SBC Summit 2025 will provide delegates with a comprehensive overview of the latest developments shaping Asian sports betting and iGaming, delivered through its new Emerging Markets conference track.

On Thursday, 18 September 2025, at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL), the stage will bring together Asia’s leading industry figures to examine a market valued at over $18.3 billion last year. Sessions will cover how operators can navigate compliance across the continent’s diverse jurisdictions, whether India is moving towards a regulated market, and if the wider Asia-Pacific region represents the next major opportunity for international businesses.

The Asia-focused track will mark the culmination of three days of conference action on the Emerging Markets Stage. Day one will explore opportunities in Africa, and day two will analyse the markets of Eurasia and the Middle East.

Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and founder of SBC, said: “If you’re building a global gaming business, you can’t afford to ignore Asia. This track makes it clear why the region belongs at the center of every long-term growth strategy.

Advertisement

“Asia needs a platform where regulators, operators, suppliers, and investors can talk openly. SBC is proud to provide that space, and the Emerging Markets stage is the centerpiece of that effort.”

Opening the discussion is the panel Asia: Navigating Regulation, Opportunity and Uncertainty, which will take an in-depth look at the regulatory landscape across the entire region. Here, industry experts Rory Anderson (Consultant, 12BET), Paul Fox (Chairman & Founder, Claymore Solutions), Lau Kok Keng (Head of Intellectual Property, Sports & Gaming, Rajah & Tan Singapore), Yuta Romanchenko (CBDO, Big Idea), and panel moderator Rosalind Wade (CEO, WinnaMedia) will explore contrasting jurisdictions, from the rise of alternative betting in India to Macau’s entrenched land-based sector, while also assessing which countries are most primed for investment and market entry.

India’s Regulatory Roadmap: The Next Decade for Gaming will shine a spotlight on the country’s complex state-by-state framework and the legal divide between games of skill and games of chance, which has created a unique environment: fantasy sports, lottery, and horse racing have flourished, while online gaming and traditional sports betting remain largely restricted. Bringing together Ranjana Adhikari (Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co Advocates & Solicitors), Anton Kaszubowski (Managing Director, SBC Advisory), and Japneet Singh Sethi (Chief Growth Officer – South Asia, iGaming NDA), the panel will explore whether the industry is moving toward meaningful regulation or if the grey market will continue to dominate.

The panel Philippines: Life after POGOs will bring together Dominique Laconico (President & CEO, MegaBet+ & Scorebet), Keith McDonnell (Director, KMI Group), Joe Pisano (CEO, Jade Gaming), and Marie Antonette “Tonet” Quiogue (Principal, Arden Consult) to examine the country’s shift from offshore gaming operators (POGOs) to the newly introduced PIGOs. The discussion will explore whether this transition makes the Philippines Asia’s first truly regulated market, the continuing role of PAGCOR, the fate of overseas populations once served by POGOs and the lessons other Asian jurisdictions can draw from this model.

The SBC Summit 2025 agenda also includes the Global Markets stage, which will provide a focused look at the world’s most profitable sports betting and iGaming markets. Over the course of three days, delegates will gain insights into strategies for market entry and expansion in Latin America & Brazil, Western Europe and North America.

Advertisement

Get your tickets for SBC Summit 2025 today!

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Online poker’s not the sleepy mix of static cash tables and rinse-repeat tourney grids it used to be. Business Wire predicts that by 2030, the market will hit $11.4 billion, fuelled by cross-platform play and new competitive formats. But here’s the catch: growth brings noise. And in 2025, grabbing attention is only half the game — keeping it has become just as critical. And we all know that retention is the table you can’t afford to fold.

Over the recent years, gamification has turned into one of poker’s strongest retention plays. When it’s done right, it keeps players around, sparks repeat visits, and forges loyalty. They come back tomorrow, next week, next month — and your competitors can’t pry them away. The idea sounds simple enough — weave in game-style mechanics to make poker richer and more engaging, without killing the skill game underneath.

EvenBet Gaming’s research breaks it into three targets:

• Give players more reasons to return.
• Make onboarding smooth and rewarding.
• Build loyalty with experiences that feel personal, competitive, and worth bragging about.

Churn burns profit. Gamification done right is an infrastructure that breeds loyalty. Done wrong? You’re just another site with flashing badges that no one cares about.

Gamification, Not Gamblification

Before diving into mechanics, it is important to set one thing straight. Gamification boosts engagement — leaderboards that show you who’s climbing, missions that push you to try new formats, achievement badges you actually want to unlock. It challenges players, rewards skill, and deepens the game. “Gamblification” is where it all turns sour. That’s when mechanics push for profit at the expense of player wellbeing — pressure-loop rewards, unclear payout systems, anything designed to keep people clicking long after the fun’s gone. These tactics can backfire, invite regulatory attention, and eat away at players’ trust.

Advertisement

Gamification should make the player-platform bond stronger. It’s open, skill-focused, and it stays within responsible-gaming boundaries. Otherwise, you’re just playing short-term roulette with your long-term survival.

Core Gamification Mechanics in Poker

Here’s the thing — gamification works best when it’s layered, not just thrown on top of the existing game. You’ve still got poker at the centre, but now there’s more to play for. EvenBet Gaming’s toolkit has a bit of everything, with a mix of proven features that operators need to keep players active and returning.

Leaderboards

People like to see where they stand, and a good leaderboard hits that primal “beat the other guy” instinct. Doesn’t matter if it’s hands played, rake pulled, or weird challenges only five people care about. Timeframes can be daily, weekly, or monthly, ensuring fresh challenges and preventing leaderboard fatigue. Players stick around to climb, rivals get personal, and your community gets tighter.

To avoid burnout and excessive gamblification, EvenBet’s customer success department doesn’t recommend creating only leaderboards based on pure game volume. As a flexible tool, leaderboards have a better use for boosting attention to specific game or tournament types (for example, hands played in 5-card Omaha), creating targeted demand.

Advertisement

Missions, Quests, and Challenges

Give a player a target and they’ll chase it. Win with pocket sevens, log 50 games, or try that Sunday knockout tourney — whatever keeps them moving. Segment it: beginners get gentle ramps; grinders chase big targets. Toss in tickets, cash, or even just brag-worthy status bumps — and suddenly, casual play has a storyline. This meta-layer adds structure to casual play, nudging players into consistent engagement.

“Different mission types work specifically on various segments of a poker room audience”, explains Nikita Golodaev, Business Account Manager at EvenBet Gaming. “For example, guided missions targeted to explore poker room features and game types keep new players on the platform and decrease early churn. Soft streaks (3-5 days) encourage regular sessions without burnout”.

Achievements and Badges

First win, first deep run, first time they actually fold kings preflop — badges give players proof they’re climbing. Badges make progress visible, they’re milestones and conversation starters. This visual recognition encourages players to develop their skills and makes long-term goals more tangible.

Progressive Systems

Experience points (XP) and rakeback have always been staples in poker loyalty systems. They’re poker loyalty basics. EvenBet’s Progressive Rakeback with a tiered, time-limited structure turns the game into a race — 6 tiers from Aluminium all the way up to Platinum. Every tier gives you a little more, but fall behind — and you drop. The gamified progression adds urgency, encouraging regular play to maintain or advance the level.

According to Nikita Golodaev, clear and balanced progressive systems work best for projects with an existing core of regular mid-core players: they are already investing significant time into the game and are still tempted by rewards provided in the progressive tracks, unlike VIP and high-stakes players who are more interested in recognition of their status.

Advertisement

Put it together, and you’ve got a cycle: play, check your rank, tick missions, unlock the badge, check the board, eye the next tier. And then do it again tomorrow. It’s sustained engagement without sacrificing poker’s competitive core.

Advanced Applications — Tournaments and Hybrid Formats

Think of tournaments not as one-off events, but as frameworks. They aren’t just a product — they’re an engagement machine. You can hang all sorts of engagement hooks on them — the kind that keep players checking in and keep them motivated from registration to the final hand. Layer in gamification, and you have a retention funnel operators dream about.

Formats with a Twist

EvenBet’s flexible setup allows operators to launch virtually any format: high-GTD marathons, Spin&Go sprints with random multipliers, quick-fire Sit & Gos for casuals, and velvet-rope VIP tables for the whales. Add Mystery Bounty, Progressive Knockout, or Multi-flight qualifiers, and you’ve got unpredictability on tap. Which means the game always stays interesting.

Linking Tournaments to Gamification Layers

Hybrid play is where tournaments meet missions, leaderboards, and badges:

• “Climb the Ladder” challenges that pay points for each event played.
• Leaderboards stretching over weeks and sparking long grinds.
• Achievements for milestones like “Final Table Three Times in a Week” or “Knock Out 10 Players in a PKO.”

This crossover keeps casual players chasing goals and competitive players grinding for prestige — all while strengthening retention loops. When you nail it, tournaments become recurring, gamified events that handle acquisition, retention, and loyalty in one package.

Why It Works for Operators

Gamification in online poker is not just a UX add-on — it moves numbers if done properly.

Advertisement

• Retention and monetisation: longer sessions, more logins, bigger rake, and better LTV. Plus, new players convert faster when there’s a mission to chase.
• Skill development: challenges teach strategy, confidence, and adaptability without feeling like homework.
• Audience segmentation: freerolls for newbies, high-stakes bounties for veterans. You serve each player just the right challenge without losing focus.

Risks and Implementation Challenges

Gamification’s upside is clear — but mess it up, and it quickly becomes a liability. When these risks are managed, gamification pays off big time. Treat it with respect and care like a strategy, not a shortcut or gimmick.

Over-Gamification
Stack too many overlapping mechanics, and the gaming experience turns into a mess. Players get overwhelmed, quit the game altogether, or even fall into unhealthy patterns. The balance is in adding enough variety to motivate, without creating constant pressure to act. It’s a fine line between motivation and overload.

Regulatory Compliance
Operating inside responsible gaming guidelines is a must. Rewards should be transparent, achievable, and not designed to exploit compulsive tendencies. As noted by Dmitry Starostenkov, regulators are increasingly wary of features that blur the lines between skill-building and pushing players too hard.

Technical Complexity
Integration has to be smooth. If missions lag, leaderboards glitch, progression breaks, or interfere with core poker gameplay, this erodes trust. EvenBet’s modular system gives control, but operators still need rigorous testing, UX tweaks, and performance checks.

Building Gamification That Lasts

When done right, gamification in online poker isn’t just bells and whistles. It’s a full-on retention driver. Mix leaderboards, missions, badges, and tiered rewards right into the core game, and you create a cycle that hooks players, grows skill, and boosts revenue.

The winning formula is balance: enough variety to keep things fresh. Clarity so players aren’t guessing. Responsibility so the game stays ethical. Data-driven personalisation ensures that every segment — from first-timers to VIP grinders — finds a reason to return.

Advertisement

Our research at EvenBet Gaming is clear: sustainable gamification is a long game. Set measurable goals and transparent rewards, enhance the poker spirit — never overshadow it. Attention is the rarest currency these days. Platforms that get this balance don’t just hold players — they win the loyalty battle.