Asia
Esports Confirmed as Official Medal Sport at Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya
Esports has been officially designated as one of the medal sports in the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, as announced by the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee (AINAGOC). This exciting announcement highlights the inclusion of esports among the nine newly added sports for the upcoming games.
Esports is making its full-fledged debut as an official medal sport at the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou where India will be competing in four different titles – DOTA 2, FIFA 22, Street Fighter V, and League of Legends from September 23 to October 8. The inclusion of Esports in the 20th Asian Games will undoubtedly serve as a great encouragement for Indian Esports athletes to pursue their passion professionally.
Lokesh Suji, Director of the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) and Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF), said: “The decision and announcement by both the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee (AINAGOC) to include esports as a medal event at the 20th Asian Games, subsequent to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, is warmly embraced by ESFI. With this announcement, it becomes crucial for us to expedite the development of our infrastructure, education programs, training facilities, and overall awareness within the esports ecosystem. Additionally, it is imperative that we provide our athletes with top-notch equipment and resources, empowering them to deliver their best performances on international stages. We encourage the entire nation to embrace this remarkable development.”
He further added: “The inclusion of a wide array of titles in the Asian Games not only demonstrates the diverse nature of Esports but also highlights the various dimensions of skill, strategy, and teamwork exhibited by the athletes, delivering a comprehensive experience for spectators.”
Competing at such prestigious platforms will not only provide India’s video-gaming community with opportunities to showcase their skills but also motivate them to win laurels for their country. This announcement is set to inspire a new generation of Indian Esports athletes to aim for greatness and make their nation proud on the international stage.
“The Esports industry and its passionate community have long been working towards gaining recognition, and the recent announcement clearly indicates the significant progress made by the esports ecosystem on international platforms. The official recognition of Esports as a medal sport further enhances and elevates the standing of esports athletes, placing them on par with mainstream sports personalities. We are optimistic that in the Asian Games 2026, our team, S8ul, and 8bit, will have the opportunity to participate and showcase their skills in several esports titles. Moreover, this announcement solidifies the fact that both endemic and non-endemic brands are actively seeking avenues to engage with gamers today and are enthusiastic about investing in the Esports ecosystem,” said Animesh Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of 8Bit Creatives & S8UL Esports.
“One small step for esports, one giant leap for the gaming industry! Esports’ inclusion as a medal sport is not only good news in itself, but it also paves the way for other similar tournaments to recognize esports as an important avenue. I hope this trajectory continues upwards, and we are able to eventually see Esports at a scale similar to traditional sports,” said Rohit Agarwal, Founder and Director of Alpha Zegus.
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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