Asia
Six Formula 1 drivers to race in China Virtual Grand Prix
Following the success of the second installment of the F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix, six Formula 1 drivers will battle it out at the Virtual Chinese Grand Prix this Sunday, 19th April at 18:00 BST. After winning the last race on his debut, Charles Leclerc will be out for victory once again, as he takes on his fellow Formula 1 competitors, George Russell, Antonio Giovinazzi, Lando Norris, Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi on Sunday’s starting grid.
Alongside a star-studded grid of Formula 1 drivers, Real Madrid and Belgium international goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois makes his Virtual Grand Prix debut for Red Bull, with a host of other exciting names set to be announced over the coming days.
This weekend’s virtual Grand Prix is the third race in the new F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series, which gives fans the chance to watch Formula 1 races virtually during the ongoing COVID-19 situation.
This weekend’s Grand Prix will take place at the Shanghai International Circuit, China on the day when the official Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2020 would have originally taken place. Drivers will join the race remotely, with a host broadcast live from the Gfinity Esports Arena from 6:00pm (BST) on Sunday April 19 – a change from previous weekends where races have started at 8:00pm.
The broadcast which will be available on the official Formula 1 YouTube, Twitch, Weibo and Facebook channels, is expected to run for 1 hour 30 minutes, with a qualifying period where grid positions will be determined based on the drivers’ fastest lap time, followed by a 28-lap race. The Virtual Grand Prix will also be broadcast live with international broadcast partners in over 100 countries including in the UK on Sky Sports and in the US on ESPN.
In addition to the Chinese Virtual Grand Prix, the F1 Esports Series China Championship will kick off its 2020 Season on Sunday with a Pre-season Event. The 2020 Season will retain much of the same structure with qualification, regional finals, and the Grand Final – but will see the introduction of a brand-new Pro League which was not part of the 2019 Season. The Pro League is a 22 race online championship following the same point scoring mechanic as the Formula One World Championship. The top ten racers from the Pro League driver standings will enter the Grand Final directly and compete with other racers from the regional finals for the chance to sign for an official F1 Esports team.
The Pre-season Event itself will include two online exhibition races. The first will be an All-Star race at Circuit de Monaco where top racers from the 2019 Season will put on a show, whilst the second will be a Pro League pre-season race at Shanghai International Circuit where the Pro League teams will get a chance to showcase their talents in front of fans.
This weekend’s F1 Esports Pro Exhibition race will precede the virtual Grand Prix – and is set to begin at 5:00pm (BST). The broadcast will be available on the official Formula 1 YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels as well as selected TV broadcasters and is expected to run for 1 hour.
Julian Tan, Head of Digital Business Initiatives and Esports said:
“From an esports perspective, the last Virtual Grand Prix was one of our most successful events we’ve ever put on, so it’s great to be back and be able to continue building something that has proven hugely popular. It’s very important to us that we can give our fans something to look forward in these uncertain times, so to see such an impressive list of returning drivers is fantastic. We hope the racing action is just as thrilling and fun as last time out!”
View the Virtual Chinese Grand Prix promo trailer here
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Asia
Groove joins SiGMA Asia panel on resilience of Asian iGaming licensing
Groove will take part in a regulation-focused panel at SiGMA Summit Asia, with CEO Yahale Meltzer attending and Business Development Director Giusy Campo speaking on the session titled “Jurisdiction Jungle: Who Rules Asia’s iGaming Empire?”.
According to the company, the panel will examine whether Asian licensing regimes can hold up under enforcement, cross-border scrutiny, banking pressure and rising compliance requirements. Topics slated for discussion include audit readiness, payment disruption, tax enforcement, evolving AML expectations and geopolitical shifts.
Giusy Campo, Business Development Director at Groove, said: “The conversation in Asia has matured significantly. Operators are no longer asking just about content volume or time-to-market. They are asking about structural resilience: how a platform handles a studio API failure without impacting player experience, what the data sovereignty protocols are, and whether the compliance architecture is defensive or reactive|”
Campo added: “In a region where banking pressure and regulatory expectations shift rapidly, the platforms that survive will be the ones that built integrity into their stack from the first line of code, not the ones scrambling to patch it in later.” Meltzer said: “The ‘Jurisdiction Jungle’ is not a metaphor for growth; it is a reality for every operator trying to scale across Asia’s fragmented regulatory landscape.” He added: “The mistake some make is treating compliance as a hurdle to clear. We treat it as a design constraint from day one. If your architecture is not built to generate verifiable, immutable audit trails for every transaction, you are not actually ready for Asia’s top tier. Our presence at SiGMA Summit Asia is about having serious conversations with operators who understand that trade-off.”
Groove said it has published a White Paper on navigating the Asian iGaming market, available on its website, and positioned its SiGMA Summit Asia attendance as part of a broader push in Asia following recent expansion moves into LatAm and Africa.
The post Groove joins SiGMA Asia panel on resilience of Asian iGaming licensing appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Asia
BMM Testlabs to Exhibit at SiGMA Asia Summit 2026
BMM Testlabs announced its participation in the SiGMA Asia Summit May 31-June 3 at the SMX Convention Center Manila.
Attendees can visit BMM Testlabs at Stand No. 2619 to learn how the Company supports suppliers, operators and regulators across regulated gaming markets worldwide through its comprehensive compliance and product certification services.
BMM will highlight its ability to test and certify gaming products to every regulator’s standard, anywhere in the world.
In the Philippines, BMM Testlabs is licensed to provide testing and certification services for slot machines, table games, electronic table games, iGaming, bingo, retail and online sports betting, poker and mobile gaming solutions.
BMM Testlabs’ Vice President, Business Development – Asia Jeffrey Fong said: “SiGMA Asia Summit continues to be an important event for the gaming industry across the Asia-Pacific region. We are proud to support suppliers, operators, and regulators with trusted compliance expertise that helps bring products to market efficiently and responsibly. Our global experience, combined with our strong regional knowledge, allows us to help our customers grow confidently in regulated gaming markets throughout Asia and beyond.”
BMM Testlabs continues to expand its support of regulated gaming markets worldwide through its global network of laboratories and technical experts, helping customers achieve faster market access while maintaining the highest standards of quality, security and regulatory compliance.
The post BMM Testlabs to Exhibit at SiGMA Asia Summit 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Asia
BetConstruct AI Showcases AI-Powered Solutions at G2E Asia 2026
BetConstruct AI participates in G2E Asia 2026 (May 12–14, The Venetian Macao, Stands A1023 & A1029) — Asia’s most significant gathering for operators, innovators and industry decision-makers, and this year, the event puts AI and other emerging innovations at its centre.
The spotlight at the stands will be on the Best Sportsbook for the World Cup 2026: Special Bets, Powerfull and Bet on League form a ready-to-deploy tournament package that lets operators capture the full commercial weight of the world’s biggest sporting event — zero development cycles, zero platform risk.
For the World Cup activation – all at zero cost. New partners unlock a 50% platform setup discount applied immediately, plus 100% Core Suite Access — meaning the Sportsbook and the rest of BetConstruct AI’s offerings are completely free for the first 3 months (50% off for 4-12 months). Third-party tools come at 51% off for 3 months.
Layered on top at this event, the AI Suite — CRM AI, Umbrella AI, AI Game Recommendation System and Betting Mate — handles everything from churn prediction and risk management to real-time personalisation and conversational betting. Beyond all of this, we’re bringing the full picture: The Sportsbook Platform offers over 140,000 pre-match events and 12,000+ monthly esports live events, while the Casino Platform integrates 350+ providers via a unified aggregation API.
The Affiliate Ecosystem, with its Affigates sub-brand, offers 7000+ vetted affiliates and AI-based scoring, completing the acquisition side of the picture.
The post BetConstruct AI Showcases AI-Powered Solutions at G2E Asia 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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