Industry News
New lottery and gaming brand, Megalotto, goes live
New lottery and gaming brand, Megalotto, backed by Optimizer Invest, goes live in multiple markets after securing its MGA licenses
Megalotto has announced the launch of its mobile-first lottery and gaming product, on the Gaming Innovation Group platform.
Having secured its licenses from the Malta Gaming Authority, Megalotto will target multiple territories as it sets out to redefine the online lottery experience for its customers.
Megalotto will be positioned as a unique brand within the online lottery space, one that aims to resonate strongly with new and existing lottery customers and push the boundaries of what can be achieved in mobile lottery.
The product is a clear move away from traditional transactional lottery products and offers an intuitive and simple to use interface.
As well as offering the biggest jackpots from the world’s leading lotteries, Megalotto will also offer scratchcards, instant win and slots content, from a selection of industry leading third party games providers.
Grant Williams, CEO of Megalotto, comments:
“We are delighted to be going live with our new venture and to get our product in front of customers. Our vision from day one has been to design and build an innovative and disruptive lottery product, and we believe we are on track to do just that. We have recruited a high quality, experienced management team to lead the launch of this new Optimizer Invest backed product, matching the ambitious plans we have in place for the markets we will be targeting.”
Petter Moldenius, CEO of Optimizer Invest, comments:
“The innovative Megalotto product is the result of a successful partnership between two of our portfolio companies, bringing a world class, truly customer friendly experience. Megalotto will give millions of players access to lotteries on a global scale in a mobile-first environment that is pushing the envelope for innovation of iGaming experiences on-the-go.”
Alex Pratt
Edge Marketing Institute launches G.A.M.E marketing leadership programme for B2B gaming
Online, on-demand course targets CMOs and senior marketers, with WorldGaming signed as exclusive media partner.
Edge Marketing Institute has launched in the gaming sector with its flagship programme, G.A.M.E (Gaming Advancement in Marketing Excellence), positioned by the company as a dedicated marketing leadership course for B2B gaming.
The company said the programme is designed to help senior marketers develop commercial leadership skills as businesses push marketing teams to contribute more directly to revenue and growth.
Founded by Paul Rees and Gerhard Sagat, Edge Marketing Institute said G.A.M.E consists of 10 senior-level modules covering strategic marketing leadership, positioning, product marketing, sales alignment, go-to-market execution, marketing measurement, brand strategy, and organisational influence.
Paul Rees, Co-Founder of Edge Marketing Institute, said: “Gaming has talented marketers throughout the industry, but too many have been forced to learn senior leadership on the job without structured development or exposure to broader marketing best practice.
“This isn’t a talent problem; it’s a structural one.
“We created Edge Marketing Institute and G.A.M.E to help marketing leaders operate with greater commercial clarity, confidence and influence, so marketing becomes a genuine driver of growth rather than simply a delivery function.”
The programme has launched with the support of WorldGaming as its exclusive media partner. Alex Pratt, Managing Director at WorldGaming, said: “As gaming continues to evolve, the role of marketing is becoming increasingly commercial and strategically important.
“Helping marketing leaders better align marketing with business growth, commercial objectives and long-term industry development is positive for the wider gaming ecosystem, which is why we’re pleased to support the launch of Edge Marketing Institute and G.A.M.E.”
The post Edge Marketing Institute launches G.A.M.E marketing leadership programme for B2B gaming appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
BetBlocker
BetBlocker adds Syrian Arabic language support for gambling harm prevention
The charity says the rollout targets displaced Syrian communities across Europe as it works toward a partnership with a European regulatory agency.
Gambling harm prevention charity BetBlocker said today it has expanded its service to include support for Syrian Arabic speakers, aiming to improve access for displaced Syrian communities living across Europe.
The organisation said years of conflict have led to large Syrian diaspora communities across neighbouring countries and many European nations. BetBlocker added that immigrant communities can face higher risk of gambling harm, with religious, social, cultural and linguistic barriers reducing engagement with support services.
BetBlocker said the Syrian Arabic rollout was prioritised as part of work towards a partnership with a European regulatory agency, positioning it to support diaspora Syrian communities across Europe.
Founder and Trustee for BetBlocker, Duncan Garvie, said: “I’m always really happy when BetBlocker can line-up priorities for where our work for mature markets also facilitates us extending protections to populations that are under served. Our project to deliver Ukrainian as apart of the Improving Outcomes for Minority Communities fund via GambleAware in the UK was a great example of a project that met the needs of the UK funding system, while concurrently extending the support we could offer to an entirely new project.
This project offers similar opportunities. Where extending our support to Syrian Arabic both allows us to submit a more competitive tender to an EU regulator, whilst simultaneously expanding our support to a country/population that currently has very limited options for people experiencing gambling harm.
BetBlocker’s uptake in Syria is climbing rapidly at the moment, and this new launch should ensure that far more people who need support can access it.”
The post BetBlocker adds Syrian Arabic language support for gambling harm prevention appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
AI
Tugi Tark whitepaper puts AI iGaming support at €0.15 per ticket
Tugi Tark has released a 2026 whitepaper, The economics of AI-powered iGaming customer support, arguing that AI changes the unit economics of player support and can reduce costs compared with human-led operations.
The report cites “verified pricing” of EUR 0.15 per AI-handled ticket. It compares that with fully loaded employer costs for human support in Romania and Bulgaria of EUR 1.73 to EUR 1.88 per ticket. At a “realistic” 70% AI containment rate, the whitepaper claims a blended cost of about EUR 0.67 per ticket, which it describes as roughly a 64% reduction versus a human-only baseline of EUR 1.88.
Tugi Tark says its analysis draws on Eurostat 2024 labour cost data, published research on AI chatbot benchmarks, independent iGaming player behaviour research, and operational data from its own deployments. The company estimates operators can achieve a 55% to 75% reduction in total support expenditure, and argues AI can absorb volume spikes—such as during major sporting events—without additional hiring or training lag.
Harpo Lilja, founder and CEO of TUgi Tark, said: “In 2026, the ‘wait-and-see’ approach to AI is costing operators millions in unnecessary overhead. We aren’t just talking about chatbots; we’re talking about a fundamental shift in the unit economics of player retention.”
The whitepaper also frames customer support as a retention lever, stating that payment issues account for 52% of ticket volume and that slower response times drive churn. It claims a 0.5 percentage point churn reduction could retain an additional 500 players per month for a mid-sized operator, translating to €200,000 in annual revenue based on an assumed €400 Player Lifetime Value. Tugi Tark also claims AI agents average ~7 seconds for first response versus ~60 seconds for human agents, and outlines use cases across Responsible Gambling escalation, KYC/AML workflows, and GDPR-aligned data sovereignty.
The post Tugi Tark whitepaper puts AI iGaming support at €0.15 per ticket appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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