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Exclusive GAMING1 interview on Belgium, France and the Netherlands: “We must always remember this is an entertainment industry.”
In anticipation of the Belgian Royal Decree coming into effect on 1 July, we sat down with Emmanuel Mewissen, CEO at GAMING1, to talk about the operator’s commitment to responsible gaming, how it will be retaining customers in a ‘limitless’ digital landscape – as well as the company’s exciting future plans.
As one of Belgium, the Netherlands and France’s most exciting operators, can you tell us a bit about your business there and how are your brands Circus and 777 performing?
Thank you! Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland are our core markets – all of which offer some of Europe’s best opportunities. We want to focus on the areas in which we are currently present and see what we need to do to improve in these areas. Our mission is always to offer the best possible experience and for our customers to have fun and enjoy themselves in a responsible and controlled way.
Starting with land-based, our network across all three markets is very consistent. We own 12 casinos in Belgium, France and Switzerland. In Belgium, we have recently inaugurated our first resort, the Circus Casino Resort in Namur. This innovative formula combines casino activities with a wellness centre, restaurant, hotel and areas for receptions and conferences.
Of course, Circus and 777 are part of our multi-brand approach and they’re performing very well. In line with that, we are always looking to improve our service even more on the digital front, 777 is present in four countries (BE, CH, SP, NL) and Circus online in two countries (BE, NL). With Circus, we aim to offer a 360-degree customer experience with the combination of both our terrestrial and digital offerings.
As part of our approach to responsible gaming – which is a core brand ethos that we are truly committed to, we focus on the countries in which we are already present to solidify our value proposition. For a brand to perform well in a country, it’s like a mathematical equation. Setting up a local sales unit in the market where you are offering enables you to develop your local knowledge. This helps you to build a solid network and properly develop the business based on customer habits and needs.
With the advent of markedly strict advertising regulation coming into place in Belgium via the Royal Decree, how is GAMING1 preparing for such a major shift in market conditions?
Regulated Belgian operators like us agree with the desire to limit excessive advertising, but we must ensure that this decision does not drive players into the illegal industry – which is a real risk. We live in a limitless and ever-expanding digital world. As a result, independently to this Royal Decree, only legal operators will follow the law and, in doing so, they risk becoming weak and invisible, with the digital space offering plenty of opportunity for players to go offshore.
How can we protect consumers from illegal operators who do not respect these rules? It’s easy to observe illegal operators engaging in influence marketing on social media by promoting poker tournaments and celebrities with thousands of followers. This diverts the attention of players who go and play on unregulated sites. This is why visibility and competitiveness are important for a legal operator. The facts and figures will show in the future that these bans on marketing visibility will have the opposite effect, and that prevention will suffer as a result.
We, at GAMING1, didn’t wait for the Royal Decree to come into force to work actively on prevention and player protection. Prevention and protection are part of our corporate strategy. Years ago, we decided to develop a tool based on artificial intelligence that detects changes or risky behaviour at an early stage.
The detection tool is now operational and is based on indicators that were identified thanks to our collaboration with experts and university scientists specialising in addictive behaviour. In addition, we comply with legal measures such as the EPIS list, which is a legal protection list that bans certain types of customers (on the basis of certain functions, minors, debt mediation, etc.).
At a group level and for all our brands and partnered brands, we adopt a global approach to prevent addiction and make sure we only operate on regulated markets. In addition, we now comply with the Belgian Royal Decree, and we have adapted our websites, platforms, and marketing accordingly for our Belgian brands. This decree comes into force on 1st July 2023.
How do you believe this new set of regulations will affect the operating environment for local brands? Do you see it affecting the playing field significantly?
If you radically restrict advertising, including sponsorship, and lock the country into a narrow regulatory space, you will probably fail to see the desired result because you are out of touch with digital and international realities. Legal operators will become invisible with the next level of prohibition, and this will pave the way for the illegal market with all the risks associated with the absence of control. We can already see that 20% of Belgian players visit such sites.
This new law also tackles sponsorship. As far as this part is concerned, we have been sponsoring various associations, teams and sporting events for many years. This goes well beyond a commercial positioning and allows us, among other things, to convey messages about responsible play, as shown by our latest messages with the EGR-Award winning ‘Time To Play Responsibly’ campaign with former footballer Ronaldinho during the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The Royal Decree provides for a total ban on sports sponsorship from 2028 and we believe sports clubs, medias and events in Belgium will suffer as a result of this measure.
In short, I see the royal decree as a real obstacle for Belgium’s regulated private operators because, with these drastic constraints and restrictions, we will lack visibility and competitiveness compared to illegal operators who will continue to capture Belgian customers.
It’s also a bad political decision, because it completely misses the real challenge, which is customer protection. The debate is not about banning advertising as such, but about how to protect players and, above all, what to protect them against. The people who want to play will always find out a way to play.
This is why the worst dangers are illegal operators who have no regulation or form of prevention. This royal decree does not take account of the economic and digital reality of our modern consumption patterns, and this observation is independent of our industry since it is a general and societal fact.
Onto one very exciting area to keep an eye on – there’s talk of France regulating online casino for the first time. What’s your take on this possibility and will you have big plans for the market if this becomes a reality?
Developing our CIRCUS brand in France almost six years ago was obviously with some hope that one day, France would finally adapt its casino law to address the digital challenges. We have eight operations in France – seven casinos and one club in Paris. Our club in Paris performs well and is one of the poker market leaders in France. Having our origin outside France, we felt proud in 2019 to be granted a licence to operate in Paris. It demonstrates that we are very serious about accepting our responsibilities as a business.
Nevertheless, we’re surprised France does not to allow online casinos despite being Europe’s largest market. As a consequence, France has become a huge casino black market – and this is detrimental to player protection of course, but also to the country’s economy and employment opportunities. Giving that unfair competition, this is also detrimental to the existing casinos and the budget of the numerous localities that host these regulated land-based casinos.
Last but not least, with six months to go in 2023, what are GAMING1’s upcoming plans and what can we look forward to?
To look forward to – we will continue improving our responsible gambling software and prevention tools which will ensure we are in a position that meets the regulator’s request in terms of customers’ protection. Responsible gaming has always been a core part of our philosophy, and one we take great pride in.
With that – we want to appear trustworthy to regulators so that we can showcase that we truly believe in a safe and responsible entertainment experience. With that, we also want to show that the legal sector is an expert and is also the solution to create prevention. Also, as a work in progress, we want the customer journey to be a unique omnichannel experience in the next two years.
Last but not least, our plan will always be to ensure that our customers have fun and enjoy their experience, as after all, we must always remember that this is the entertainment industry. We consider our activities in a sustainable way, and this will continue to shape a large part of our approach.
Gamblers Connect, the independent B2B iGaming media platform, has introduced a Verified Sources panel that appears at the bottom of every article, linking each factual claim directly to named primary documents hosted on the original source’s own domain.
The panel lists the specific sources consulted, identifies the issuing authority, and includes editorial notes explaining what has been verified and where the limits of the available evidence exist. Positioned immediately beneath the article body, each source is presented in the order it was consulted and includes the responsible individual or office where applicable.
Each entry also includes relevant disclosure tags drawn from the newsroom’s editorial taxonomy, and a direct hyperlink to the original document on the source’s own domain, allowing readers to verify the reporting in a single click.
The initiative responds to widespread practices in online publishing where sources are hidden, paraphrased or omitted altogether, leaving readers to rely on trust rather than independently verifiable evidence.
Luka Dimitrijevic, Partnerships & Operations Lead at Gamblers Connect, said: “Trust is not something a media outlet can declare. It is something the reader gives, and only once they can see the documents the story was built from. The Verified Sources panel exists so that verification is never more than one click away. If a claim in a story is worth making, the source behind it is worth linking to.”
The post Gamblers Connect Strengthens Trust with Launch of Verified Sources Panel appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Esports World Cup: Level Upreturns for its second season on June 26, with all five episodes dropping that day exclusively on Prime Video. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (Martha (Netflix), Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry (Apple TV)), the five-part docuseries goes inside the human stories behind the world’s largest esports competition, following players, Clubs and families through the pressure and ambition of the 2025 Esports World Cup.
Set in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the seven-week event, the new season follows the chase for the $70 million prize pool and the EWC Club Championship, while showing the personal journeys at the heart of the competition. The series captures what it takes to compete on a global stage where one match can change a career, a season can define a Club, and a single moment can turn a player into a star.
Produced by This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television), with director R.J. Cutler, showrunner John Dorsey and executive producers Jane Cha Cutler, Trevor Smith, Elise Pearlstein and Mark Blatty all returning for the second season, Esports World Cup: Level Up takes a vérité-style approach to esports, capturing the sacrifice, stakes, and rising fame of the world’s top competitive gamers.
Featured players include Jake “Boaster” Howlett (Fnatic; VALORANT), Vivi “Vivian” Indrawaty (Team Vitality; MLBB), Kasimili “Soka” Tongamoa (Team Falcons; Call of Duty: Warzone), Xiao Hai (KuaiShou Gaming; Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves) and Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren (Mongolz; Counter-Strike). To bring the players’ personal stories to the forefront, the film’s crew was on set in Riyadh for seven weeks and also traveled to locations across the U.K., U.S. and Indonesia for rare at-home visits.
Standout storylines woven throughout the series include:
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Magnus Carlsen (Team Liquid, Chess) – Widely considered the greatest chess player ever, Carlsen faces the isolation of dominance, with no traditional peaks left to conquer. His story follows his shift into esports, where a new generation of challengers awaits.
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Boaster (Fnatic, Valorant) – As Valorant debuts at the event, the British competitor’s journey from aspiring actor to title contender shows there’s no single path to success, shaped by resilience through personal and professional setbacks.
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Xiao Hai (KSG, Street Fighter) – A reigning champion shaped by strict discipline, Xiao Hai was competing against adults by age six. Now a father, he balances global competition with family life.
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Vivian (Team Vitality, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang) – Competing for a life-changing prize, Vivian’s story centers on overcoming recent setbacks and confronting childhood trauma.
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The Mongolz & bLitz (Counter-Strike 2) – Led by their star player bLitz, this grassroots Mongolian team has risen from obscurity to national prominence, becoming symbols of pride and perseverance.
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Soka (Team Falcons, Call of Duty: Warzone) – The reigning champion faces pressure on multiple fronts, dealing with rivalries from former teammates while navigating a turbulent home life.
- Coach ArSy (Team Liquid, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang) – Offering a rare coaching perspective, ArSy draws on a difficult upbringing to lead and inspire his team’s pursuit of redemption.
“Level Up captures the human side of what we are building with the Esports World Cup,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports Foundation. “EWC creates the stage: the best games, the best Clubs, the best players, life-changing stakes and moments that bring together a global gaming community of billions. The documentary takes you closer to the people inside those moments: their pressure, their ambition, their families and the stories that make esports meaningful to a new generation.”
“This next chapter deepens our exploration of a global phenomenon that is as much about human ambition and identity as it is about competition,” said Cutler. “Esports is one of the most dynamic cultural movements of our time. In season two, we continue to chronicle not just the competition, but the lives, dreams, and sacrifices of the players at the center of it, revealing a world that is both intensely personal and globally resonant.”
Around those player journeys, the series also captures the wider cultural energy of the Esports World Cup, where sport, music, entertainment and gaming meet. In addition to elite competition, Level Up showcases moments from a star-studded lineup of musical artists and athletes, including opening headliner Post Malone, who shows off his gaming skills backstage; grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, who triumphs in his first chess esports event; and football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who ushers the Club Championship trophy to the stage in a dramatic closing ceremony.
The magnitude of the Esports World Cup is also seen through the reactions of some of the world’s biggest sports and entertainment figures, including reigning F1 champion Lando Norris; Brazilian football legends Ronaldo Nazario and Kaká, who go one-on-one in an EA FC showmatch; professional footballer Alisha Lehmann; skateboarder Tony Hawk; and tennis star Nick Kyrgios, who stated: “The crowd, the atmosphere, is literally better than Wimbledon or any Grand Slam.”
The Esports World Cup 2025 marked a defining moment in competitive gaming. In its second year, EWC reached 750 million viewers worldwide and generated 350 million hours watched, with peak concurrent viewership of nearly 8 million during the League of Legends at EWC ’25 tournament. Coverage was delivered across 28 platforms through 97 broadcast partners and more than 800 channels in 35 languages. Twenty-five tournaments spanning 24 games featured more than 2,000 players representing approximately 200 Clubs from over 100 countries.
The 2026 edition of the Esports World Cup will be held in Paris, France from July 6 through August 23, as the top Clubs in the world compete for $75 million and the 2026 EWC Club Championship trophy.
The post Esports World Cup: Level Up Returns to Prime Video June 26 with Season Two appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Tonybet, an international iGaming operator already licensed in Ontario and Kahnawake, today announced that it has received an iGaming license from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), clearing the company to operate in Alberta’s regulated online gaming market.
The license allows Tonybet to enter Alberta, Canada’s second province to introduce a competitive, multi-operator iGaming market following Ontario’s launch in 2022. It also extends Tonybet’s Canadian footprint, reinforcing the company’s position as one of the most broadly licensed operators in the country.
Alberta’s regulated market represents a significant opportunity. The province has an estimated population of nearly 5 million, a strong sports culture, and a regulatory framework designed to channel existing online gaming activity into a licensed, player-protected environment. Tonybet intends to bring the same localized approach that has driven its growth in Ontario – combining regionally relevant sports betting markets, responsible gaming tools, and dedicated customer support – to Alberta from day one.
“Alberta is taking the right approach – building a regulated market that puts player protection and operational standards at the center from the start. That’s exactly the kind of environment we want to operate in. We’ve spent years proving in Ontario that you can grow a business and maintain the highest compliance standards at the same time – registrations and gross gaming revenue in the province both grew by 52% in 2025, with responsible gaming embedded in that success rather than working against it. Securing this license means we can bring the same commitment to Alberta, and we plan to be fully operational in the market,” said Dmitry Arabuli, CEO of Tonybet.
Tonybet has already begun preparations for its Alberta launch, including platform localization, integration with the province’s centralized self-exclusion system, and commercial onboarding with the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC).
The post Tonybet Secures Alberta iGaming License as Regulated Market Opens appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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