Conferences in Europe
Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2023: Charting the growth of Esports in CEE
Ahead of our sold-out Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2023 next week, we sat down with some of the brightest minds in Europe to talk all things Esports and its potential for the CEE region.
In one of our most insightful interviews this year, we brought together Peter Rippel Szabo (PRS), Associate at Bird & Bird, Amir Mirazee (AM), Managing Director and COO at Bayes Esports, as well as Dimitris Panageas (DP), Group General Counsel at Kaizen Gaming to get the latest on Esports’ growth.
Covering everything from Ukraine, localised regulation, market demographics, state licensing and taking on traditional sportsbook spend, this one’s not to be missed!
To kick things off, let’s talk about the demand for Esports in CEE – how much does the region stand out in terms of growth potential vs the likes of Scandinavia and Western Europe?
AM: It’s a unique environment and of course being Bayes, we can gauge that from a good standpoint with over 100 betting clients globally and 200 in our extended network. On the CEE side, our major partners are GG.bet, DATA.BET and BETER, and we’re seeing considerable volume. This is particularly the case for Counter Strike – and players love new titles.
The one issue we have right now is the changing political dynamics. While Ukraine and Russia used to offer great Esports teams, as well as serving an anchor for satellite nations around them (Poland, Baltics etc), this equilibrium has of course been shifted, and it now needs to settle at a new one. This is especially the case for Ukraine, which really was the epicentre in the CEE region for Esports. Added to that is Russia of course now being shut out of the market, with operations now needing to be re-established to find a new hub to anchor the vertical’s development. In my view – the Czech Republic will likely be a key component.
PRS: From my base in Hungary, I can certainly say that across CEE organised tournaments are very strong – with growth proving very organic, and indeed, spontaneous. There’s not yet big money in most of the tournaments’ prize pools, but they are certainly crammed with amateur players who are very ‘plugged-in’ online and have a real passion for Esports. This goes for both the relevant products and enjoyment of that entertainment. Also, it is worth mentioning that in Hungary more established clubs with strong foundations across various sports have engaged with Esports (e.g. through establishing dedicated esports departments and training players professionally). Universities and other non-profit organisations have also started to study thoroughly the various physical, psychological and other aspects of Esports.
From a legal perspective what is needed for growth is a clear regulatory environment (dealing with the status of esports, i.e. whether it is a ‘normal’ sport, whether it has a special status, or something in between, as well as covering issues like requirements for tournament organisation, player safeguarding and integrity). This would also help alleviate some aspects negatively perceived by the general public (like lack of exercise, addiction or abuse). Of course, talking about Scandinavia and Western Europe – the one variable in comparison with CEE is consumer spend and the resulting market size which will likely never reach the same level in the East.
DP: For myself, and indeed given our extensive experience at Kaizen, I would say the demand is there to see. It’s not a new way of betting, but rather a new type of possible future verticals, and a set of betting markets to enjoy. As it’s still in the emerging stage, I would say it’s not yet considered a fully established ‘traditional’ vertical like sportsbook, lottery, live casino and others.
Looking at demographics, they are without a doubt smaller than more established verticals, which we need to distil into sub-segments to better understand on a micro level. Factoring in how fast the CEE market is changing, especially with the likes of Hungary (which was until recently a state monopoly), I would definitely say that we have every potential for Esports to really take off in the next 5-10 years.
On a macro level, the major growth blocker that needs to be overcome is that of regulation. Esports needs to be properly and specifically regulated as both a sport and from a betting perspective – this is essential in order to enable it to become a fully established vertical in its own right. So, in summary, it’s emerging fast and gaining traction, but still a long way to go.
What do you see as the key driver for demand for Esports betting in CEE? From a regulatory perspective, do you see CEE jurisdictions as being more open to Esports betting?
AM: Agreeing with Peter in his first answer, I would certainly say it’s a unique generation in CEE and that’s certainly why Esports has grown so much here. Online gaming, and indeed video gaming, has created the generation we’re seeing now, as well providing them with a connection to the rest of Europe and the wider world. Without a doubt, we can say that the ‘internet generation’ in their 20s and 30s have very much been shaped by that culture, whether that’s Call of Duty, memes, and everything else. On the regulation front, again, I agree also – it needs to be regulated as a sport. Germany, for example, does not even acknowledge Esports as a sport, which as a consequence, means it can’t even be bet on yet. That needs to change.
PRS: It’s a complex question but with plenty of potential in CEE. Gambling, betting and generally games of chance have similar basic legal concepts when it comes to regulation across Europe (national regulatory frameworks may differ of course), therefore, CEE jurisdictions can be as open to Esports betting as other countries. I think the key driver is simply how much Esports will gain in popularity in the future, for the more popular certain Esports titles will be the more will the demand be for Esports betting. Also, I think if Esports would be recognised explicitly as a sport and/or it would be a regulated activity in a CEE jurisdiction, then I believe it would likely facilitate the demand for Esports betting in that jurisdiction.
DP: Indeed. The key factor that you need to drive demand (let’s say from a sample set of the 10 major CEE countries), is that they do not yet specifically regulate Esports. Hungary, as Peter has mentioned, is becoming part of that change, so we’re seeing the opportunity for it to become a conducive environment for development. In my view, the regulatory framework for most of CEE is still vague; and as long as it’s principally viewed as a betting market rather than a sporting discipline in its own right, it will stay as that.
Taking the wider perspective, any law and/or regulation will take a minimum of 6-12 months to be adopted and following that – you’ll then need extensive marketing and commercial communication expenses to then push Esports into the mainstream. Without a doubt, however, looking at CEE demographics, the unique composition of their audiences holds plenty of potential. What makes it special is that while it is niche as a sport/product, it’s not the same as niche traditional sports, such as handball in Germany.
Rather, you have a fast-growing product that can easily enter the mainstream as it transcends borders and can offer penetration principally via social media, where it is already very popular. I am sure that with the proper marketing and investment, Esports will create a snowball effect that will allow it to become a mainstream vertical by itself soon enough.
When it comes to being a complementary product to traditional sportsbook spend, how is Esports fitting into the mix and is it cannibalising from traditional sportsbook?
PRS: I’d say that Esports and traditional sportsbook can, and do, complement each other, especially if popular traditional sports (like football or basketball) are played via video games (FIFA or NBA2K) in organised Esports competitions which traditional sports fans can easily perceive and understand.
So, even if audiences are of course very different, you’ll see crossovers when it comes to interests. Using Hungary as an example, the state-owned betting & lottery operator (Szerencsejáték Zrt.) launched betting on esports competitions in 2020 due to the lack of traditional live sports events resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. It has quickly become one of its most popular betting offerings.
An interesting point too is the ability to convert players to new verticals, and as a result, increase engagement and incremental spend. For example, you’ll have a millennial customer use football as a platform for introduction, and then while waiting for the match to play out for 90 minutes (or indeed after the final whistle), he / she will then give Efootball or another Esports activity a try – which is a great way of introducing the product.
AM: From my perspective, if we’re talking about FIFA and other Esports, these worked superbly well during COVID as a substitute product for those looking to replicate the missing sporting schedule, with nothing happening aside from (as I recall), the Belarusian Premier League. With the likes of League of Legends and Counter Strike, you have a very different demographic / audience – and you’ll find them in different places rather than traditional sportsbook.
As a result, I believe you need to look at providing something different to attract players. Take a look at Bet365’s Esports offering for example, it works surprisingly well for a UX that has evidently been derived from traditional sports. However, there’s much more room for improvement in the coming years. It’s easy to see the use-case for this, looking at all sports betting viewership right now, everything’s declining aside from Esports, so it’s an opportunity to be capitalised on.
We’re also seeing demographics change rapidly, while Esports was previously only for the 20-25 age group, it’s now becoming much older, so you’re closing that monetisation gap. If you want to capture the interest of this fast-growing demographic, you need to reformat the UX to cater to that. So yes, without a doubt, Esports is now becoming a product that can drive traffic in its own right through new audiences, without cannibalising spend from traditional sportsbook.
DP: For me, it depends on the definition of where cannibalisation starts from. When new products are introduced, they certainly drive interest and add to engagement, but in theory that will also bring a decline in engagement for traditional alternatives as overall sportsbook spend is going to be finite.
The positive that Esports brings however, is that it can complement well, given it has a very different schedule to traditional sportsbook. Tournaments taking place across the globe (for example in Asia) are during the evening , meaning it’s during the day in Europe – enabling Esports to boost sportsbook spend both before and the day after evening football matches such as the Champions League mid-week.
Taking the longer view, there is a greater risk of cannibalisation if we see more European Esports tournaments taking place during the evening (at the same time as major football matches), which will likely happen in the next 5-10 years. This will create a tipping point where it becomes more popular to bet on than evening football matches.
Looking at the delayed Euro 2020 held last year, can operators use the standout success of Efootball during the tournament as a reason to engage more players during the weekend’s sport fixtures?
DP: I believe Esports will always hold plenty of potential as a complementary product during major events such as the Euros, where we see heightened betting activity and greater overall spend. However, the challenge is always going to be taking this into the mainstream and having it considered as a regular fixture week in, week out. In my view, it is very possible that this could translate well into a complementary product that fills the gaps between sporting fixtures, especially for those who like to be pre-match and not in play. Given a football match lasts 90 minutes, you have plenty of space to fill over the 90 minutes after pre-match bets are placed. If you can identify and incentivise that opportunity, then I believe there is huge potential in the long term.
AM: Also, as we’ve covered already – the audience you have for Efootball- is completely different to Counter Strike, League of Legends and the like, so in effect we’re only talking about 50% of the potential Esports audience.
Let’s take Europe as a market to speak on a macro level and place Efootball in isolation. Regulation for a start is going to be key, making sure that product is available and acceptable. That’s something in particular we’d need to see in Germany with the Bundesliga, as Esports is not yet regulated to be a betting market. Looking further west towards the UK, there’s far less of an overlap, due to player preferences and composition of audience. However, if we return to the CEE, then yes, without a doubt I see plenty of potential here for operators to really test this out as it’s something the new generation of players are very receptive to.
PRS: To add to that, I would certainly say in many ways we’re looking at an area of spend (and indeed audience) that are traditionalists when it comes to football. However, if we look at the new generation and their social circles and familiarity with the online environment, they are shaped by a very different world than what older generations had for football growing up as a primary source of entertainment.
So, without a doubt, we’ll see a very different trend towards the Esports landscape over the next decade. Whether that’s for Esports as a complementary product or one in its own right, I believe it will be inevitable that it becomes an area of engagement with traditional sports fixture in the decade to come. This is especially the case if Esports will be regulated clearly, as well as Esports tournaments being organised regularly, enabling online gaming operators to follow that lead and invest in technology and commercial communication dedicated to Esports.
Last but not least, looking at the big picture – what’s your take on how Esports is going to develop in CEE over the next five years, how much more do you see it gaining popularity?
DP: I believe it is going to develop, and it will no doubt gain traction. But in my view, it won’t take off immediately. The next few years will likely see Esports continue as a complementary product that will enable operators to diversify and upgrade their offerings. The new generation coming online will power this, and with an extensive spectrum of events around the globe, and the 24-7 betting that it brings, it can scale fast.
However, for that to happen, we also need to see more investment in the vertical for it to become more established. For a start, we need more advanced trading models that can enable operators to offer a much broader spectrum of Esports betting markets to attract more players. We’re already seeing that happen in real-time, and even in the last three years, there’s been a real surge in terms of managed trading services for Esports and the provision of data. As we’re seeing truly specialised companies for this provision begin to corner the market, growth will inevitably become even more exponential, with a ‘hockey stick’ style adoption curve.
AM: I agree. There’s plenty of potential. We can certainly say that outside of the present conflict taking place between Russia and Ukraine, there’s a stable trend towards growth, aside from the recent Parimatch / Ukraine news this week. I’m confident it’s only going to keep growing for all the reasons we’ve covered above.
All of this is fuelled by the unique audiences of the region, and indeed their demand for entertainment. If we compare the potential of Western vs. Eastern Europe, then without a doubt, I believe that CEE is the most likely to emerge as the continent’s major player. Given our position on the market as one of the world’s leading Esports providers, I believe that Esports is exactly what you make of it – and if you take a proactive view and approach, the market share is there for the taking.
PRS: I concur with Amir and Dimitris, I believe it’s only going to grow – all the foundations are there in CEE to make that happen; demographics, interest, increasing awareness of relevant brand values and an established understanding of the mechanics. In the short-term, I don’t believe we’ll see major displacement of the most popular traditional sports or radical shifts in market trends. Longer term, we’ll to see much greater adoption that will no doubt scale over as exponential growth really begins to emerge.
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Conferences in Europe
Altenar Steps in as General Sponsor of EEGS 2025

The prestigious Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS) is set to welcome Altenar, a prominent sports betting software provider, as a General Sponsor for its 2025 edition. Scheduled for 26th and 27th November at the IEC in Sofia, Bulgaria, this partnership exemplifies Altenar’s unwavering commitment to driving innovation and growth within the gaming and entertainment sectors. This long-standing collaboration has consistently generated mutual benefits and opportunities for both Altenar and the event, as well as for all participants involved.
Altenar continues to deliver top-tier solutions for licensed operators across the globe. From standalone sportsbook offerings to comprehensive turnkey solutions, Altenar combines proven reliability with tailored services to meet diverse client needs.
Since its inception in 2011, Altenar has powered hundreds of online sports betting platforms, while their self-service betting terminals and mobile applications adapt to the evolving demands of operators, leading to a rapidly expanding client portfolio in over 30 countries.
Altenar’s involvement as a sponsor underscores their essential contribution to the overall success of the EEGS, emphasizing a collective dedication to excellence and advancement in the industry. This year’s event promises to be a critical platform for industry leaders, visionaries, and entrepreneurs to discover and discuss the latest trends in gaming, entertainment, and hospitality.
As the foremost conference in the region, the Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS) offers an engaging setting for industry pioneers to network, collaborate, and delve into the opportunities shaping the future of gaming and entertainment.
Align your company with this esteemed conference and take advantage of the insights and expertise shared at the event.
Check the available sponsorship options here.
The post Altenar Steps in as General Sponsor of EEGS 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Conferences in Europe
Speaking the Player’s Language: Promatic Group’s Take on Game Localization in CEE

The Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 brought together some of the brightest minds in the iGaming and tech industries – and the conversation didn’t stop when the curtains closed. As this year’s General Sponsor through its Promatic Games brand, Promatic Group made a powerful impact on-stage and behind the scenes. In a dynamic keynote presentation titled “Localizing Slot Games: Does the Central European Player Need Localized Content?”, Maciej Makuszewski, iGaming Director, and Luka Oblak, Head of Product Design, explored how cultural nuances shape player engagement and game performance across regional markets.
Now, post-event, we caught up with Maciej Makuszewski to delve deeper into the topic of localization, player behavior, and what makes content truly resonate in Central and Eastern Europe.
Maciej, your keynote at the Summit offered compelling insights into how culture and language affect game engagement. What do you believe is the biggest misconception about localization in the iGaming industry today?
It is that it is enough to hire a translator of a game to deliver localized content. This is not the end of the road – on the contrary – this is just the beginning. This may sound like saying the sun rises in the east, but I still would say there can be a lot more attention paid to giving games a local touch.
But coming back to translations, nowadays, even at this basic level, we can observe so many pitfalls and mistakes that could have been avoided if people really had the player at the core of their strategy. I guess we are past this time in history of globalization that unified products and content simply entered new markets with no tailoring whatsoever and there was demand for them, because there hadn’t been much of a choice of anything else. We’d like to see companies try harder when they enter new markets. I hope we will become one that actually gets the hyperlocalization just right.
You and Luka presented some standout cases on localized content. Could you share one example that truly surprised your team – either by outperforming expectations or revealing a cultural insight you hadn’t anticipated?
I guess that would be the transformation of a simple fruit game launched as Red Hot Jackpot in Poland, into a rich animations theme game it became in Nigeria. The nigerian version of Red Hot Jackpot is called Naija Wheels and it is the exact the same math model and game logic as Red Hot Jackpot, but what makes it appealing to the local customers of slot halls in Nigeria is its hyperlocal theme. Naija Wheels is a funny story of things you see in Lagos traffic. So instead of a Cherry symbol you have a symbol of a police officer. Instead of a plum symbol, you have an okada driver from Lagos etc.
Very different game themes, same logics, same business effects – the game is a great performing slot in Poland and a superb hit in Nigeria.
In your view, what are the non-negotiables when designing localized slot content for Central and Eastern European markets? Are there elements developers often overlook?
There are so many local markets in the CEE that it is really hard to unify this. But in a nutshell – we know in our region, highly volatile fruit themed games are very popular. Having said that, it is not a surfire way to success. You may want to localize the content even further through cultural and humor references.
The ROI of local-branded slots is often debated. Based on Promatic Group’s experience, when does it make strategic and commercial sense to invest in hyper-local content – and when is it better to focus on broader appeal?
It all depends why you do this and how you measure the ROI. If you measure a single game ROI this might be a trap. It will very much depend on the math model and features of the particular game. Apart from revenue stream, there are also costs to be considered. If we’re talking about a “game reskin” then certification will be something you can optimize and so on. There are numerous ways to tackle this issue. Sometimes you can come up with a hyper local game and just launch it somewhere else to test if it works, which will boost your revenue stream and the total ROI. All in all we are very happy with our local approach and we intend to stick to it.
Let’s talk about the future. With shifting player expectations and tech advancements like AI personalization, how do you see the localization strategy evolving over the next 2–3 years at Promatic Group?
I would expect this hyperlocalization becomes a commodity in the industry. This will also require a lot of human factor so that it is done the right way. AI will speed things up, but I believe that the human touch will be key. We already have amazing tools, but using them the right way is what will make a great difference.
The post Speaking the Player’s Language: Promatic Group’s Take on Game Localization in CEE appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
Navigating Legal Frontiers: Nordic Legal’s Vision for the Finnish Gambling Market

The Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 brought together top experts across the iGaming and tech landscape, and Nordic Legal stood out as the event’s Scandinavian Legal Expertise Sponsor. A renowned legal advisory firm in the Nordic region, Nordic Legal continues to shape the future of gambling legislation and compliance in Europe.
In this post-event interview, we caught up with Pekka Ilmivalta, Head of the Finnish Office at Nordic Legal, to dive deeper into the firm’s insights on the upcoming Finnish gambling reform, the legal challenges it poses, and the opportunities it presents for operators preparing to enter the market.
Finland is preparing to launch its regulated gambling sector in January 2026. As an expert with over 20 years of experience in the gambling industry, how do you view its draft legislation and the current state of the Finnish gambling market?
Finns are used to gambling online, and the size of the market is close to 2 billion euros in GGR. As the market share of the national monopoly operator, Veikkaus, has declined to around 50 percent, nearly half of the gambling spending already takes place outside the Finnish regulation. Therefore, the gambling legislation reform is really needed.
The Government Proposal now being dealt with in the Finnish Parliament is generally a comprehensive and a good package. As the political parties are quite unanimous about the need for the reform, I expect the parliamentary discussion to concentrate on the balance between responsibility measures and the features making the market interesting enough for the operators to enter the regulated market. Especially marketing, use of affiliates and bonusing will, and should, be discussed.
I believe that the Parliament will approve the new legislation early next autumn and that the B2C license application process will be able to begin already in January next year.
The Finnish legislative review council has raised concerns about potential increases in gambling harms under the new regulatory framework. What measures do you believe are necessary to mitigate these risks, and how could Finland balance market liberalization with responsible gambling practices?
Personally, I think that gambling harms must be taken seriously. However, as almost half of the Finnish gambling now happens outside the regulated market, I am convinced that succeeding in channelization is a crucial starting point to really mitigate gambling harms. Therefore, attractiveness of the market and measures against the black market are extremely important. Furthermore, self-exclusion and responsible gambling tools are, of course, needed for the players. Generally, I believe that AI assisted monitoring could and will have an important role in preventing harmful gambling in the future. To really work, responsible gambling tools need to be both pragmatic and relevant for each individual player.
Considering Finland’s upcoming gambling reform, what legal and operational challenges should gambling operators be prepared for, particularly regarding compliance and player protection? Which key trends do you see shaping the market’s future?
As it seems now that affiliates and welcome bonuses will be banned, operators will have to find other means to build their brand and acquire customers. Even though traditional marketing and sponsoring are widely acceptable, I would expect to see innovative solutions to stand out from the probable marketing avalanche during the first months after the market opening. Perhaps new kinds of sponsorships or retail activities? Or even enhanced player protection measures to gain a competitive edge?
Overall, I would advise operators to start their market entry preparations early enough. The licensing procedure could take several (6 to 9) months. Also, adjusting to the local technical and player protection requirements might not happen overnight.
What insights could help Finland create a balanced and effective gambling market?
I believe that the new legislation will provide a good enough framework for a functional gambling market. However, based on experiences from Sweden and Denmark, I would point out two practical aspects crucial to making the new legislation effective: First, there needs to be collaboration between licensed operators and the new regulator. Dialogue and a mutual will to find solutions should be the common mindset. Secondly, the regulator hopefully has enough resources (tools, persons and persistence) to interfere with the black-market operations, which will evidently still exist also after the reform.
Nordic Legal has extensive experience advising European governments on regulatory best practices. How can your firm assist operators looking to enter the Finnish market and navigate the evolving legal landscape?
With our deep knowledge of Finnish legislation, extensive experience from regulatory developments in other jurisdictions, and strong industry relationships, we are well-positioned to support operators and B2B suppliers entering the Finnish market. We can offer comprehensive guidance not only on compliance and licensing, but also on navigating strategic challenges, ensuring our clients are well-prepared for a dynamic and shifting legal landscape. Our proactive approach enables us to identify regulatory changes early and help clients stay ahead of industry developments.
The post Navigating Legal Frontiers: Nordic Legal’s Vision for the Finnish Gambling Market appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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