play a pivotal role alongside Vortex Gaming in popularising the NEAR ecosystem for gaming.
Vortex Gaming CEO HOON JAI LEE said: “The ultimate goal is to build an integrated gamer community that encompasses both Web3 and traditional Web2 gamers by providing high quality Web3 and Web2 content alike.”
LEE added: “Gamers and their communities are the most crucial components of the game ecosystem. In addition to offering game content for gamers and their communities, Vortex Gaming envisions to establish a sustainable cycle by incentivizing gamers’ production of content such as character builds and game guides.”
Marieke Flament, CEO of NEAR Foundation, said: “Following the leading companies in the gaming industry such as Kakao Games, Wemade, Netmarble’s Marblex, we expect our sustainable game ecosystem to be further enhanced through this partnership with INVEN and look forward to making further inroads in this dynamic space.”
Scott Lee, Co-CEO of NEAR Korea, said: “While the strong content competitiveness of leading companies plays a crucial role in attracting many users to the NEAR ecosystem, community is the key driving force in maintaining this competitiveness.”
He added: “The synergy effects resulting from the onboarding of Vortex Gaming will further strengthen NEAR’s position as the optimal mainnet in the Web3 game ecosystem, accelerating ecosystem development.”
Asia
Faster Guest Entry at Korea’s INSPIRE Entertainment Resort’s Casino, Powered by Regula’s Technology

International guests arriving at South Korea’s largest foreigner-only casino, INSPIRE Entertainment Resort, now enjoy a significantly faster and more seamless check-in experience. Customer onboarding times have noticeably improved following the integration of Regula’s advanced identity verification technology. Regula Document Reader SDK, the most comprehensive ID verification solution in the world, integrates with the resort’s anti-money laundering (AML) procedures, boosting operational efficiency and compliance.
Seeking to enhance operational efficiency and meet evolving AML requirements, INSPIRE Entertainment Resort sought a faster and more accurate solution. The resort, which features a high-volume casino catering exclusively to foreign guests, needed a system capable of recognizing passports from around the globe with minimal friction.
Following vendor evaluations, INSPIRE selected Regula Document Reader SDK for its superior document reading speed, intuitive interface, and unmatched global ID coverage. Regula’s solution is powered by the company’s proprietary ID template database—the world’s largest—covering 15,000+ document templates across 254 countries and territories.
Deployed across six entrance stations, Regula Document Reader SDK enables real-time extraction and validation of critical ID data, such as name, date of birth, nationality, and passport number. This data is then passed directly to INSPIRE’s AML system, which in turn performs automated screening against external compliance and watchlist databases.
Since deploying Regula Document Reader SDK, INSPIRE Entertainment Resort casino has experienced:
- Faster document processing and guest entry.
- Significant reduction in manual rescans and staff workload.
- Consistently smooth onboarding, even during peak entry hours.
“As the team responsible for passport scanning at the casino, we’re very satisfied with the improvements Regula has brought. The speed of document processing has noticeably increased, and guest entry has become much smoother. It’s a reliable solution that has elevated the efficiency of our daily operations,” says Dr. Ilnam Lee, IT Director at INSPIRE Entertainment Resort.
“In industries like hospitality, every second counts. We’re happy to support INSPIRE Entertainment Resort in creating a faster and more secure guest onboarding experience while meeting strict AML requirements. Our focus is to make accurate identity verification seamless, even in complex international scenarios, and this project is a great example of that in action,” says Ihar Kliashchou, Chief Technology Officer at Regula.
The post Faster Guest Entry at Korea’s INSPIRE Entertainment Resort’s Casino, Powered by Regula’s Technology appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
Philippine Senate to Launch Inquiry into Online Gaming industry

The Philippine Senate’s committee on games and amusement is going to launch an inquiry to discuss a series of bills and proposals put forward to address concerns over the growth of online gambling, with the outcome likely to determine whether the industry should be subject to tighter regulations or possibly a total ban.
The inquiry, scheduled to take place from Thursday 14 August, follows the initial filing by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian in early July of a bill seeking to tighten rules around online gaming and specifically around the ease of utilizing e-wallets for cash transactions on online sites. That bill prompted others to push for a total ban, with Philippine President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr since revealing he would consider such a ban pending the outcome of discussions with various industry stakeholders.
“On Thursday we will tackle the bills on online gambling in the Senate committee on games and amusements. I made a commitment to prioritize these bills because the problem is escalating. It’s already a crisis. So, we really need to take action to solve this problem,” Senator Erwin Tulfo, one of the leading proponents of a total ban, said.
“Our problem is, we were not ready. There is no regulation, and it is why people are gambling recklessly. There is no control of up to how much to gamble. Come what may. Entire salaries are being gambled. Anything is being placed as a bet. Even children are gambling now.”
Tulfo revealed that the Senate committee will discuss four bills, three resolutions and a privilege speech addressing the social impact of the online gambling industry – also known as remote gaming or eGames. As reported by PAGCOR, the eGames sector generated GGR of US$2 billion in the first six months of 2025 alone.
Industry stakeholders, including licensed operators, have in recent weeks rallied to opposed a total ban while promising to support the implementation of some restrictions. On Friday, a group of 19 licensed online gaming operators announced the formation of the PlaySafe Alliance of the Philippines – a unified industry association they say is committed to responsible gaming, regulatory compliance, consumer protection and combatting illegal gambling.
The post Philippine Senate to Launch Inquiry into Online Gaming industry appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
MelBet Announces New Partnership with СPL 2024 Champion Saint Lucia Kings

MelBet has announced a new partnership with the СPL 2024 Champion Saint Lucia Kings.
As a Principal Partner, MelBet, the iGaming company, will support the Kings on their journey to defend their title during the upcoming season.
Both the platform and the team share the same belief: perseverance and tenacity make champions. Anyone who is inspired by the desire to win, who believes in themselves and never gives up, deserves a reward, and loyal MelBet fans know this better than anyone. As part of the partnership, MelBet will become an integral part of the St. Lucia Kings team, supporting players and fans on their way to victory.
“We’re excited to enter the season with MelBet as our Principal Partner. Their reputation for turning every moment into an unforgettable experience is a perfect match for our team. We’re confident that this partnership will bring us the luck and success we need as we aim for another great season,” said Satish Menon, CEO of Saint Lucia Kings.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome MelBet as our principal partner for the upcoming CPL Season 13. This partnership marks an exciting new chapter for the Saint Lucia Kings, and we are confident that MelBet’s passion for sports and commitment to excellence align perfectly with our own ambitions. We look forward to a successful season both on and off the field,” said Saurabh Arora, Chief Commercial Officer of Saint Lucia Kings.
The post MelBet Announces New Partnership with СPL 2024 Champion Saint Lucia Kings appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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