Latest News

Casino Guru Reveals Findings from Unique Safer Gambling Week Campaign

Published

4 years ago

December 2, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Safer Gambling Week is a yearly initiative originated in the United Kingdom that aims to raise awareness of safer and more responsible gambling. Casino Guru, staying true to their values and going further than expected in efforts to improve player safety, has created a unique campaign that promoted safer and responsible gambling messages across their English website over the course of the Safer Gambling Week 2021, from Nov 1 to Nov 7.

The team worked with the premise that responsible gambling messages need to be interesting and distinctive to capture the users’ attention and truly get the message across. That is why they crafted a unique campaign aiming to increase awareness of gambling addiction and responsible gambling and motivate players to take action if needed.

“Despite our efforts to create well-researched and truly helpful educational responsible gambling content, only a small percentage of our visitors searches for it and reads it. Unfortunately, players often start looking for this type of content only after noticing the first signs of problem gambling. The majority of players gamble responsibly, and it is crucial to reinforce their good habits and promote preventive steps that minimize the chance of becoming problem gamblers later on,” explains Šimon Vincze, Responsible Gambling Projects Lead at Casino Guru.

In line with this approach, Casino Guru’s creative team has designed and implemented three different responsible gambling messages – “It’s Safer Gambling Week 2021”, “Thank you for caring”, and “Responsible players do not lose” – each designed with a different deliberate idea in mind, to allow the team to test and measure what kind of messaging works best. Each version linked to a different responsible gambling article that complemented and built upon the original message.

These messages appeared at prominent locations across the website to make them as visible as possible. The detailed version of the message was displayed as a widget in the website’s list of best casinos. It was designed to resemble the cards presenting information about individual casinos to minimize ‘banner blindness,’ as people are used to overlooking ads and other elements that look like ads. The simpler and shorter version of the message was displayed at the top of each page, in a bright orange widget to visually stand out and go in line with Safer Gambling Week’s colour scheme.

Overall, 2.31% of the users who saw one of the three messages clicked it to read more. This percentage was the highest for the ‘Responsible players do not lose’ message at 2.54%, followed by ‘Thank you for caring’ at 2.35% and ‘It’s Safer Gambling Week 2021’ at 2.05%. The team has not measured any significant differences in metrics measured in different genders and age groups.

Vincze comments on the findings: “In terms of the number of visitors who clicked the message, the ‘Responsible players do not lose’ version yielded the best results. However, it had the lowest percentage of users that spent at least 60 seconds browsing the linked article. This was in line with our expectations, as this version was a bit of a clickbait, although one with good intentions. On the other hand, the ‘It’s Safer Gambling Week 2021’ version, in which the messaging was most informative and least captivating, yielded the least clicks but the highest percentage of users who then spent at least 60 seconds on the article.”

The individual articles linked from the three messages contained links to other, more encyclopaedical responsible gambling content, such as a list of problem gambling help centres, articles about gambling addiction and overcoming it, safer and responsible gambling, and more. The list of problem gambling help centres garnered the most attention, although this was likely influenced by a link to it placed at the top of each of the three articles.

Vincze adds: “When it comes to helping players and making a positive impact, numbers and metrics are not the only things that matter. Even if our campaign helped only one player stay safer while gambling or look for help, we can call it a success, regardless of the overall statistics we measured.”

He continues by putting the campaign into a broader context: “In comparison to our normal educational articles about problem and responsible gambling, our Safer Gambling Week campaign has been seen by a relatively big number of visitors. To make sure we maximize our positive impact all year round, we plan to use our findings to create an effective long-term campaign, which will be part of our future efforts aimed at educating and informing players and the public about gambling and its dangers. There is much to look forward to!”

Akshat Rathee

Indian Esports 2026: Strategic Growth and the Asian Games Milestone

Published

2 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

indian-esports-2026:-strategic-growth-and-the-asian-games-milestone

The Indian esports landscape is transitioning from a period of rapid “spectacle” growth to a phase defined by lasting institutional structure. Following the implementation of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), 2026 is set to be the year where regulatory clarity, international competition, and domestic grassroots development converge.

The Impact of PROGA: Policy into Practice

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), signed into law in August 2025, has officially moved from policy to practice. Its primary contribution to 2026 is the explicit separation of esports from money-based gaming.

Legitimacy: By categorizing esports as a legitimate competitive pursuit, PROGA has unlocked state-level adoption and cleared the way for schools and colleges to integrate gaming into their sports frameworks.
Commercial Confidence: With a clear regulatory environment, brands in sectors like FMCG, automotive, and BFSI are now viewing esports as a stable, long-term youth engagement platform rather than a risky experiment.
Athlete Pathways: PROGA facilitates the creation of standardized national registries for athletes, ensuring that competitive integrity is maintained across grassroots and professional tiers.

The Asian Games 2026: A Global Stage

The Asian Games 2026 in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, serves as the most critical milestone for the ecosystem this year.

Medal Status: Esports will feature as a full medal event with 11 confirmed titles, including League of Legends, PUBG Mobile (Asian Games Version), and Pokémon UNITE.
Indian Prospects: India’s best historical result (quarter-finals in League of Legends at Hangzhou) has set a high bar. For 2026, the focus has shifted toward high-performance training camps and long-term athlete mentorship to secure a podium finish.
Multi-Sport Integration: Participation alongside traditional athletes reinforces the narrative that esports is a viable professional career, further encouraging government investment through schemes like Khelo India.

Market Evolution and Key Trends

The Indian gaming market is projected to reach approximately $5.02 billion in 2026, driven by a massive player base exceeding 500 million gamers.

Trend	Impact in 2026
Mobile Dominance	Over 95% of the market remains mobile-first, fueled by 5G expansion and affordable hardware.
Beyond BGMI	2026 is seeing a push to diversify the market into fighting games, sports simulations, and PC titles to avoid “one-title dependency.”
Monetization Shift	Revenue is shifting from pure advertising toward battle passes, subscription models, and in-game progression.
Tier II & III Growth	Most new user acquisition is coming from smaller cities, demanding more vernacular and localized content.

The post Indian Esports 2026: Strategic Growth and the Asian Games Milestone appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Bison Strike

ENJOY Boosts Global Distribution with Strategic EveryMatrix Deal

Published

2 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

enjoy-boosts-global-distribution-with-strategic-everymatrix-deal

ENJOY, the fast-rising iGaming content developer, has secured a significant distribution agreement with EveryMatrix. The deal will see ENJOY’s full suite of video slots and next-generation live casino game shows integrated into the SlotMatrix aggregation platform, making them available to an expansive network of tier-one global operators.

This partnership marks a critical milestone for ENJOY as it enters its primary phase of commercial expansion. By joining the SlotMatrix ecosystem—one of the industry’s largest content hubs—ENJOY gains immediate access to regulated markets worldwide and a streamlined path to brand visibility.

Bison Strike and Innovation in the Spotlight

The integration includes ENJOY’s most recent flagship launch, Bison Strike, alongside a curated library of high-performing titles. ENJOY is carving out a reputation for “indie-style” creative flair combined with technical reliability, focusing on two core verticals:

Video Slots: High-volatility titles with immersive storytelling and meticulously crafted art.
Live Game Shows: 24/7 interactive experiences streamed from a purpose-built studio, designed to drive player retention through next-gen engagement mechanics.

Leadership Insights on Global Scalability

The agreement follows a string of successful partnerships for ENJOY, which has already established links with platforms like SoftGamings and Gamingtec under the leadership of its new CCO.

“This partnership with EveryMatrix gives us a launchpad that, as a newcomer, we are privileged to access,” said Christos Zoulianitis, Chief Commercial Officer at ENJOY. “EveryMatrix’s reputation as a trusted aggregator and its global distribution power allow us to accelerate our growth significantly. We’re bringing fresh ideas to both the slots and live casino verticals, and EveryMatrix gives us the reach to put that innovation in front of the right operators immediately.”

Bjorn Sjoberg, CCO at SlotMatrix, added: “ENJOY has shown real ambition and creative flair with its early releases. Our mission is to connect high-quality, forward-thinking studios with operators who value fresh content, and ENJOY fits that brief perfectly.”

The post ENJOY Boosts Global Distribution with Strategic EveryMatrix Deal appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Blask Index

Saudi Arabia, Greece, and the Philippines Lead iGaming’s Rising Markets in 2025

Published

2 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

saudi-arabia,-greece,-and-the-philippines-lead-igaming’s-rising-markets-in-2025

Saudi Arabia, Greece, and the Philippines have emerged as the most significant rising markets of 2025, according to a comprehensive year-end analysis from the market intelligence ecosystem Blask.

The findings are based on the proprietary Blask Index, a real-time tracking tool that monitors player attention and search volumes across 107 countries. While established markets like the United Kingdom maintained the top spots, these three jurisdictions saw the most aggressive climbs in global rankings.

2025 Market Movers: The Biggest Climbers

The global iGaming landscape experienced a shift in 2025 as emerging interest in the Middle East and regulatory overhauls in Asia-Pacific redirected player attention.

Market	Index Rank Change	2025 Position	Key Growth Driver
Saudi Arabia	+9 Places	20th	High youth demographics & digital adoption
Philippines	+4 Places	12th	New PAGCOR B2B licensing framework
Greece	+4 Places	17th	Robust online growth from operators like OPAP

Saudi Arabia: The Surprise Performer

Saudi Arabia was the year’s most improved market, breaking into the Global Top 20 for the first time. Despite strict local prohibitions, the market saw a sharp uptick in interest driven by a young, mobile-first population (over 70% under age 35) and a massive shift toward digital entertainment under the Vision 2030 initiative. The growth reflects an “underground” surge in demand typically seen in restricted but hyper-connected markets.

Philippines: Regulatory Modernization

The Philippines climbed to 12th place, fueled by the PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) decision to formalize the iGaming supply chain. The introduction of the B2B Accreditation Framework in October 2025 forced game developers, aggregators, and payment providers to undergo formal probity checks, bringing the region in line with mature jurisdictions like the UK and Ontario.

Greece: Digital Transition

Greece’s ascent to 17th place was largely attributed to the performance of its largest operator, OPAP. The company reported double-digit growth in its iGaming and sports betting divisions throughout 2025, with online GGR surging nearly 20% in the first half of the year. This success underscores the Greek market’s successful transition from a retail-heavy model to a digital-first ecosystem.

“The global iGaming landscape is shifting faster than ever,” said Max Tesla, CEO and co-founder of Blask. “Operators that can spot emerging trends early, and understand what is actually driving interest on the ground, are far better positioned to capture new growth opportunities as they appear.”

The post Saudi Arabia, Greece, and the Philippines Lead iGaming’s Rising Markets in 2025 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.