Central Europe
Political guests of honour open gamescom 2021

Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. saw the official kick-off: gamescom 2021 was opened by the political guests of honour. The coronavirus pandemic means that this year’s gamescom is being held entirely online, as was last year’s. The official political opening ceremony was also live-streamed. The show lasted around half an hour and was presented from the studio by TV host Katrin Neumann. Ms Neumann spoke to Felix Falk, the Managing Director of game – the German Games Industry Association, which is a joint organiser of gamescom, in between the welcome addresses from the political guests of honour. These included Andreas Scheuer, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure; Dorothee Bär, Minister of State for Digitalisation; Armin Laschet, Minister-President of the federal state of North-Rhine Westphalia; as well as Henriette Reker, the Mayor of Cologne and Chairwoman of the Koelnmesse Supervisory Board, and COO of Koelnmesse Oliver Frese. In their welcome addresses, the political guests of honour embraced this year’s motto of ‘Games: The New Normal’ as they described the huge potential of games for Germany and explained the need to leverage this even further in future. Despite the extensive online programme of gamescom, the hope was expressed that next year could again be celebrated in Cologne with hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The video of the gamescom 2021 political opening ceremony can be watched on demand on the content hub ‘gamescom now’: now.gamescom.global
Andreas Scheuer, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure: ‘As the world’s biggest games event, gamescom is a valuable showcase. We want to build on that and make up lost ground in future as a development location on the international stage. Last year, at this very place, I gave the green light for the second phase of our games funding programme. Since then, the German government has provided millions of euros to support development studios in the games industry. That’s a real breakthrough. As things stand today, funding of 40 million euros has been approved – and we’re looking forward to receiving more applications. As well as the financial aspect, we have also overhauled our strategy and pooled the expertise to form a dedicated games unit within our Ministry. I am a firm believer that we can benefit from the innovative power of the games industry in many areas – be that the education sector, industry and science or simply in our leisure time.’
Dorothee Bär, Minister of State for Digitalisation within the federal government: ‘The motto of gamescom 2021 sums it up: games are the new normal. They have helped us stay in touch with friends and family during the coronavirus phase. Thank goodness we had games during this period! But games aren’t just the new normal as an entertainment medium, but also in the business, medical and education sectors. For example, increasing numbers of companies are “gamifying” their products– from fitness apps through cars up to videoconferencing tools. The deployment of games in education is particularly exciting: the motivation to play has a direct effect on learning success, not only for children, but also in further education and professional development. Games thus harbour immense innovative power that is demonstrated not least by the digital gamescom itself, and we need to exploit this potential even more rigorously. And that’s why we want to give the games sector in Germany even more support to become one of the best locations in the world. With the new games strategy, we have created an excellent basis for the coming years.’
Armin Laschet, Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia: ‘gamescom is a shining example of the strong social component of computer and video games, which has helped many people around the world through the coronavirus pandemic. This form of community is a fundamental building block of our society. The games industry also has enormous economic and social potential – both in the classical development of games and also beyond. The best example of this is in the field of digital education: using fun as a way of learning is part of human nature, which is why we need to be better at exploiting the available opportunities and not be afraid of blazing new trails. Here, too, the games industry will play an important role in future. Because of this huge potential, we need to keep working to improve the framework conditions for the games industry. For that reason, in North Rhine-Westphalia we have set ourselves the goal of wanting to become Germany’s top location for computer and video games some years ago. We also need this clear objective at national level in Germany so we can be the best among the international competition.’
Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – the German Games Industry Association, the joint organiser of gamescom, says: ‘gamescom is finally getting started with days full of announcements, news and shows that the fans are eagerly awaiting. Along with our partners, we are creating an event where millions of players around the world will again be able to celebrate the best games out there. However, at the same time, with the German parliamentary elections on the horizon, we don’t just want to talk about games at this gamescom, but also about what is the right games and digital policy for Germany. For that reason, I am especially pleased that we will be welcoming numerous top politicians not only during the political opening ceremony, but also at the Debatt(l)e Royale on Friday. Our intention with such formats is to give the younger generation above all an adequate opportunity to form an opinion, and to send out a clear message: go out and vote!’
Henriette Reker, mayor of the City of Cologne and chairwoman of the supervisory board of Koelnmesse: ‘I am really enthusiastic about what the entire Koelnmesse, the gamescom team, the association game and all partners created together for the second time in a row. This is exactly the innovative spirit and courage we need to move forward as a society in these challenging times. At the same time, I can hardly wait to see the numerous gamers back in town. First, because they always bring a very special flair with them and the whole city is infected by their enthusiasm. Second, because Cologne benefits from gamescom and its fans on many levels: Gastronomy, hotels and retail are just a few of the sectors that get an enormous boost during trade fair times.’
Oliver Frese, COO of Koelnmesse: ‘For the second year in a row, gamescom 2021 will take place purely digitally. But of course we have not been idle since last year and have made huge progress with gamescom 2021 and its digital offerings! Whether it’s our shows, our content hub gamescom now, or community activities like gamescom EPIX – everywhere we’ve taken advantage of the experiences of the last year and a half and further improved our program. Because our objective is clear: We want to be in pole position not only in the trade fair business in general, but also with regard to digital events in the future!’
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BETER
BETER joins forces with Entain CEE in major content deal

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BETER, the award-winning provider of fast-betting content and data for esports and sports, has partnered with Entain CEE to supply its sportsbook brands with the provider’s exclusive content.
Under the agreement, BETER will deliver ESportsBattle tournaments and the Setka Cup table tennis series to SuperSport, a premier operator in Croatia, and STS, one of Poland’s leading sportsbooks.
BETER exclusively delivers 24/7 live streaming, real-time data, and hyper-accurate odds for approximately 700,000 fast-paced events annually, offering up to 50 markets per event with an average operator margin of 7.5%+.
Its esports portfolio includes ESportsBattle tournaments, featuring eFootball, eBasketball, eHockey, and the recently launched eTennis. Its sports portfolio features the Setka Cup table tennis series, BSKT Cup basketball league, GTR Cup tennis tournaments, Padel tennis, as well as coverage of official cricket tournaments and leagues worldwide.
BETER ensures the highest standards of fairness and transparency across its content offerings, backed by collaborations with ESIC and IBIA.
Gal Ehrlich, CEO of BETER, said: “We are delighted to welcome Entain CEE to our growing roster of partners, underlining the demand for our products among the industry’s leaders.
“Fast-betting content has become essential for operators seeking to engage the next generation of players, and our suite of fast-paced products sets the standard for others to follow.
“We look forward to working closely with the SuperSport and STS teams to further develop the Croatian and Polish markets together.”
Ivan Gojic, Chief Sportsbook Officer at Entain CEE, added: “Fast-betting content is non-negotiable for operators looking to deliver next-gen experiences to bettors, and that’s exactly what we work hard to achieve at SuperSport and STS.
“This is why we chose to join forces with BETER, the market leader in fast-betting content for both esports and sports.
“This is a deal that brings a lot of thrilling content to our players, and that’s what makes it such an important partnership for us and our bettors.”
The post BETER joins forces with Entain CEE in major content deal appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Admiral.ch
Relax Gaming expands Swiss footprint with Admiral.ch launch

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Relax Gaming, the iGaming aggregator and supplier of award-winning content, has extended its presence in the Swiss market through a new partnership with Admiral.ch.
Operated by Casino ADMIRAL Mendrisio, Admiral.ch is one of Switzerland’s newest regulated online casinos, offering over 1,300 titles across desktop, iOS and Android, boosted by player-first features such as real-money loyalty bonuses and instant payouts.
The partnership sees Relax Gaming supply its high-performing proprietary portfolio, including fan favourites Money Train 4, Temple Tumble and Beast Mode, as well as a selection of leading third-party games via its aggregation platform.
As part of its commitment to supporting regulated markets, this latest integration strengthens Relax Gaming’s footprint in Switzerland, with Admiral.ch gaining access to premium content built to drive player engagement and retention.
Cliona Griffin, Business Development Manager at Relax Gaming, said: “Admiral.ch has quickly established itself as a serious player in Switzerland, and we’re pleased to partner with a brand that shares our commitment to quality and innovation.
“This launch forms part of our wider strategy to grow in key regulated markets and deliver top-tier content to leading operators worldwide.”
Alessandro Werlen, Managing Director / CTO at Admiral.ch, said: “Relax Gaming’s reputation speaks for itself, and we’re delighted to now offer their games to our growing player base.
“The addition of Relax titles enhances our portfolio and supports our mission to provide first-class entertainment in a secure and regulated environment.”
The post Relax Gaming expands Swiss footprint with Admiral.ch launch appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Golden Whale announce new collaboration with merkurbets.de

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Pioneering data-driven service provider joins forces with legendary German betting brand to add advanced AI and ML-powered solutions to its sports betting platform
Golden Whale, the market-leading provider of AI and ML-driven solutions for the iGaming industry, has announced it has formed an exciting new partnership with merkurbets.de that will power up the legendary brand’s engagement and personalisation options.
As the official sports betting partner of Bundesliga clubs RB Leipzig and 1. FC Köln as well as a host of other famous teams in Germany’s second division such as FC Schalke 04 and DSC Arminia Bielefeld, merkurbets.de is already one of the country’s best-known online sportsbooks – and the company will now be able to draw on Golden Whale’s advanced technology to provide an even more compelling experience for its customers.
By integrating Golden Whale’s Foundation and the semi-automated machine learning system, LOOPs, into its platform architecture, merkurbets.de will gain access to data-driven insights that can be used to generate real-time recommendations for optimising many areas of the business.
With this empowering merkurbets.de to create a more personalised player experience that will boost engagement, increase retention and – ultimately – improve the operator’s bottom line, both parties are already looking forward to the many possibilities that the new partnership will provide.
Eberhard Dürrschmid, Chief Executive Officer at Golden Whale, said: “Partnering with one of Germany’s best-known online betting brands is testament to the waves Golden Whale is making in the iGaming industry and we’re really looking forward to working with merkurbets.de to find out how our advanced AI and ML-driven solutions can help cement their position as a market leader.”
Christian Gruber, Chief Operation Officer at merkurbets.de, said: “With AI optimisation and data-driven personalisation being important parts of all operators’ player engagement toolkits, we’re delighted to be working with one of the industry’s leading exponents in Golden Whale and can’t wait to see how their tech can help us provide an even better experience for our customers.”
The post Golden Whale announce new collaboration with merkurbets.de appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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