Industry News
Lottery must act to protect its market share, or risk losing it
The lottery sector must stick together to protect its market share and fight off the existential threat caused by global lockdown, according to Spinola Gaming CEO Ade Repcenko.
A small number of retail and online providers currently drive the industry from a technology aspect. In most cases, a lottery will only utilise one provider and they are locked into long term agreements which prohibit the use of external or additional technologies. These restrictive agreements make it harder for state-run operators to get online and continue to generate revenue, as their existing providers don’t have the appropriate technologies or capabilities to get clients online quickly.
Repcenko explains how this has to change for the industry to survive the existential challenge of Covid-19 lockdown. “In a time when people are keeping their distance, it’s important that we stick together to make sure lottery survives, not dies,” he explained. “It’s time for the lottery sector to unite and join forces, to help each other and our clients for the greater good by working together on utilizing technologies that enable all of us to add value to our existing relationships, which helps our clients continue to raise funds and generate revenues for good causes. Most importantly, we cannot let alternate options become more attractive to players than the games they are used to playing every week.”
As the global lottery sector faces its biggest ever challenge, the solutions provider CEO believes the industry is being forced to make the shift online earlier than planned. For many, it would have been an inevitability over the next 3-5 years, but with retail now unable to sell tickets, that process has to be accelerated. Most operators are backed into a corner through long term retail relationships, with such relationships being the cornerstone to sales for the past decades, but now that model has to adapt.
“Operators could take a leaf out of the online casino business model that treats affiliates in the same way that retailers are to lotteries. The affiliate model is easily implemented, requires no new forms of technology or advanced development and allows both operator and retailer to take advantage of the current situations,” suggested Repcenko. “At the same time, operators need to appeal to their existing software providers to look at ways in which they can remain active during these troubled times and will require a level of compromise from both sides. Operators need to look at new forms of revenue sharing to allow for the affiliate model to work and software providers need to open up to working with new and modern forms of technology to be able to provide the level of service that these state run operators very desperately need right now.”
The online sector has proven to be much more resistant to the current climate than retail, as is shown by the growth of third-party operators. However, to compete with these companies, there are many innovative digital lottery solutions on the market to help national operators and their software providers get online quickly. As lottery players begin to adapt to the global lockdown by moving online, the traditional lottery sector must do the same to keep their market share, or else it could be gone by the time retail reopens.
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blask
Greece Led Europe’s iGaming Growth in 2025 — Now the Drivers Are Fully Explained
In the second half of 2025, Greece emerged as Europe’s fastest-growing iGaming market. While several major jurisdictions slowed or declined, Greek market demand rose by more than 50% between June and December, standing out as one of the year’s clearest growth stories.
According to data from Blask, the surge was not the result of a single tournament or seasonal spike. Instead, it reflected a structural shift driven by a combination of sports momentum, regulatory reform and casino market dynamics — factors that can now be traced in detail through Blask’s newly released Market Explanation feature.
Continuous sports momentum without demand gaps
Greece’s growth was underpinned by a tightly stacked sports calendar that sustained engagement across multiple months. EuroBasket 2025 in late August, the kickoff of the Stoiximan Super League, UEFA Champions League matchdays under the new league-phase format, and the EuroLeague season featuring Greek clubs created a continuous rhythm of high-interest betting cycles throughout autumn.
Rather than short-lived peaks followed by sharp declines, demand remained elevated well beyond individual events. This is a pattern clearly visible on the Blask Index trend line.
Casino reform reshaped demand behavior
One of the most significant contributors came from the casino segment. Greece’s decision to raise RNG stake limits from €2 to €20 altered the mechanics of the market, allowing online casinos to absorb demand during sports off-peak periods.
As sports-led acquisition increasingly converted into casino play, operators reported double-digit iGaming growth. Market Explanation analysis shows that this effect persisted over time, confirming the shift as structural rather than seasonal.
Enforcement redirected demand to licensed operators
Regulatory action further reinforced the upward trend. In December, Greek authorities blocked approximately 11,000 illegal gambling domains. Instead of suppressing demand, the move redirected player interest toward licensed platforms, strengthening regulated market performance.
The impact was amplified by the adoption of IRIS instant payments, which reduced deposit friction and improved conversion from interest to activity.
From tracking trends to understanding causes
To surface these drivers, Blask has introduced Market Explanation — an AI-powered layer within the Blask Index that allows users to click on any country’s trend line and instantly see a sourced breakdown of the forces behind the movement. Sports calendars, regulatory changes, casino dynamics and macro factors are analyzed together, turning raw demand signals into actionable market context.
Greece’s 2025 performance illustrates how this approach changes market analysis. Rather than simply observing that demand is rising, operators, suppliers and investors can now see why it is happening — and which levers are shaping the trajectory of a market in real time.
The post Greece Led Europe’s iGaming Growth in 2025 — Now the Drivers Are Fully Explained appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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The post GR8 Tech Delivers 1.6× Higher Deposit Conversion and 3× Reduction in Transaction Costs for Crypto Turnkey Clients appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Fast Track
Fast Track Introduces “Tournaments” Feature
Fast Track has expanded its AI-driven gamification platform, Rewards, with the launch of “Tournaments”. This new feature provides operators with a powerful tool to strengthen player retention. By leveraging real-time leaderboards, Tournaments allow players to compete directly for prizes—a proven strategy for increasing session length and frequency of play.
Tournaments integrate with the company’s Singularity Model, allowing operators to match players to competitions based on how they play. A player who chases big wins can be entered into a multiplier-based competition. A volume player competes on turnover. The result is tournaments that feel personal and perform better.
For operators managing multiple brands, the feature removes duplication. A single tournament setup can be applied across all brands and languages through Player Origins, Fast Track’s multi-brand management layer.
“Operators have either built tournaments in-house or used tools disconnected from their CRM, both creating friction at scale. Tournaments in Rewards solves that, but the real value is in relevance. Connected to the Singularity Model, operators aren’t just running competitions – they’re running the right competition for each player,” Simon Lidzén, CEO of Fast Track, said.
The post Fast Track Introduces “Tournaments” Feature appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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